Systems and methods for adding digital content to content management service accounts

• US 8,838,681 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Motes, Aston, Adeagbo, Makinde, Berg, Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US13/776,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/226, 709/232, 358/540
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods for adding digital content associated with a first user account within a content management system to a second user account within the content management system. In various embodiments, the system may be configured to allow a user to add digital content to an account within a content management system associated with the user when the user receives a shared link to access digital content associated with an account within the content management system belonging to another user. The system may be configured to add the digital content to the user account by associating the digital content with the user'"'"'s account. In various embodiments, the system may be configured to add the digital content to the user'"'"'s account by creating an entry in a server-side file journal associated with the user'"'"'s account, where the entry includes one or more file reference strings associated with the digital content.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured for:

receiving, from a first user, a request to share digital content from a server-side file journal associated with a first user'"'"'s account within a content management system with a second user having an account within the content management system, wherein the server-side file journal associated with the first user'"'"'s account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the first user'"'"'s account;

in response to receiving the request to share the digital content, generating a link that may be activated by the second user to initiate receiving access to the digital content from the first user'"'"'s account;

receiving, from the second user, a request to associate the digital content with a server-side journal associated with a second user'"'"'s account within the content management system, wherein the server-side file journal associated with the second user'"'"'s account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the second user'"'"'s account; and

in response to receiving the request to associate the digital content, associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account within the content management system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises adding data to a data store associated with the second user'"'"'s account that is sufficient to allow the system to retrieve the digital content from a particular storage location in response to the second user requesting access to the digital content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises providing the second user with access to the digital content via the second user'"'"'s account without moving a copy of the digital content into the second user'"'"'s account.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content comprises one or more digital files.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises adding one or more file reference strings associated with the digital content to the server-side file journal associated with the second user'"'"'s account within the content management system.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein each server-side file journal is stored on one or more servers associated with the computer system.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the content management system is a synched cloud-based content management system.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

receiving from a first user, by a processor, a request to generate a digital content sharing link to digital content, the digital content is from a server-side file journal associated with a first account within a content management system, wherein the server-side file journal associated with the first account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the first account;

in response to the request, generating, by a processor, the digital content sharing link;

receiving, by a processor, an indication that the digital content sharing link has been activated;

in response to receiving the link activation indication, displaying, by a processor, a representation of the digital content along with a display element that may be activated to send a request to associate the digital content with a server-side journal associated with a second account within the content management system, wherein the server-side file journal associated with the second account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the second account;

receiving, by a processor, an indication that the display element has been activated; and

in response to receiving the indication that the display element has been activated, associating the digital content, by a processor, with the second account.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the enabling of the addition comprises copying one or more file reference strings associated with the digital content to the server-side file journal associated with the second account.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the digital content is stored on one or more servers associated with the content management system.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the second account is associated with a second user of the content management system.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein associating the digital content with the second account comprises providing access to the digital content to the second user through the second account.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the digital content comprises at least one digital file.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving account information associated with the second account; and

using the account information to enable the step of associating the digital content with the second account.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the first account is associated with a first user; and

associating the digital content with the second account comprises providing a second user with access to the digital content via the second account without moving a copy of the digital content into the second account.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for:

receiving, from a first user, a request to share at least one digital file from a server-side file journal associated with a first user'"'"'s account within a content management system with a server-side journal associated with a second user'"'"'s account within the content management system, wherein the server-side file journal associated with the first user'"'"'s account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the first user'"'"'s account and the server-side file journal associated with the second user'"'"'s account comprises journal entries to reconstruct each file associated with the second user'"'"'s account;

in response to receiving the request to share at least one digital file, generating a link that may be activated by the second user to initiate access to the at least one digital file from the first user'"'"'s account;

receiving, from the second user, a request to associate the at least one digital file with the second user'"'"'s account within the content management system; and

in response to receiving the request to associate the at least one digital file, associating the at least one digital file with the second user'"'"'s account within the content management system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises adding data to a data store associated with the second user'"'"'s account that is sufficient to allow the system retrieve the digital content from a particular storage location in response to the second user requesting access to the digital content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises providing the second user with access to the digital content via the second user'"'"'s account without moving a copy of the digital content into the second user'"'"'s account.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the digital content comprises one or more digital files selected from a group consisting of:

music files;

video files;

photos; and

text files.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein associating the digital content with the second user'"'"'s account comprises adding one or more file reference strings associated with the digital content to the server-side file journal associated with the second user'"'"'s account within the content management system.