Shared folder backed integrated workspaces

• US 9,715,534 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, Colin, Beausoleil, Sean, Pan, Matteus, Greze, Jean-Denis, DeVincenzi, Anthony, Johnson, Maxwell, Dubie, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US14/726,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• 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:

generating, by an online content management system, a workspace graphical user interface representing a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in the shared folder and communicating with a plurality of authorized users of the shared folder, the workspace interface including, representations of content items stored in the online shared folder and a message stream that includes messages generated by the plurality of authorized users of the shared folder;

assigning a workspace email address to the shared folder;

obtaining, by the online content management system, an email message addressed to the workspace email address from an email service of an authorized user of the workspace, wherein the email message is accessible to each of the plurality of authorized users of the shared folder;

automatically converting at least a portion of a body of the email message to a second message type; and

posting the second message type as a new workspace message in the message stream, wherein the new workspace message is viewed by the plurality of authorized users of the shared folders in the message stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message stream is a chat message stream.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second workspace message; and

in response to receiving the second workspace message, generating a second email message containing at least a portion of the second workspace message; and

sending the second email to the authorized users of the online shared folder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the workspace email address is a mailing list email address and wherein each of the authorized users are subscribers to the mailing list email address.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a plurality of email messages corresponding to an email thread associated with the workspace email address; and

generating a workspace message thread in the message stream corresponding to the email thread.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of email messages are addressed to the workspace email address or addressed from the workspace email address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining an email message addressed to the workspace email address includes obtaining an email message that was generated prior to assigning the workspace email address to the shared folder.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

generating, by an online content management system, a workspace graphical user interface representing a shared folder hacked workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in the shared folder and communicating with a plurality of authorized users of the shared folder, the workspace interface including representations of content items stored in the online shared folder and a message stream that includes messages generated by the plurality of authorized users of the shared folder;

obtaining, by the online content management system, an email message from an email service of an authorized user of the workspace, the email message associated with a workspace email address corresponding to the online shared folder, wherein the email message is accessible to each of the plurality of authorized users of the shared folder;

automatically converting at least a portion of a body of the email message to a second message type; and

posting the second message type as a new workspace message in the message stream, wherein the new workspace message is viewed by the plurality of authorized users of the shared folders in the message stream.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the message stream is a chat message stream.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause:

receiving a second workspace message; and

in response to receiving the second workspace message, generating a second email message containing at least a portion of the second workspace message; and

sending the second email to the authorized users of the online shared folder.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the workspace email address is a mailing list email address and wherein each of the authorized users are subscribers to the mailing list email address.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause:

obtaining a plurality of email messages corresponding to an email thread associated with the workspace email address; and

generating a workspace message thread in the message stream corresponding to the email thread.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of email messages are addressed to the workspace email address or addressed from the workspace email address.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions that cause obtaining an email message addressed to the workspace email address include instructions that cause obtaining an email message that was generated prior to associating the workspace email address to the shared folder.

15. An online 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, cause;

generating, by an online content management system, a workspace graphical user interface representing a shared folder backed workspace that provides an integrated environment for manipulating content items in the shared folder and communicating with a plurality of authorized users of the shared folder, the workspace interface including representations of content items stored in the plurality of online shared folder and a message stream that includes messages generated by the authorized users of the shared folder;

obtaining, by the online content management system, an email message from an email service of an authorized user of the workspace, the email message associated with a workspace email address corresponding to the online shared folder, wherein the email message is accessible to each of the plurality of authorized users of the shared folder; and

automatically converting at least a portion of a body of the email message to a second message type; and

posting the second message type as a new workspace message in the message stream, wherein the new workspace message is viewed by the plurality of authorized users of the shared folders in the message stream.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the message stream is a chat message stream.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause:

receiving a second workspace message; and

in response to receiving the second workspace message, generating a second email message containing at least a portion of the second workspace message; and

sending the second email to the authorized users of the online shared folder.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the workspace email address is a mailing list email address and wherein each of the authorized users are subscribers to the mailing list email address.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause:

obtaining a plurality of email messages corresponding to an email thread associated with the workspace email address; and

generating a workspace message thread in the message stream corresponding to the email thread.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of email messages are addressed to the workspace email address or addressed from the workspace email address.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions that cause obtaining an email message addressed to the workspace email address include instructions that cause obtaining an email message that was generated prior to associating the workspace email address to the shared folder.