Systems and methods for creating shared virtual spaces

• US 9,423,922 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Welinder, Nils Peter, Kleinpeter, Thomas, Wright, Thomas, Balakrishnan, Ramesh, Wen, Tina, Nayak, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US14/247,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for creating shared virtual spaces (“rooms”). A room may be created when a user first shares images with another user. A user may send a request to a content management system to share one or more images with various contacts. In response, a room is created by the content management system in which a copy of each image is stored. Images added to a room are copied to a separate “rooms” database, and “locked,” being saved in the room for a period of time, which may be indefinitely. Changes made by the user to a room via a user device may be displayed as soon as indicated, without waiting for the information to be sent to a system server or its state to be made consistent with that of the user device. Room activity notifications may be sent to members in various ways.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user device from a user, a share request comprising at least one contact of the user and a content item;

creating, locally on the user device, a shared virtual space to store the at least one content item;

displaying, at the user device, the shared virtual space comprising the content item, wherein the user can interact with the content item prior to a global version of the shared virtual space being created;

sending, to a content management system, data to create the global version of the shared virtual space;

assigning a local identifier to the shared virtual space prior to receipt of a global identifier for the global version of the shared virtual space from the content management system;

receiving, from the content management system, the global identifier for the global version of the shared virtual space; and

replacing, at the user device, the local identifier with the global identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, at the user device, user interactions with the content item within the shared virtual space; and

sending data associated with the user interactions to the content management system to be applied to the global version of the shared virtual space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a copy of the content item is stored in the global version of the shared virtual space on the content management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item is one or more of:

stored on the user device;

or

stored in a user account on the content management system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the shared virtual space and the global version of the shared virtual space are data structures; and

the data structures allow content items to be presented on the user device in a defined order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one contact comprises one or more of:

registered users of the content management system or non-registered users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared virtual space is locked after the content item has been added to prevent removal of the content item from the shared virtual space.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the user or the at least one contact is permitted to add new members to the shared virtual space.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a notification to one or more of the user or the at least one contact.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the notification is sent in response to one or more of:

a content item being added to the shared virtual space;

the global version of the shared virtual space being created;

or

a name of the global version of the shared virtual space being inputted.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the notification is sent in response to one or more of:

the user being added to an additional shared virtual space;

additional content items being added to one or more of the shared virtual space or the global version of the shared virtual space;

an additional contact being added to the global version of the shared virtual space;

or

a new message being added to one or more of the shared virtual space or the global version of the shared virtual space.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the shared virtual space on the user device regardless of connectivity with the content management system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing full functionality of the shared virtual space to the user regardless of connectivity with the content management system.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating future communications associated with the shared virtual space with the global identifier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the shared virtual space comprises displaying the shared virtual space prior to the global version of the shared virtual space being created and without limiting any functionality of the shared virtual space prior to the global version of the shared virtual space being created.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the content item to identify one or more characteristics of the content item;

analyzing additional content items stored on the user device to identify one or more additional content items sharing the one or more characteristics; and

providing a recommendation to add the one or more additional content items to the shared virtual space.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising a plurality of content items and a listing of a plurality of contacts of the user,

wherein receiving the share request comprises receiving, by way of the user interface, a selection of the content item from the plurality of content items and a selection of the at least one contact from the plurality of contacts.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user device from a user, a share request comprising at least one contact of a user and at least one content item;

creating, locally on the user device, a shared virtual space to store the at least one content item;

detecting a post being added to the shared virtual space by the user at the user device;

displaying, prior to a global version of the shared virtual space being created, the at least one content item and the post to the user on the user device;

sending, to a content management system, data to create the global version of the shared virtual space at the content management system, wherein the global version of the shared virtual space comprises a copy of the at least one content item and a copy of the post;

assigning a local identifier to the shared virtual space prior to receipt of a global identifier for the global version of the shared virtual space from the content management system;

receiving, from the content management system, the global identifier for the global version of the shared virtual space; and

replacing, at the user device, the local identifier with the global identifier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the post comprises one or more of:

a message associated with the at least one content item, an additional content item, an additional content item and a message, or a message associated with a content item already stored in the shared virtual space.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying further comprises:

displaying, prior to sending, the at least one content item and the post within the shared virtual space on the user device.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting user interactions with the post on the shared virtual space.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending data associated with the user interactions to the content management system; and

displaying, prior to sending the data associated with the user interactions, the shared virtual space on the user device as if the data has already been sent to the content management system.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the at least one contact is able to add an additional post to the global version of the shared virtual space; and

after the post has been added, the global version of the shared virtual space is locked.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

posting, automatically, any content items shared between the user and the at least one contact to one or more of;

the shared virtual spaces or the global version of the shared virtual space.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a notification to the user in response to one or more of;

a content item comprising the user being added to the global version of the shared virtual space;

or

a new post being added to the global version of the shared virtual space.