System and method for a third-party application to access content within a cloud-based platform

• US 9,413,587 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Michael, Smith, Benjamin Campbell, Tan, Simon, Yao, Rico
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/886,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for using a third-party application to access or edit a file within a cloud-based environment within a cloud-based platform or environment. In one embodiment, a method includes, in the cloud-based environment, responsive to detecting a request to access or edit a file using the third-party application, the file is provided for access or edit using the third-party application. The third-party application includes a user interface which is customized to enable storage of the accessed or edited file to the cloud-based environment. In some embodiments, the third-party application is allowed or restricted to store the accessed file back to the cloud-based environment.

Claims

1. A method for using a third-party application to access or edit a file within a cloud-based environment, the method comprising:

sending a request to access or edit a file, in the cloud-based environment, using the third-party application;

accessing or editing the file using the third-party application; and

receiving from a selectable visual object within a user-interface of the third-party application one or more instructions to store the accessed or edited file within the cloud-based environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the third-party application is integrated with the cloud-based environment such that the file accessed or edited using the third-party application through the cloud-based environment is restricted or enabled to be stored back to the cloud-based environment after the access or edit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the storage of the accessed or edited file to the cloud-based environment includes metadata.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the file is retrieved, from the third-party application after the file is accessed or edited, to be viewed via a web application to the cloud-based environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the file is uploaded to the cloud-based environment for storage after the access or the edit using the third-party application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, sharing or saving mechanisms of after the access or the edit of the file using the third-party application is prohibited by the cloud-based environment.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, copies of the file not stored in the cloud-based environment after the access or the edit are deleted.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, the cloud-based environment manages uploads of files accessed and edited using the third-party application back to the cloud-based environment.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein, the cloud-based environment manages error handling of file access or file edits using the third-party application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, the third-party application is selected by a user of the cloud-based environment among multiple third-party applications available for selection in the cloud-based environment.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, the third-party application is authored by a partnering entity of the cloud-based platform.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, the cloud-based environment includes a cloud-based collaboration environment, and the request of access or edit of the file is from any one of a collaborator of the file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, the third-party application is provided within a view which constrains the third-party application to save the content back to an original location of the file.

14. A method for providing access of a cloud-based environment to a third-party application, the method comprising:

in response to receipt of a request to access a file stored in the cloud-based environment, providing the file to the third-party application for one or more actions to be performed on the file by the third-party application while restricting, using an authorized cloud-based environment application that is co-located with the third-party application, the third-party application to store the accessed file back to the cloud-based environment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third-party application is accessed on a client device separate from a server that hosts the cloud-based environment.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the third-party application includes a user interface which is customized to enable storage of the accessed file to the cloud-based environment.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the restricting is performed via an operating system level hook so that sharing or saving mechanisms of the third-party application other than storing back to the cloud-based environment is prohibited.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving the file from the third-party application after the actions are performed by the third-party application, and

wherein copies created by the third-party application during the access are deleted.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, at a client device, the file from a server that hosts the cloud-based environment; and

storing the file in at the client device.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

limiting access to the client device that comprises an original location of the file so as to prevent unauthorized reading of, editing to, or modifying of the file.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

launching the third-party application using a controlled launching interface that is different from an application launching interface provided by an operating system of the client device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

prompting a user to select the third-party application from a plurality of applications installed on the client device, and

wherein the selection prompted is based on a type of the file.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a list of suggested applications is provided to a user to download, and wherein the list populated is based on a type of the file.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

uploading the retrieved file to a server that hosts the cloud-based environment.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining whether the server is accessible; and

if the server is determined accessible, (i) transmitting the retrieved file to the server, and (ii) deleting the file from the client device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

if the server is determined inaccessible, retaining the file at the client device.

27. A method for providing access to a cloud-based platform through a third-party application, the method comprising:

providing an option in a user interface of the third-party application for accessing the cloud-based platform; and

receiving from a selectable visual object within a user interface of third-party application one or more instructions to save content accessed using the third-party application within the cloud-based platform.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, the user interface limits the third-party application to save the content accessed using the third-party application to the cloud-based platform or a server hosting the third-party application.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein, the user interface prevents sharing of the content accessed using the third-party application besides saving the content.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein, the user interface of the third-party application is customized using tools provided by the cloud-based platform.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein, the third-party application is provided within a view by the cloud-based environment, and wherein, the view allows or limits the third-party application to save the content back to an original location of the file.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

in response to activation of the option, receiving a file from the third-party application.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

uploading the file to the cloud-based platform.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining whether a server hosting the cloud-based platform is accessible; and

if the server is determined accessible, (i) transmitting the accessed file to the server, and (ii) deleting copies of the accessed file.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

if the server is determined inaccessible, retaining the file until the server becomes accessible.

36. A machine-readable medium storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

access a file in a cloud-based environment using a third-party application;

receiving from a selectable visual object within a user-interface of the third-party application one or more instructions to store the accessed file back within the cloud-based environment; and

wherein, the third-party application is integrated with the cloud-based environment such that the accessed file is able to be stored to the cloud-based environment after the access.

37. A system for using a third-party application to access or edit a file within a cloud-based environment, the system, comprising:

means for, sending a request to access or edit a file, in the cloud-based environment, using the third-party application;

means for, accessing or editing the file using the third-party application; and

means for, receiving from a selectable visual object within a user-interface of the third-party application one or more instructions to store the accessed or edited file within the cloud-based environment.

38. A system of a third-party application which provides access to a cloud-based platform, the system comprising:

memory having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor coupled to the system, causes the system to;

provide an option in a user interface of the third-party application for accessing the cloud-based platform; and

receive from a selectable visual object within the user interface of third-party application one or more instructions to save content accessed using the third-party application within the cloud-based platform.

39. A method for providing access of a cloud-based environment to a third-party application, the method comprising:

in response to receipt of a request to access a file stored in the cloud-based environment, providing a list of suggested third-party applications for a user to select for accessing the file; and

providing the file to the selected third-party application for one or more actions to be performed on the file by the selected third-party application while restricting, using an authorized cloud-based environment application that is co-located with the selected third-party application, the selected third-party application to store the accessed file back to the cloud-based environment.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the list of suggested third-party applications is provided to the user so as to enable the user to download the selected application, and wherein the list populated is based on a type of the file.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the selected third-party application is launched after the user'"'"'s selection via a controlled launching interface that is different from an application launching interface provided by an operating system of a user device.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the selected third-party application is provided within a view by the cloud-based environment, and wherein the view allows or limits the selected third-party application to save the content back to an original location of the file.

43. A system for providing access of a cloud-based environment to a third-party application, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to;

in response to receipt of a request to access a file stored in the cloud-based environment, provide a list of suggested third-party applications for a user to select for accessing the file; and

provide the file to the selected third-party application for one or more actions to be performed on the file by the selected third-party application while restricting, using an authorized cloud-based environment application that is co-located with the selected third-party application, the selected third-party application to store the accessed file back to the cloud-based environment.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the list of suggested third-party applications is provided to the user so as to enable the user to download of the selected application, and wherein the list populated is based on a type of the file.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the selected third-party application is launched after the user'"'"'s selection via a controlled launching interface that is different from an application launching interface provided by an operating system of a user device.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the selected third-party application is provided within a view by the cloud-based environment, and wherein the view allows or limits the selected third-party application to save the content back to an original location of the file.