Prioritizing content item synchronization based on sharing

• US 9,996,547 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Litzenberger, Dwayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/950,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20150032692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 707620
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

Content items queued for synchronization between a client device and a content management system can be automatically prioritized to improve the sharing process. That is, the content items can be prioritized based on whether a share link has been created to the content item. A share link can enable a user to access the shared content item from a content management system. Content items that have been shared using a share link can be given higher priority to be synchronized prior to content items that have not been shared. The queued content items can be synchronized in the synchronization order resulting from the prioritization. Further, multiple shared content items queued for synchronization can be sub-prioritized based on one or more sub-prioritization criteria.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a client device, a plurality of content items queued for synchronization with a content management system according to a first synchronization order dictating synchronization based on a share status of the plurality of content items, wherein a subset of the plurality of content items have the share status and the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status are synchronized prior to content items with no share status;

determining, by the client device, a second synchronization order within the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status based on a sub-prioritization criteria for a first content item and at least one second content item, wherein the sub-prioritization criteria includes when the first content item and at least one second content item were shared, a size, a type, a current location, a network connection, a current time, or a source of the first content item and at least one second content item;

prioritizing synchronization of the first content item and the at least one second content item based on the first content item having a first share status indicating that a share link to the first content item has been requested by the client device and the second content item having a second share status indicating that a share link to the at least one second content item has been requested by the content management system; and

synchronizing, by the client device, the plurality of content items with the content management system according to the first and second synchronization orders, wherein the second synchronization order includes uploading the first content item and the at least one second content item from the client device to the content management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first share status further indicates whether the share link to the first content item was shared with a user account associated with the client device,

the second share status further indicates whether the share link to the at least one second content item was shared with the user account associated with the client device, and

at least one second content item with the content management system according to the first and second synchronization orders.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second synchronization order includes:

when the first share status indicates that a share link to the first content item has been requested and the second share status indicates that a share link to the second content item has been requested, prioritizing the first content item and the second content item based on at least one further sub-prioritization criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the content items based on the further sub-prioritization criteria includes:

comparing the first content item size of the first content item with the second content item size of the second content item; and

when the first content item size is larger than the at least one second content item size, prioritizing synchronization of the second content item to begin prior to synchronization of the first content item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the content items based on the further sub-prioritization criteria includes:

comparing the first sharing request time of the first content item with the second sharing request time of the second content item; and

when the second sharing request time is earlier in time than the first sharing request time, prioritizing synchronization of the second content item to begin prior to synchronization of the first content item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to determining the second synchronization order, pausing synchronization of the first content item; and

after determining the second synchronization order, cancelling synchronization of the first content item.

7. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

identify a plurality of content items queued for synchronization with a content management system according to a first synchronization order dictating synchronization based on a share status of the plurality of content items, wherein a subset of the plurality of content items have the share status and the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status are synchronized prior to content items with no share status;

determine a second synchronization order within the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status based on a sub-prioritization criteria for a first content item and at least one second content item, wherein the sub-prioritization criteria includes when the first content item and at least one second content item were shared, a size, a type, a current location, a network connection, a current time, or a source of the first content item and at least one second content item;

a first share status that indicates that a share link to the to the first content item has been requested by the client device, and the second content item having a second share status that indicates that a share link to the second content item has been requested by the content management system; and

synchronize the plurality of content items with the second computing device according to the first and second synchronization orders, wherein the second synchronization order includes uploading the first content item and the at least one second content item from a client device to the content management system and then the first synchronization order includes uploading the content items with no share status.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein determining the second synchronization order includes:

when the first share status indicates that a share link to the first content item has been requested and the second share status indicates that a share link to the at least one second content item has been requested, prioritizing the first content item and the at least one second content item based on at least one further sub-prioritization criteria.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the sub-prioritization criteria is a first content item size of the first content item and a second content item size of the at least one second content item, and prioritizing the content items based on the sub-prioritization criteria includes:

comparing the first content item size with the at least one second content item size; and

when the first content item size is larger than the at least one second content item size, prioritizing synchronization of the second content item to begin prior to synchronization of the first content item.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the further sub-prioritization criteria is a sharing request time of the first content item and the at least one second content item and prioritizing the content items based on the sub-prioritization criteria includes:

comparing a first sharing request time of the first content item with a second sharing request time of the at least one second content item; and

when the second sharing request time is earlier in time than the first sharing request time, prioritizing synchronization of the at least one second content item to begin prior to synchronization of the first content item.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify a plurality of content items and queued for synchronization with a content management system according to a first synchronization order dictating synchronization based on a share status of the plurality of content items, wherein a subset of the plurality of content items have the share status and the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status are synchronized prior to content items with no share status;

determine a second synchronization order within the subset of the plurality of content items with the share status based on a sub-prioritization criteria for a first content item and at least one second content item, wherein the sub-prioritization criteria includes when the first content item and at least one second content item were shared, a size, a type, a current location, a network connection, a current time, or a source of the first content item and at least one second content item;

prioritizing synchronization of the first content item and the at least one second content item based on the first content item having a first share status indicating that a share link to the first content item has been requested by the client device and the second content item having a second share status indicating that a share link to the at least one second content item has been requested by the content management system; and

synchronize the plurality of content items with the content management system according to the first and second synchronization order, wherein the second synchronization order includes uploading the first content item and the at least one second content item from the client device to the content management system and then the first synchronization order includes uploading the content items with no share status.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining the second synchronization order includes:

when the first share status indicates that a share link to the first content item has been requested and the second share status indicates that a share link to the second content item has been requested, prioritizing the first content item and the second content item based on at least one further sub-prioritization criteria.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the further sub-prioritization criteria includes a first content item type of the first content item, a second content item type of the at least one second content item and a current location of the computing device, and prioritizing the content items based on the further sub-prioritization criteria includes:

determining that the first content item type is a personal content item and the at least one second content item type is work content item;

when a current location of the computing device is within a predetermined distance of a home address of a user of the computing device, prioritizing synchronization of the first content item to begin prior to synchronization of the at least one second content item; and

when the current location of the computing device is within a predetermined distance of a work address of the user of the computing device, prioritizing synchronization of the at least one second content item to begin prior to synchronization of the first content item.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the further sub-prioritization criteria is at least one of content item type, location of the computing device, current time, sharing request time, synchronization queue order, current network connection or content item source.