Shared folder backed integrated workspaces

• US 9,395,893 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Beausoleil, Sean, Pan, Matteus, Greze, Jean-Denis, DeVincenzi, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US14/725,981
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-205, 709223-229, 709/250
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 : Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 : Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 : Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 : Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 : Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 : Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 : Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 : providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 : Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 : Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 : for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 : Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• 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 67/306 : User profiles

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for shared folder backed integrated workspaces. In some implementations, a content management system can provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that integrates communications and content management into a single user interface. The user interface can include mechanisms that allow a user to provide input to generate a new workspace. The user interface can provide a mechanism to allow a user to view conversations related to the workspace and/or content items associated with the workspace. The user interface can present representations of content items associated with the workspace and allow the user to provide input to generate, view, edit, and share content items associated with the workspace.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, in a content management system, a shared folder containing one or more content items, the shared folder accessible by a plurality of authorized user accounts;

receiving, by the content management system, a request to create a workspace associated with the shared folder from a first authorized user account in the plurality of authorized user accounts;

in response to the request, generating the workspace, the workspace providing an integrated environment for establishing communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts, the workspace being configured to store in the shared folder the communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts and provide a unified view of the communications and content items stored in the shared folder for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a workspace user interface, the workspace user interface comprising the unified view;

presenting on the workspace user interface data representing the content items in the shared folder, the plurality of authorized users, and messages generated by the authorized users.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting, by the content management system, that a new content item has been added to the shared folder;

in response to detecting the new content item, causing the new content item to be presented on the workspace user interface;

identifying one or more client devices associated with the shared folder; and

synchronizing the new content item with each of the one or more client devices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in response to detecting that a new content item has been added to the shared folder, identifying one or more client devices associated with the shared folder and synchronizing the new content item with each of the one or more client devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a chat message obtained from a chat message service, the chat message being directed to the workspace;

routing the chat message to a message stream associated with the workspace; and

causing the chat message to be presented in the message stream as a workspace chat message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

converting the chat message to an e-mail message; and

sending the e-mail message to one or more of the plurality of authorized user accounts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein all content presented in the unified view of the workspace is stored in the shared folder and wherein all of the plurality of authorized user accounts have access to all content presented in the unified view of the workspace.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a user account membership defined for the workspace includes all authorized user accounts in the plurality of authorized user accounts associated with the shared folder.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, in a content distribution system, a shared folder containing one or more content items, wherein the shared folder is accessible by a plurality of authorized user accounts from one or more client devices;

receiving a request to create a workspace associated with the shared folder;

generating the workspace, the workspace providing an integrated environment for establishing communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts, the workspace being configured to store in the shared folder the communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts and provide a unified view of the communications and content items stored in the shared folder for presentation.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

generating a workspace user interface associated with the unified view;

presenting on the workspace user interface data representing the content items in the shared folder, the plurality of authorized users, and messages generated by the authorized users.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

detecting that a new content item has been added to the shared folder;

in response to detecting the new content item, causing the new content item to be presented on the workspace user interface;

identifying one or more client devices associated with the shared folder; and

synchronizing the new content item with each of the one or more client devices.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein all content presented in the unified view of the workspace is stored in the shared folder, and wherein all of the plurality of authorized user accounts have access to all content presented in the unified view of the workspace.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

receiving a chat message obtained from a chat message service, the chat message being directed to the workspace;

routing the chat message to a message stream associated with the workspace; and

causing the chat message to be presented in the message stream as a workspace chat message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

converting the chat message to an e-mail message; and

sending the e-mail message to one or more of the plurality of authorized user accounts.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, the operations further comprising causing the converted workspace chat message to be presented in the message stream with a link to the attachment stored in the shared folder.

16. A content management system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

maintaining synchronization of content items stored in an online shared folder of the content distribution system with local shared folders stored on user devices associated with a plurality of authorized user accounts;

receiving a request to create a workspace associated with the online shared folder;

generating the workspace, the workspace providing an integrated environment for establishing communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts, the workspace being configured to store in the shared folder the communications between the plurality of authorized user accounts and provide a unified view of the communications and content items stored in the shared folder for presentation.

17. The content management system of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

generating a workspace user interface associated with the unified view;

presenting on the workspace user interface data representing the content items in the online shared folder, the plurality of authorized users, and messages generated by the authorized users.

18. The content management system of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

detecting, by the content management system, that a new content item has been added to the online shared folder;

in response to detecting the new content item, causing the new content item to be presented on the workspace user interface;

identifying one or more client devices associated with the shared folder; and

synchronizing the new content item with each of the one or more client devices.

19. The content management system of claim 18, wherein all content presented in the unified view of the workspace is stored in the shared folder, and wherein all of the plurality of authorized user accounts have access to all content presented in the unified view of the workspace.

20. The content management system of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving a chat message obtained from a chat message service, the chat message being directed to the workspace;

routing the chat message to the message stream associated with the workspace; and

causing the chat message to be presented in the message stream as a second workspace chat message.

21. The content management system of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

converting the chat message to a second e-mail message; and

sending the second e-mail message to one or more of the plurality of authorized user accounts.

22. The content management system of claim 16, wherein a user account membership defined for the workspace includes all authorized user accounts in the plurality of authorized user accounts.