Systems and methods for content management in an on demand environment

• US 8,990,958 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Micucci, Michael, Mohapatra, Suarav, Goldbrenner, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/844,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/27, 726/28, 726/11
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The technology disclosed relates to hosting legacy data sources in a cloud environment. In particular, it relates to providing users with flyweight access to content stored in legacy content repositories from within cloud based applications. It uses full-duplex secure transport tunnels and repository-specific connectors to traverse security layers and access the content repositories. It also creates virtual objects representing the content in the content repositories and embeds them in the cloud based applications.

Claims

1. A method for providing flyweight access within a cloud environment to a content object stored in an external content repository, the method including:

receiving a content object identifier for a content object that a user or a system has selected to access from a cloud or web-based software system, wherein the content object is stored on the external content repository;

passing the content object identifier to a content hub that identifies a data source from the object identifier and uses a repository-specific connector to access the external content repository and the content object;

traversing one or more firewalls or security layers between the content hub and the external content repository using a secure transport tunnel that forwards authentication requests and authentication credentials to the external content repository;

accessing the content object using the repository-specific connector;

creating a virtual object that includes at least an access controlled preview representing the content object and the content object identifier; and

embedding the virtual object in a content feed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content object identifier includes at least a title, description, origin, URL, and/or unique ID of the content object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content hub converts the content object identifier to a data type that can be interpreted by the content repository.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual object includes metadata describing the content object and an icon identifying the content repository.

5. The method of claim 4, further including:

allowing the user to manipulate the metadata, wherein the manipulation is based on user'"'"'s access rights.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport tunnel establishes a full duplex connection between the content hub and the content repository.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing user based access to the virtual object, including;

determining whether the user is authorized to view the preview representing the content object and the content object identifier;

if the user is not authorized to view the preview, determining whether the user is authorized to view metadata and an icon identifying the external content repository;

if the user is authorized to view the metadata and the icon, selecting the metadata and the icon for display; and

if the user is not authorized to view the metadata and the icon, sending a link to request access or automatically granting access, based on user preferences.

8. A method for providing an author flyweight access within a social application to a document stored in an external data source, the method including:

receiving from an author a document identifier for the document that the author has selected to share or post in a social feed, wherein the document is stored on the external data source;

accessing the author'"'"'s credentials for access to the external data source;

sending the document identifier to a content hub that identifies the external data source from the document identifier;

wherein the content hub uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the external data source;

creating a virtual object that includes at least an access controlled preview representing the document and the document identifier; and

embedding the virtual object in the social feed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the document identifier includes at least a title, description, origin, URL, and/or unique ID of the document.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the virtual object includes metadata describing the document and an icon identifying the external data source.

11. A method for providing a recipient flyweight access within a social application to a document stored in an external data source, the method including:

responsive to a recipient request to view a social feed including a feed item, inspecting a virtual object in the feed item that an author has selected to share or post, wherein the virtual object represents a document residing on the external data source;

accessing the recipient'"'"'s credentials for access to the external data source;

sending the virtual object to a content hub that identifies the external data source from the virtual object;

wherein the content hub uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the external data source;

supplying the recipient'"'"'s credentials to the external data source for authentication checking;

subject to the recipient'"'"'s access, providing metadata describing the document, an icon identifying the external data source and a preview of the document in the social feed; and

when the recipient does not have access, providing only the metadata describing the document and the icon identifying the external data source.

12. The method of claim 11, further including:

when the recipient does not have access, supplying a link to request the preview of the document in the social feed or automatically granting access, based on user preferences.

13. A method for performing federated search across fragmented data sources from a social application, the method including:

receiving content identifiers for content that a user desires access to from the social application, wherein the content is stored in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

sending the content identifier to a content hub that uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the fragmented data sources;

identifying the content in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

creating one or more virtual objects that include at least an access controlled preview representing the content in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

presenting the virtual objects in a user interface responsive to user selection; and

embedding the virtual objects in a social feed as feed items upon user selection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the content hub converts the content identifiers to data types that can be interpreted by any of the fragmented data sources.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual objects include metadata describing the content and an icon identifying at least one of the fragmented data sources.

16. A system for providing flyweight access within a cloud environment to a content object stored in an external content repository, the system including:

a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions configured to cause the processor to;

receive a content object identifier for the content object that a user or a system has selected to access from a cloud or web-based software system, wherein the content object is stored on the external content repository;

pass the content object identifier to a content hub that identifies a data source from the object identifier and uses a repository-specific connector to access the external content repository and the content object;

traverse one or more firewalls or security layers between the content hub and the external content repository using a secure transport tunnel that forwards authentication requests and authentication credentials to the external content repository;

access the content object using the repository-specific connector;

create a virtual object that includes at least an access controlled preview representing the content object and the content object identifier; and

embed the virtual object in the content feed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the content object identifier includes at least a title, description, origin, URL, and/or unique ID of the content object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the content hub converts the content object identifier to a data type that can be interpreted by the content repository.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the virtual object includes metadata describing the content object and an icon identifying the content repository.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the transport tunnel establishes a full duplex connection between the content hub and the content repository.

21. The system of claim 16, further configured to cause the processor to:

allow the user to manipulate the metadata, wherein the manipulation is based on user'"'"'s access rights.

22. The system of claim 16, the computer instructions further configured to cause the processor to:

provide user based access to the virtual object, including;

determining whether the user is authorized to view the preview representing the content object and the content object identifier;

if the user is not authorized to view the preview, determining whether the user is authorized to view metadata and an icon identifying the external content repository;

if the user is authorized to view the metadata and the icon, selecting the metadata and the icon for display; and

if the user is not authorized to view the metadata and the icon, sending a link to request access or automatically granting access, based on user preferences.

23. A system for providing an author flyweight access within a social application to a document stored in an external data source, the system including:

a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions configured to cause the processor to;

receive from an author the document identifier for a document that the author has selected to share or post in a social feed, wherein the document is stored on the external data source;

access the author'"'"'s credentials for access to the external data source;

send the document identifier to a content hub that identifies the external data source from the document identifier;

wherein the content hub uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the external data source;

create a virtual object that includes at least an access controlled preview representing the document and the document identifier; and

embed the virtual object in the social feed.

24. A system for providing a recipient flyweight access within a social application to a document stored in an external data source, the system including:

a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions configured to cause the processor to;

responsive to a user request to view a social feed including a feed item, inspect a virtual object in the feed item that an author has selected to share or post, wherein the virtual object represents the document residing on the external data source;

access the recipient'"'"'s credentials for access to the external data source;

send the virtual object to a content hub that identifies the external data source from the virtual object;

wherein the content hub uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the external data source;

supply the recipient'"'"'s credentials to the external data source for authentication checking;

subject to the recipient'"'"'s access, provide metadata describing the document, an icon identifying the data source and a preview of the document in the social feed; and

when the recipient does not have access, provide only the metadata describing the document and the icon identifying the content repository.

25. A system for performing federated search across fragmented data sources from a social application, the system including:

a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions configured to cause the processor to;

receive content identifiers for content that a user desires access to from the social application, wherein the content is stored in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

send the content identifier to a content hub that uses a secure transport tunnel to traverse one or more firewalls or security layers and uses source-specific connectors to access the fragmented data sources;

identify the content in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

creating one or more virtual objects that include at least an access controlled preview representing the content in at least one of the fragmented data sources;

present the virtual objects in a user interface responsive to user selection; and

embed the virtual objects in a social feed as feed items upon user selection.