Enriching contact data based on content sharing history in a content management system

• US 9,460,210 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Dwan, Michael, Levi, Alon
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Uzma
• Application Number:
  US14/245,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A content management system enriches contact records obtained from a client device using user records stored on the content management system. The content management system receives contact records from a client device authorized on a user account of the content management system. The content management system compares contact records with user profiles stored on the content management system. The content management system matches contact records with user profiles of user accounts with which at least one sharing event occurred between the user account and the user account on which the client device is authorized. The content management system identifies a matching user profile corresponding to the contact record. The content management system determines modification information for modifying the contact record based upon the matching user profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining, by a content management system, a share history storing share records of sharing of content items between user accounts;

receiving a contact list from a client device authorized on a first user account, the contact list including a first contact record;

identifying a user profile of a second user account that matches the first contact record;

identifying by the content management system from the share history, at least one sharing record of sharing of a content item between the first user account and the second user account;

determining by the content management system, modification information for modifying the first contact record based on at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record, the modification information comprising a value for an empty field of the first contact record determined based on a value of a non-empty field of the user profile;

modifying by the content management system, the first contact record based on the modification information; and

sending the modification information for the first contact record to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the modification information for the first contact record to the client device comprises, sending to the client device, a new value for adding to an empty field of the first contact record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the modification information for the first contact record to the client device comprises, sending to the client device, a modified first contact record that contains at least one field having new value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a user profile of a second user account matching the first contact record comprises:

comparing a field of the user profile of the second user with a field of the first contact record; and

responsive to determining that the field of the user profile matches the field of the first contact record, determining that the user profile matches the first contact record.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining by the content management system, modification information for modifying the first contact record based at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record is performed responsive to determining that the second user account has authorized sharing the at least one field from the matching user profile with at least one other user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing record represents the first user account sharing a content item with the second user account.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing record represents the second user account sharing content item with the first user account.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a contact list from a client device authorized on a first user account, the contact list including a first contact record comprises importing the contact list from an external application that maintains the contact list independently of the content management system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising exporting the modified contact record to an external application that maintains a contact list independently of the content management system.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having an executable computer program embodied therein for controlling a computer processor, the executable computer program controlling the processor to perform the steps of:

maintaining, by a content management system, a share history storing share records of sharing of content items between user accounts;

receiving a contact list from a client device authorized on a first user account, the contact list including a first contact record;

identifying a user profile of a second user account that matches the first contact record;

identifying by the content management system from the share history, at least one sharing record of sharing of a content item between the first user account and the second user account;

determining by the content management system, modification information for modifying the first contact record based on at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record, the modification information comprising a value for an empty field of the first contact record determined based on a value of a non-empty field of the user profile;

modifying by the content management system, the first contact record based on the modification information; and

sending the modification information for the first contact record to the client device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein identifying a first user profile for a second user account matching the first contact record comprises:

comparing a field of the user profile of the second user with a field of the first contact record; and

responsive to determining that the field of the user profile matches the field of the first contact record, determining that the user profile matches the first contact record.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining by the content management system, modification information for modifying the first contact record based at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record is performed responsive to determining that the second user account has authorized sharing the at least one field from the matching user profile with at least one other user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the sharing record represents one of, the first user account sharing a content item with the second user account or the second user account sharing content item with the first user account.

14. A computer system, comprising:

a computer processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by the computer processor, the computer program embodied therein for controlling the computer processor, the executable computer program controlling the processor to perform the steps of;

maintaining a share history storing share records of sharing of content items between user accounts;

receiving a contact list from a client device authorized on a first user account, the contact list including a first contact record;

identifying a user profile of a second user account that matches the first contact record;

identifying by the content management system from the share history, at least one sharing record of sharing of a content item between the first user account and the second user account;

determining by the content management system, modification information for modifying the first contact record based on at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record, the modification information comprising a value for an empty field of the first contact record determined based on a value of a non-empty field of the user profile;

modifying by the content management system, the first contact record based on the modification information; and

sending the modification information to the client device, wherein the first contact record is updated on the client device based on the modification information.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein identifying a first user profile for a second user account matching the first contact record comprises:

comparing a field of the user profile of the second user with a field of the first contact record; and

responsive to determining that the field of the user profile matches the field of the first contact record, determining that the user profile matches the first contact record.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein determining modification information for modifying the first contact record based at least one field present in the matching user profile that is not present in the first contact record is performed responsive to determining that the second user account has authorized sharing the at least one field from the matching user profile with at least one other user.