Systems and methods for ephemeral eventing

• US 9,112,936 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Poletto, Stephen, Wright, Thomas, Welinder, Nils Peter, Kleinpeter, Thomas, Haven, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Application Number:
  US14/247,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709232-235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• 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 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for ephemeral eventing. Ephemeral eventing may involve sending metadata portions associated with content items from a user device to a content management system prior to uploading the content portions of the content items. The content management system may then assign the content items to one or more events. The event assignments may then be sent back to the user device, allowing the content items to be locally displayed according to their events as if the content items had already been uploaded to the content management system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a content item on a user device connected to a content management system over a data network, the content item comprising a content portion and a metadata portion;

providing, in a first upload and during a first time period, the metadata portion of the content item to the content management system;

receiving, from the content management system after the first time period and prior to completion of a second time period, event assignment metadata that associates the content item with an event; and

providing, in a second upload and during the second time period, the content portion of the content item to the content management system, wherein the second time period expires after the first time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a display of the content item on the user device within an events view that comprises at least some of the event assignment metadata before the content portion is uploaded to the content management system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing the display of the content item in the events view within an expedited time period.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning the content item to the event based on the event assignment metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the metadata portion comprises:

uploading geographic and temporal data associated with the content item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata portion comprises one or more of a geolocation, a creation timestamp, at least one access timestamp, at least one upload timestamp, at least one sharing timestamp, user sharing data, user access data, a device_ID that identifies the user device, a local_ID that identifies the content item on the user device, or content features extracted from the content item.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

queuing the content portion for uploading to the content management system one of automatically or manually; and

uploading the content portion based on network conditions, wherein the network conditions required to upload the content portion varies according to a type of content represented in the content item.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a network connection is not available for providing the metadata portion, queuing the metadata portion for uploading to the content management system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

aggregating the metadata portion with other queued metadata portions, wherein providing the metadata portion comprises bulk uploading the metadata portion and other queued metadata portions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the event assignment metadata comprises at least a first event ID.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, from the content management system, a second event ID for the content item upon the content management system determining that the first event ID and the second event ID refer to the same event.

12. A content management system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive a metadata portion of a content item from a user device;

create an ephemeral item based on the metadata portion, the ephemeral item comprising an incomplete version of the content item queued for receiving a content portion of the content item;

assign event data to the ephemeral item based on the metadata portion; and

send the event data to the user device for rendering of the content item within a user interface utilizing the event data prior to receiving the content portion of the content item.

13. The content management system of claim 12, further comprising:

a database stored in the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the system to;

generate an entry in the database comprising at least a portion of the metadata portion.

14. The content management system of claim 13, wherein the metadata portion comprises:

a user account ID;

a local ID; and

at least one descriptive metadata item.

15. The content management system of claim 14, wherein the metadata portion further comprises one or more of a geolocation, a creation timestamp, at least one access timestamp, at least one upload timestamp, at least one sharing timestamp, user sharing data, user access data, a device_ID that identifies the user device, a local_ID that identifies the content item on the user device;

or content features extracted from the content item.

16. The content management system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to, after sending the event data:

receive a content portion of the content item; and

store the content portion in the memory.

17. The content management system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

convert the ephemeral item to a second content item.

18. The content management system of claim 17, wherein in converting the ephemeral item to a second content item comprises:

assigning a global ID to the entry;

updating an address field of the entry with an address of the content portion in the memory; and

sending the global ID to the user device.

19. The content management system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

refine the event data based on additional information available to the content management system;

store the refined event data in the entry; and

send the refined event data to the user device.

20. The content management system of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

refine the event data one of continuously or periodically while the event data is not locked by one of a user of the user device or the content management system.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, at a content management system in a first upload and during a first time period, a metadata portion of a content item from a user device connected to the content management system over a data network, the content item comprising a content portion and the metadata portion;

assigning the content item to an event based on the metadata portion with a data processor of the content management system;

sending event assignment metadata that associates the content item with the event from the content management system to the user device prior to completion of a second time period; and

receiving, in a second upload and during the second time period, the content portion of the content item at the content management system, wherein the second time period expires after the first time period.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein sending the event assignment metadata permits the user device to provide a display of the content item in an events view within an expedited time period.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving additional event data associated with the event at the content management system; and

refining the event assignment metadata based on the additional event data.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein assigning the content item to an event comprises:

creating an ephemeral item entry in a content item database stored in a memory of the content management system, wherein the ephemeral item entry comprises at least a portion of the metadata portion and at least a portion of the event assignment metadata.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

storing the content portion in the memory;

associating the content portion with the ephemeral item; and

converting the ephemeral item entry into a second content item by populating a global ID field and an address field of the ephemeral item entry, wherein the global ID field comprises a common identifier for the content item and the second content item, and wherein the address field comprises one of a physical address or a logical address that indicates where in the memory the second content item is stored.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein associating the content portion with the ephemeral item comprises:

matching a first local_ID associated with the content item with a second local_ID stored in the ephemeral item entry.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

sending the global_ID to the user device.