System and method for virtual folder sharing including utilization of static and dynamic lists

• US 7,526,483 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2003
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guzak, Chris J., Raman, Balan Sethu, McKee, Timothy P., Ballou, Nathaniel H., Samji, Mohammed, De Vorchik, David G., Ramasubramanian, Ram
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US10/691,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 6, 707 9- 10, 707100-1041, 707/200, 713/165, 713/201, 713/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/192 Implementing virtual folder structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for virtual folder sharing, including utilization of static and dynamic lists. Static and dynamic lists may be created as types of virtual folders. Virtual folders expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. A static list consists of a folder of items that are in a specific order, while a dynamic list gathers a set of items based on a scope and a set of criteria. When a list is shared, the actual list is left in place on the sharer'"'"'s machine or server, while permission is granted to the sharee to remotely access the list and the referenced items. If the list is changed by adding or removing items, these items are also automatically re-permissioned to allow or disallow the sharee to have access to the items.

Claims

1. A method of designating items as available to share in a computer system between a sharer that makes items available and a sharee that views the items that were made available comprising:

executing on the sharer'"'"'s computer a query comprising a scope and a criteria, wherein the scope and the criteria are submitted by the user of the sharer'"'"'s computer, and wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location;

creating on the sharer'"'"'s computer a dynamic list with a plurality of referenced items based on results of said query, wherein the referenced items include electronic files and electronic folders;

wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change that is no longer meets the criteria of the query, the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when the item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change that meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list;

defining the contents of one or more virtual folders on the sharer'"'"'s computer based on the dynamic list, the one or more virtual folders configured to manipulate by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying and pasting,

making the contents of the one or more virtual folders available for sharing with the sharee, thereby making the results of said query available to the sharee; and

sharing at least a portion of the one or more virtual folders with the sharee, wherein the sharee is provided with access to the referenced items from the share'"'"'s computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the sharer is unable to grant access to the sharee for an item, a notification is provided to the sharer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharer is able to limit the type of access that the sharee has to the items.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises defining within the list an order of the plurality of referenced items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises defining within the list an annotation corresponding to at least one of the plurality of referenced items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharee is provided with remote access to the referenced items from another computer.

7. A method for sharing items on a computer system comprising:

receiving permission to access a list on the sharer'"'"'s computer with referenced items, wherein the referenced items are based on the results of a query that includes a scope and a criteria provided by the sharer executed on the sharer'"'"'s computer, and the list defines the contents of one or more virtual folders on the sharer'"'"'s computer, and wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location, and wherein referenced items include electronic files and electronic folders;

in response to receiving the permission to access the list, accessing the list and the referenced items that have been determined by the sharer'"'"'s computer to be shared in a sharing format, the sharing format being a dynamic list;

wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change that is no longer meets the criteria of the query, the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when an item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change that meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list; and

wherein the one or more virtual folders are configured to manipulate by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying, and pasting.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when access to an item is unavailable, a notification is provided.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the permission to access the list specifies the type of access that is available for the items.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the list comprises a predefined order of the referenced items.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the list comprises an annotation corresponding to at least one of the referenced items.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein accessing the list and the referenced items is performed remotely from another computer.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media for enabling a computer-program segment to communicate with one or more other computer-program segments, said media comprising:

a set of computer-usable instructions that cause a request to provide access to a set of items to be communicated to one or more other computer-program segments capable of executing said request, wherein the set of items include results of a query having a scope and criteria provided by the sharer executed on the sharer'"'"'s computer, and wherein the results are included one or more virtual folders on the sharer'"'"'s computer, wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location, and wherein the set of items include electronic files and electronic folders; and

wherein the one or more virtual folders are configured to manipulate by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying, and pasting, said referenced items are determined by the sharer'"'"'s computer to share in a sharing format, the sharing format being a dynamic list format, wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change that is no longer meets the criteria of the query, the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when an item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change that meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein when access to an item is unavailable, a notification is provided.

15. The media of claim 13, wherein the access to the items may be limited to be one of read/write or read only.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the request to provide access comprises a request to provide remote access from another computer.

17. A method of communicating between a sharer of a dynamic list and a sharee comprising:

Receiving from the sharee, a call for accessing, on a computer of the sharer, items that are referenced on the dynamic list, wherein the list is based on results of a query with a scope and a criteria provided by the sharer executed on the sharer'"'"'s computer referenced in one or more virtual folders on the sharer'"'"'s computer, and stored on the sharer'"'"'s computer, and determined by the sharer'"'"'s computer to share in a sharing format, wherein the sharing format is the dynamic list format, wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location, and wherein the sharer items include electronic files and electronic folders;

responsive to authorization received from the sharer, providing the sharee access to the items in the determined sharing format;

wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change that is no longer meets the criteria of the query. the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when an item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change that meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list; and

wherein the one or more virtual folders are configured to manipulate by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying, and pasting.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when access may be unavailable to an item, that is on the list when the list is shared, a notification is provided to the sharer.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the sharer is able to limit the type of access to the items.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the list comprise a predefined order of the referenced items.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the list comprises an annotation corresponding to at least one of the referenced items.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the sharee access to the items comprises providing the sharee remote access to the items.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the call via an API.

24. One or more computer-readable storage media for enabling a sharer to share a set of items that are referenced on a dynamic list with a sharee comprising:

a set of computer-usable instructions that allow the sharee to access the items directly through the sharer'"'"'s computer, wherein the items include electronic files and electronic folders,

wherein the set of items referenced on the list are based on results of a query with a scope and a criteria provided by the sharer executed on the sharer'"'"'s computer, wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location, and wherein the dynamic list comprises an order of the items referenced on the dynamic list, the dynamic list is referenced in one or more virtual folders on the sharer'"'"'s computer, the list is determined by the sharer'"'"'s computer to be shared to the sharee in a sharing format, the sharing format being the dynamic list format, wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change such as that is no longer meets the criteria of the query, the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when an item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change such that it meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list; and

the one or more virtual folders are configured to by be manipulated by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying, and pasting.

25. The media of claim 24, wherein the type of access that is provided to the items may be one of read or read-write

26. The one or more computer readable media of claim 24, wherein the set of computer-usable instructions allow the sharee to remotely access the items.

27. A method for sharing items in a computer system between a sharer and a sharee comprising:

executing on the sharer'"'"'s computer a query comprising a scope and a criteria provided by the sharer, wherein the scope defines at least a portion of a physical storage location;

creating on the sharer'"'"'s computer one or more virtual folders with a plurality of referenced items based on results of said query, wherein the referenced items include electronic files and electronic folders;

determining a sharing format of the list to share to the sharee, wherein the sharing format is a dynamic list;

wherein when an item that is on the dynamic list has a property change that is no longer meets the criteria of the query, the item is removed from the dynamic list, and wherein when an item that was not previously on the dynamic list has a property change that meets the criteria of the query, the item is added to the dynamic list;

sharing the one or more virtual folders with a sharee such that the sharee is provided with access to the referenced items from the sharer'"'"'s computer in the determined sharing format; and

wherein the one or more virtual folders are configured to manipulate by an action of at least the sharer, said manipulation is at least one of dragging, copying, and pasting.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein when the sharer removes items from the virtual folder, the sharee is no longer provided with access to the items.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein when itesm are added to the virtual folder, the sharee is provided with access to the added items.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein tin the sharing setup the sharee is provided with remote access to the referenced items.