System, method, and computer program for enabling a user to access and edit via a virtual drive objects synchronized to a plurality of synchronization clients

• US 10,057,318 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Rashid, Fuad, Morford, Michael Phillip, Wagner, Eric Wayne, Wong, James David, Yip, Sing
• Primary Examiner(s): Molina, Hugo
• Application Number:
  US13/571,512
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 715738, 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program are provided for enabling a user to edit and access local and remote objects via a virtual drive, including objects synchronized to a plurality of synchronization clients. A virtual drive is displayed on the user'"'"'s local client device with all objects, which a user has synchronized to a synchronization server. A user is able to access and edit any object displayed in the virtual drive. In response to detecting a change in an object in the virtual drive, the object is updated on the synchronization server. All remote clients of the user or of any other users whom have access to the changed folder are identified and notified of the change. In response to the change being a change to content within the folder, the content of the folder is automatically updated on any identified remote clients that have a corresponding folder.

Claims

1. A method for accessing and editing local and remote folders via a virtual drive, the method comprising:

identifying one or more folders across a plurality of synchronization clients that a user has synchronized to a synchronization server;

displaying, on a local client device associated with the user, the virtual drive comprising the identified one or more folders, wherein the virtual drive is displayed as a device on the local client device;

displaying, in the virtual drive, an object representing a collection that comprises;

a first item and a second item that share an attribute comprising a permission class associated with the first item and the second item and one or more of a location associated with a file, a version of file, a time stamp associated with a file, a client device of the plurality of synchronization clients on which a file resides, or a file type, wherein the first item residing in a first folder from the identified folders stored on a first synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients and the second item residing in a second folder from the identified folders stored on a second synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients, wherein the second item is not stored on the first synchronization client and the second synchronization client is controlled by a different user;

displaying, in the virtual drive, the identified one or more folders in accordance with one of a plurality of views, wherein the plurality of views comprises a content view, a sharing view and an activity view;

enabling the user to access and edit any item within any of the identified one or more folders displayed in the virtual drive, including the first item and second item within the displayed collection and folders that do not reside on the local client device;

enabling the user to perform, via the virtual drive, one or more share-and-synchronization management functions to modify the permission class attribute associated with the first item and the second item displayed in the virtual drive; and

in response to the user editing the first item and the second item in the virtual drive, notifying the synchronization server of the edit to the first item and the second item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified folders are organized by synchronization client in the virtual drive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified folders are displayed in a synchronization client-independent view in the virtual drive.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading, in response to the user adding a new item to a folder from the identified folders, the new item to the synchronization server; and

automatically updating the corresponding folder on each of the plurality of synchronization clients with the new item.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by a synchronization client, the new item; and

automatically updating, by the synchronization client, the identified folder with the new item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, in the virtual drive, folders of the identified folders that the user shares with another user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a synchronization client, at least one of;

data relating to a change to the first item, or

a notification of a change to metadata related to the first item.

8. A system for accessing and editing local and remote objects via a virtual drive, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the system to;

identify one or more objects across a plurality of synchronization clients that a user has synchronized to a synchronization server, wherein the identified one or more objects comprises of one or more folders;

display, on a local client device associated with the user, the virtual drive comprising the identified one or more objects, wherein the virtual drive is displayed as a device on the local client device;

display, in the virtual drive, a representation of a collection that comprises;

a first item and a second item that share an attribute comprising a permission class associated with the first item and the second item and one or more of a location associated with a file, a version of a file, a time stamp associated with a file, a client device of the plurality of synchronization clients on which a file resides, or a file type, wherein the first item residing in a first object from the identified objects stored on a first synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients and the second item residing in a second object from the identified objects stored on a second synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients, wherein the second item is not stored on the first synchronization client and the second synchronization client is controlled by a different user;

display, in the virtual drive, the identified one or more objects in accordance with one of a plurality of views, wherein the plurality of views comprises a content view, a sharing view and an activity view;

enable the user to access and edit any item within any of the identified one or more objects displayed in the virtual drive, including the first item and second item within the displayed collection and objects that do not reside on the local client device;

enable the user to perform, via the virtual drive, one or more share-and-synchronization management functions to modify the permission class attribute associated with the first item and the second item displayed in the virtual drive; and

in response to the user editing the first item and the second item in the virtual drive, notify the synchronization server of the edit to the first item and the second item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first item and the second item include music files.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first item and the second item include video files.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first item and the second item include images.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first item and the second item include contacts and calendar items.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying, in the virtual drive, objects of the identified objects that the user shares with another user.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause a computer device to:

identify one or more folders across a plurality of synchronization clients that a user has synchronized to a synchronization server;

display, on a local client device associated with the user, a virtual drive comprising the identified one or more folders, wherein the virtual drive is displayed as a device on the local client device;

display, in the virtual drive, an object representing a collection that comprises;

a first item and a second item that share an attribute comprising a permission class associated with the first item and the second item and one or more of a location associated with a file, a version of a file, a time stamp associated with a file, a client device of the plurality of synchronization clients on which a file resides, or a file type, wherein the first item residing in a first folder from the identified folders stored on a first synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients and the second item residing in a second folder from the identified folders stored on a second synchronization client of the plurality of synchronization clients, wherein the second item is not stored on the first synchronization client and the second synchronization client is controlled by a different user;

display, in the virtual drive, the identified one or more folders in accordance with one of a plurality of views, wherein the plurality of views comprises a content view, a sharing view and an activity view;

enable the user to access and edit any item within any of the identified one or more folders displayed in the virtual drive, including the first item and second item within the collection and folders that do not reside on the local client device;

enable the user to perform, via the virtual drive, one or more share-and-synchronization management functions to modify the permission class attribute associated with the first item and the second item displayed in the virtual drive; and

in response to the user editing the first item and the second item in the virtual drive, notify the synchronization server of the edit to the first item and the second item.