METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A FILE SHARING SYNCHRONIZATION SYSTEM

• US 20160028814A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: STRONG, Jack Benjamin, THOMAS, Gibu
• Granted Patent: US 10,515,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1767 Concurrency control, e.g. optimistic or pessimistic approaches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for managing and sharing picture files. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises providing a server platform and providing a datastore on the server platform for maintaining full resolution copies of the files shared between a plurality of sharing clients. A synchronization engine is provided on the server platform and is configured to send real-time updates to a plurality of sharing clients when at least one of the sharing clients updates or changes one of said files. A web interface may also be provided that allows a user to access files in the datastore through the use of a web browser.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for aggregating and synchronizing messages associated with a user, the method comprising:

associating, by a synchronization server, a plurality of remote e-mail accounts with a user account on the synchronization server;

maintaining, by the synchronization server, a copy of each message associated with the remote e-mail accounts;

receiving, by the synchronization server, an update to one of the messages; and

sending, by the synchronization server, the received updates to each of a plurality of client devices associated with the user.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising importing the messages from each of the remote e-mail accounts.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the messages are maintained in a data store on the synchronization server.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising notifying the remote e-mail account associated with the updated message of the update.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, at the synchronization server a notification that a message associated with one of the remote email accounts was deleted; and

sending, by the synchronization server, the notification of deletion to each of the plurality of client devices.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the updates are received and sent to the client devices in real time.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising maintaining, by the synchronization server, a perpetual connection with at least one of the remote email accounts in order to receive updates and send the received updates in real time.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable code for aggregating and synchronizing messages associated with a user, comprising:

code for associating a plurality of remote e-mail accounts with a user account on the synchronization server;

code for maintaining a copy of each message associated with the remote e-mail accounts;

code for receiving an update to one of the messages; and

code for sending the received updates to each of a plurality of client devices associated with the user.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising code for importing the messages from each of the remote e-mail accounts.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the messages are maintained in a data store on the synchronization server.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising code for notifying the remote e-mail account associated with the updated message of the update.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising:

code for receiving, at a synchronization server a notification that a message associated with one of the remote email accounts was deleted; and

code for sending, by the synchronization server, the notification of deletion to each of the plurality of client devices.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the updates are received and sent to the client devices in real time.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising code for maintaining, by the synchronization server, a perpetual connection with at least one of the remote email accounts in order to receive updates and send the received updates in real time.

35. A synchronization server configured to:

associate a plurality of remote e-mail accounts with a user account on the synchronization server;

maintain a copy of each message associated with the remote e-mail accounts;

receive an update to one of the messages; and

send the received updates to each of a plurality of client devices associated with the user.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising importing the messages from each of the remote e-mail accounts.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising notifying the remote e-mail account associated with the updated message of the update.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

receiving, at the synchronization server a notification that a message associated with one of the remote email accounts was deleted; and

sending, by the synchronization server, the notification of deletion to each of the plurality of client devices.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the updates are received and sent to the client devices in real time.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising maintaining, by the synchronization server, a perpetual connection with at least one of the remote email accounts in order to receive updates and send the received updates in real time.