Systems and methods for displaying file and folder information to a user

• US 9,552,142 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Motes, Aston, Kirigin, Ivan, Adeagbo, Olumakinde Adegboyega, Wei, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, RAYEEZ R
• Application Number:
  US14/137,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• 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 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

Abstract

A system for displaying the listings of files and/or folders in one of a plurality of different views (e.g., gallery view or list view). In particular embodiments, the system determines which of the views to display in the listings in based on: (1) the types of files to be displayed; (2) a specified preference of a content sharer; and/or (3) a specified preference of a content recipient. Various embodiments are particularly useful for displaying lists of files that a content sharer shares with a content recipient via a URL within the context of a synched file sharing system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a content sharer in a computerized content sharing system, an indication that the content sharer wishes to share content stored within the content sharing system with a content recipient;

automatically determining that the content includes one or more items suitable for display in a preview image format and one or more items suitable for display in a list view format;

creating a link, by the content sharing system, that the content sharer may share with the content recipient, the link corresponding to an automatically determined, by the content sharing system, default view based on the content, wherein the automatically determined default view is a gallery view concurrently displaying at least one item in the preview image format and at least one item in the list view format;

providing, by the content sharing system, the link to the content sharer for use in sharing the content with the content recipient; and

after creating the link, the content sharing system, automatically changing the default view of a listing of the content based on an analysis, by the content sharing system, of the content recipient'"'"'s pre-defined view format preferences, wherein when the link is activated by the content recipient the link provides a web page displaying the content in the default view based on the analysis of the content recipient'"'"'s view format preferences.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein changing the default view of a list of the content based on an analysis of the content recipient'"'"'s view format preferences comprises:

monitoring the content recipient'"'"'s behavior in regard to view format preferences to collect view format preference data;

analyzing the collected view format preference data to determined a preferred view of a listing of content; and

automatically changing the default view to the determined preferred view.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a type of computing device that a content recipient is currently using to view the content; and

in response to determining that the type of computing device falls within a predetermined category of computing devices, displaying a listing of the content in list view format regardless of a current default view for the content.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined category of computing devices comprises wireless computing devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein an image file displayed in preview image format has substantially no identifying text adjacent the preview image.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a name of the image file can be viewed by using a computer pointing device to hover over the preview image associated with the image file.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein when a list of the content is viewed in list view format, image files from within the content are represented by an indicia that includes alphanumeric text indicating the image file'"'"'s title.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the indicia comprises a small thumbnail version of the image file.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the small thumbnail version of the image file is smaller than a preview image of the image file.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a content sharer in a computerized content sharing system, an indication that the content sharer wishes to share content stored within the content sharing system with a content recipient;

automatically determining that the content includes one or more items suitable for display in a preview image format and one or more items suitable for display in a list view format;

creating a link, by the computerized content sharing system, that the content sharer may share with the content recipient, the link corresponding to an automatically determined, by the computerized content sharing system, default view based on the content, wherein the automatically determined default view is a gallery view concurrently displaying at least one item in the preview image format and at least one item in the list view format;

providing, by the computerized content sharing system, the link to the content sharer for use in sharing the content with the content recipient;

after creating the link corresponding to the default view, the computerized content sharing system, automatically changing the default view of a listing of the content based on an analysis of the content sharer'"'"'s pre-defined view format preferences, wherein when the link is activated by the content recipient the link provides a web page displaying the content in the default view based on the analysis of the content sharer'"'"'s view format preferences.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein changing the default view of a list of the content based on an analysis of the content sharer'"'"'s view format preferences comprises:

monitoring the content sharer'"'"'s behavior in regard to view format preferences to collect view format preference data;

analyzing the collected view format preference data to determined a preferred view of a listing of content; and

automatically changing the default view to the determined preferred view.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a type of computing device that a content recipient is currently using to view the content; and

in response to determining that the type of computing device falls within a predetermined category of computing devices, displaying a listing of the content in list view format regardless of a current default view for the content.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined category of computing devices comprises wireless computing devices.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein an image file displayed in preview image format has substantially no identifying text adjacent the preview image.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a name of the image file can be viewed by using a computer pointing device to hover over the preview image associated with the image file.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein when a list of the content is viewed in list view format, image files from within the content are represented by an indicia that includes alphanumeric text indicating the image file'"'"'s title.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the indicia comprises a small thumbnail version of the image file.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the small thumbnail version of the image file is smaller than a preview image of the image file.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a content sharer in a computerized content sharing system, an indication that the content sharer wishes to share a first set of content stored within the content sharing system with a content recipient;

automatically determining that the first set of content includes one or more items suitable for display in a preview image format and one or more items suitable for display in a list view format;

creating a link, by the computerized content sharing system, that the content sharer may share with the content recipient, the link corresponding to an automatically determined, by the computerized content sharing system, default view based on the first set of content, wherein the automatically determined default view is a gallery view concurrently displaying at least one item in the preview image format and at least one item in the list view format;

providing, by the computerized content sharing system, the link to the content sharer for use in sharing the first set of content with the content recipient; and

after creating the link, the computerized content sharing system, automatically changing the default view of a listing of the first set of content to a first preferred view based on an analysis, by the computerized content sharing system, of the content recipient'"'"'s pre-defined view format preferences and the first set of content, wherein when the link is activated by the content recipient the link provides a web page displaying the first set of content in the default view based on the analysis of the content recipient'"'"'s view format preferences.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving, from a content sharer in a computerized content sharing system, an indication that the content sharer wishes to share a second set of content stored within the content sharing system with the content recipient;

determining that the second set of content includes one or more items suitable for display in a preview image format and one or more items suitable for display in a list view format;

creating a link that the content sharer may share with the content recipient, the link corresponding to an automatically determined default view based on the second set of content, wherein the automatically determined default view is a gallery view listing at least one item in the preview image format and at least one item in the list view format;

providing the link to the content sharer for use in sharing the second set of content with the content recipient; and

after creating the link, automatically changing the default view of a listing of the second set of content to a second preferred view based on an analysis of the content recipient'"'"'s view format preferences and the second set of content, wherein when the link is activated by the content recipient the link provides a web page displaying the second set of content in the default view based on the analysis of the content recipient'"'"'s view format preferences.