AUTOMATIC FILE STORAGE AND SHARING

• US 20170006102A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Ryazanov, Dima, Cayre, Stefano, Mody, Viraj, Subramani, Anand, Wen, Tina
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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
• 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

Described embodiments enable the automatic uploading and sharing of objects via a content management system (CMS). A user of a client device may request to share an object via a user interface. Prior to the request, the object may be stored in a storage location of the client device that is not synchronized with the CMS. In one embodiment, client software detects a “click-and-drag” operation of an object and provide a sharing element into which an object may be dropped for sharing. The CMS receives the sharing request and may automatically initiate a sharing process comprising receiving the object from the client device, storing the object in the CMS, generating a link to the object, and sending the link to indicated or pre-determined recipient(s). In various embodiments, the objects are synchronized with the CMS and/or organized according to various object parameters within a directory of the CMS.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client device, a sharing request, the client device having a first storage location synchronized with a content management system, the sharing request identifying a recipient and an object stored in a second storage location of the client device, the second storage location not synchronized with the content management system; and

responsive to receiving the sharing request;

storing the object in the first storage location;

sending the object to the content management system for storage in a third storage location of the content management system, the third storage location synchronized with the first storage location of the client device; and

sending the sharing request to an automatic link engine of the content management system configured to automatically generate and send to the recipient a link corresponding to the third storage location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sharing request further comprises:

detecting an action performed on the object;

responsive to detecting the action, displaying a sharing element within a user interface of the client device, the sharing element configured to receive a user input to initiate the sharing request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the action is a click-and-drag operation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sharing element occupies a region of a display of the client device and the user input to initiate the sharing request includes dropping the object into the region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sharing request further comprises:

detecting an action performed on the object;

responsive to detecting the action, displaying a plurality of sharing elements within a user interface of the client device, each of the plurality of sharing elements associated with a particular recipient and configured to receive a user input to initiate the sharing request identifying the particular recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is sent to the content management system via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is stored in the third storage location of the content management system prior to being stored in the first storage location, and wherein the object is stored in the first storage location via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a directory of a file system of the client device comprises a plurality of previously shared objects stored in the first storage location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of previously-shared objects has metadata comprising at least one of an associated recipient, a sharing date, and an original directory from which the object was shared, and the objects are organized according to the metadata.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, from a client device having a first storage location synchronized with a content management system, a sharing request identifying a recipient and an object stored in a second storage location of the client device, the second storage location not synchronized with the content management system; and

responsive to receiving the sharing request;

receiving the object from the client device;

storing the object in a third storage location of the content management system, the third storage location synchronized with the first storage location of the client device, the object stored in the first storage location responsive to the sharing request;

automatically generating a link corresponding to the third storage location; and

sending the link to the recipient.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the object is received from the client device via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the object is stored in the third storage location prior to being stored in the first storage location, and wherein the object is stored in the first storage location via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

13. A system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions;

a non-transitory, non-volatile storage medium containing instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving, at a client device, a sharing request, the client device having a first storage location synchronized with a content management system, the sharing request identifying a recipient and an object stored in a second storage location of the client device, the second storage location not synchronized with the content management system; and

responsive to receiving the sharing request;

storing the object in the first storage location;

sending the object to the content management system for storage in a third storage location of the content management system, the third storage location synchronized with the first storage location of the client device; and

sending the sharing request to an automatic link engine of the content management system configured to automatically generate and send to the recipient a link corresponding to the third storage location.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein receiving the sharing request further comprises:

detecting an action performed on the object;

responsive to detecting the action, displaying a sharing element within a user interface of the client device, the sharing element configured to receive a user input to initiate the sharing request.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the action is a click-and-drag operation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the sharing element occupies a region of a display of the client device and the user input to initiate the sharing request includes dropping the object into the region.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein receiving the sharing request further comprises:

detecting an action performed on the object;

responsive to detecting the action, displaying a plurality of sharing elements within a user interface of the client device, each of the plurality of sharing elements associated with a particular recipient and configured to receive a user input to initiate the sharing request identifying the particular recipient.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the object is sent to the content management system via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the object is stored in the third storage location of the content management system prior to being stored in the first storage location, and wherein the object is stored in the first storage location via a synchronization operation between the first storage location and the third storage location.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein a directory of a file system of the client device comprises a plurality of previously shared objects stored in the first storage location.