Shared Workspaces with Selective Content Item Synchronization

• US 20160291856A1
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: von Muhlen, Marcio, Bunger, Nils, Polselli, Adam, Jau, Sam, Underwood, George Milton IV, DeVincenzi, Anthony, Dunn, Colin, Borror, Nathan
• Granted Patent: US 10,001,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Shared workspaces with selective content item synchronization. In one embodiment, for example, a method performed at a personal computing device comprises: displaying an actionable shared workspace launcher icon for a shared workspace accessible by a user account held with a content management system; downloading metadata pertaining to the shared workspace from the content management system; downloading one or more content item blocks for a particular content item belonging to the shared workspace from a content item server of the content management system; storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device; and responsive to an activation of an actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the particular content item is currently configured for offline access.

Claims

1. A method for providing shared content item workspaces with selective content item synchronization, the method comprising:

at a personal computing device comprising one or more processors and storage media storing one or more computer programs executed by the one or more processors to perform the method, performing operations comprising;

displaying, on a desktop graphical user interface provided by an operating system of the personal computing device, an actionable shared workspace launcher icon for a shared workspace, the shared workspace accessibly by a user account held with a content management system;

downloading metadata pertaining to the shared workspace from a control server of the content management system, the metadata comprising a name of each of one or more content items belonging to the shared workspace;

responsive to an activation of the actionable shared workspace launcher icon for the shared workspace, displaying, within a window displayed on the desktop graphical user interface, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items, the corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items indicating the name of the content item and indicating that the content item is currently not configured for offline access;

downloading one or more content item blocks for a particular content item, of the one or more content items, from a content item server of the content management system;

storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device; and

responsive to an activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the particular content item is currently configured for offline access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the metadata further comprises one or more identifiers of the one or more content item blocks; and

the operation of downloading the one or more content item blocks from the content item server comprises the operation of providing the one or more identifiers of the one or more content item blocks in a network request of the content item server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the one or more content items is a content item folder or a content item file; and

the operation of displaying, within the window, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items comprises the operation of displaying, within the window, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items indicating whether the content item is a content item folder or a content item file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the particular content item is a particular content item folder;

the one or more content item blocks belong to one or more content item files contained in the particular content item folder; and

the metadata indicates the one or more content item files contained in the particular content item folder.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, of the one or more content items, comprises a user selecting a selectable item, of a list of one or more selectable items, displayed within the window, the selectable item representing an option to configure the particular content item for offline access.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item is a first activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item; and

responsive to a second activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, deleting the one or more content item blocks from the personal computing device, and updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the content item is currently not configured for offline access.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the operation of downloading the one or more content item blocks from the content item server is being performed, updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the downloading operation is currently being performed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations of downloading the one or more content item blocks for the particular content item from the content item server, and storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device, are performed prior to the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations of downloading the one or more content item blocks for the particular content item from the content item server, and storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device, are performed while the particular content item is not configured for offline access according to metadata associated with the particular content item and stored at the personal computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting an event pertaining to an amount of available data storage space at the personal computing device, automatically switching a configuration of the particular content item from (a) configured for offline access to (b) not configured for offline access; and

responsive to determining that the particular content item has not been accessed since the configuration of the particular content item was switched from (a) to (b), automatically deleting the one or more content item blocks from the personal computing device.

11. A personal computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

storage media storing one or more computer programs for execution by the one or more processors, one or more computer programs comprising instructions for;

displaying, on a desktop graphical user interface provided by an operating system of the personal computing device, an actionable shared workspace launcher icon for a shared workspace, the shared workspace accessible by a user account held with a content management system;

downloading metadata pertaining to the shared workspace from a control server of the content management system, the metadata comprising a name of each of one or more content items belonging to the shared workspace;

responsive to an activation of the actionable shared workspace launcher icon for the shared workspace, displaying, within a window displayed on the desktop graphical user interface, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items, the corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items indicating the name of the content item and indicating that the content item is currently not configured for offline access;

downloading one or more content item blocks for a particular content item, of the one or more content items, from a content item server of the content management system;

storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device; and

responsive to an activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the particular content item is currently configured for offline access.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the metadata further comprises one or more identifiers of the one or more content item blocks; and

the instructions for downloading the one or more content item blocks from the content item server comprise instructions for providing the one or more identifiers of the one or more content item blocks in a network request of the content item server.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein:

each of the one or more content items is a content item folder or a content item file; and

the instructions for displaying, within the window, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items comprise instructions for displaying, within the window, a corresponding actionable file system icon for each of the one or more content items indicating whether the content item is a content item folder or a content item file.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the particular content item is a particular content item folder;

the one or more content item blocks belong to one or more content item files contained in the particular content item folder; and

the metadata indicates the one or more content item files that are contained in the particular content item folder.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, of the one or more content items, comprises a user selecting a selectable item, of a list of one or more selectable items, displayed within the window, the selectable item representing an option to configure the particular content item for offline access.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item is a first activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item; and

responsive to a second activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item, deleting the one or more content item blocks from the personal computing device, and updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the content item is currently not configured for offline access.

17. The device of claim 11, the one or more computer programs further comprising instructions for:

while downloading the one or more content item blocks from the content item server, updating display of the corresponding actionable file system icon for the particular content item to indicate that the downloading is currently being performed.

18. The device of claim 11, the one or more computer programs further comprising instructions for downloading the one or more content item blocks for the particular content item from the content item server, and storing the one or more content item blocks at the personal computing device, prior to the activation of the actionable file system icon corresponding to the particular content item.

19. The device of claim 11, the one or more computer programs further comprising instructions for downloading the one or more content item blocks for the particular content item from the content item server, and storing the one or more content s at the personal computing device, while the particular content item is not configured for offline access according to metadata associated with the particular content item and stored at the personal computing device.

20. The device of claim 11, the one or more computer programs further comprising instructions for:

responsive to detecting an event pertaining to an amount of available data storage space at the personal computing device, automatically switching a configuration of the particular content item from (a) configured for offline access to (b) not configured for offline access; and

responsive to determining that the particular content item has not been accessed since the configuration of the particular content item was switched from (a) to (b), automatically deleting the one or more content item blocks from the personal computing device.