Document storage access on an unsolicited transfer basis

• US 7,979,466 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wagner, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US12/369,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20100011416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/104.1, 707/781, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention allow a file owner to upload and store a file to a File Storage Area. Through a series of communications, a file owner may provide an intended file recipient access to the file without a request by a file requester. The file owner may grant permissions to access the file and notify the intended file recipient of the results.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a) hosting an online file storage on one or more server computers communicatively coupled to a network; and

b) receiving, from a file owner interface accessible to a file owner after authentication and hosted on the one or more server computers hosting the online file storage, a selection of at least one file from a list of one or more files uploaded exclusively by the file owner, a designation of the at least one file as an automatic access file, a time period and an authorization for an unsolicited file transfer of the at least one file to a predetermined recipient after an expiration of the time period, wherein the file owner interface is configured to;

i. view and edit the one or more files, one or more access permissions associated with each of the one or more files, the time period and the expiration of the time period; and

ii. send an email to the predetermined recipient, wherein the email comprises a user interface control comprising one or more HTML tag attributes configured to access the at least one file and wherein, responsive to the expiration of the time period, the user interface control is updated to reflect the authorization for the unsolicited file transfer and is embedded into the email, and wherein, responsive to the predetermined recipient accessing and downloading the at least one file, the one or more HTML tag attributes are updated to reflect removal of the authorization.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying a control panel for selecting, viewing and editing the status of the at least one file.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the control panel accepts the authorization from the file owner for the unsolicited file transfer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the control panel provides for immediate file transfer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the control panel comprises means for designating the unsolicited file transfer as owner initiated or requiring a request from a requestor.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the control panel comprises means for selecting the time period.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the control panel comprises means to send the email to the predetermined recipient after expiration of the time period.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the email comprises a link to the file, the link containing metadata used to grant the predetermined recipient access to the at least one file.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the email comprises instructions for the link.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the email comprises an attachment to the email, the attachment comprising the at least one file.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the email comprises an attachment to the email, the attachment comprising the file and any other files in a folder or a designated portion of the online file storage containing the at least one file.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the attachment includes a video goodbye.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of granting the predetermined recipient access to the at least one file comprises the step of providing the predetermined recipient with a unique login to the online file storage.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined recipient transfers the at least one file to a client via file transfer protocol after unique login to the online file storage.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the predetermined recipient drags and drops the file to one or more client computers to transfer the intended at least one file.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined recipient accesses only a set of intended available and visible files after unique login to the online file storage.

17. A system comprising:

a) one or more server computers comprising an online file storage, wherein the one or more server computers are communicatively coupled to a network; and

b) a file owner interface hosted on the one or more server computers hosting the online file storage, displayed on one or more client computers operated by a file owner, accessible to the file owner after authentication and comprising;

i. a document storage controls interface comprising a control panel configured to upload, save, view and edit one or more files uploaded exclusively by the file owner and to view and edit one or more access permissions associated with each of the one or more files;

ii. an access permissions interface configured to receive from the file owner a selection of at least one file from the list of one or more files, a designation of the at least one file as an automatic access file, a time period and an expiration of the time period after which the at least one file will be automatically accessible by a predetermined recipient; and

iii. a sharing controls interface configured to create, view or edit a user interface control comprising one or more HTML tag attributes configured to access the at least one file, wherein, responsive to the expiration of the time period, the user interface control is updated to reflect an authorization for an unsolicited file transfer and is embedded into an email sent to the predetermined recipient to authorize the unsolicited file transfer, and wherein, responsive to the predetermined recipient accessing and downloading the at least one file, the one or more HTML tag attributes are updated to reflect removal of the authorization.