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 10,805,388 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• 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:
  US14/873,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• 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 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 who 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 comprising:

storing, on a user client device, metadata comprising information indicating folders and contents of the folders that are stored remote from the user client device and that the user client device can access, wherein the folders and the contents of the folders are synchronized to a synchronization server;

displaying, on the user client device and based on the metadata, a plurality of graphical indicators representing the folders and the contents of the folders, the plurality of graphical indicators comprising;

a first folder indicator representing first folder content, the first folder content located on the synchronization server and not located on the user client device, and

a second folder indicator, separate from the first folder indicator, representing second folder content located on the user client device, wherein the first folder indicator and the second folder indicator are displayed in the same manner such that the first folder content located on the synchronization server visually appears to be locally stored on the user client device;

receiving, at the user client device, an indication of a user interaction with the first folder indicator;

providing, based on the indication of the user interaction with the first folder indicator, an option to set permission attributes associated with the first folder content;

receiving, at the user client device, a permission attribute associated with the first folder content; and

sending, to the synchronization server, a notification comprising updated metadata indicating the received permission attribute associated with the first folder content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending, to the synchronization server, the notification indicating the received permission attribute causes the synchronization server to update the permission attribute for the first folder content on at least one additional client device with which the first folder content is synchronized.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a sharing permission for the first folder content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines an editing permission for the first folder content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading, from the synchronization server, the first folder content to the user client device upon receiving input to access the first folder content via an application on the user client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a synchronization setting for the first folder content.

7. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

store, on a user client device, metadata comprising information indicating folders and contents of the folders that are stored remote from the user client device and that the user client device can access, wherein the folders and the contents of the folders are synchronized to synchronization server;

display, on the user client device and based on the metadata, a plurality of graphical indicators representing the folders and the contents of the folders, the plurality of graphical indicators comprising;

a first folder indicator representing first folder content, the first folder content located on the synchronization server and not located on the user client device, and

a second folder indicator, separate from the first folder indicator, representing second folder content located on the user client device, wherein the first folder indicator and the second folder indicator are displayed in the same manner such that the first folder content located on the synchronization server visually appears to be locally stored on the user client device;

receive, at the user client device, an indication of a user interaction with the first folder indicator;

provide, based on the indication of the user interaction with the first folder indicator, an option to set permission attributes associated with the first folder content;

receive, at the user client device, a permission attribute associated with the first folder content; and

send, to the synchronization server, a notification comprising updated metadata indicating the received permission attribute associated with the first folder content.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein sending, to the synchronization server, the notification indicating the received permission attribute causes the synchronization server to update the permission attribute for the first folder content on at least one additional client device with which the first folder content is synchronized.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a sharing permission for the first folder content.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines an editing permission for the first folder content.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to download, from the synchronization server, the first folder content to the user client device upon receiving input to access the first folder content via an application on the user client device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a synchronization setting for the first folder content.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a user client device to:

store metadata comprising information indicating folders and contents of the folders that are stored remote from the user client device and that the user client device can access, wherein the folders and the contents of the folders are synchronized to synchronization server;

display, based on the metadata, a plurality of graphical indicators representing the folders and the contents of the folders, the plurality of graphical indicators comprising;

a first folder indicator representing first folder content, the first folder content located on the synchronization server and not located on the user client device, and

a second folder indicator, separate from the first folder indicator, representing second folder content located on the user client device, wherein the first folder indicator and the second folder indicator are displayed in the same manner such that the first folder content located on the synchronization server visually appears to be locally stored on the user client device;

receive, at the user client device, an indication of a user interaction with the first folder indicator;

provide, based on the indication of the user interaction with the first folder indicator, an option to set permission attributes associated with the first folder content;

receive, at the user client device, a permission attribute associated with the first folder content; and

send, to the synchronization server, a notification comprising updated metadata indicating the received permission attribute associated with the first folder content.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein sending, to the synchronization server, the notification indicating the received permission attribute causes the synchronization server to update the permission attribute for the first folder content on at least one additional client device with which the first folder content is synchronized.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a sharing permission for the first folder content.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines an editing permission for the first folder content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user client device to download, from the synchronization server, the first folder content upon receiving input to access the first folder content via an application on the user client device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the received permission attribute for the first folder content defines a synchronization setting for the first folder content.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a user client device to:

store metadata comprising information indicating items that are stored remote from the user client device and that the user client device can access, wherein the items are synchronized to synchronization server;

display, based on the metadata, a plurality of graphical indicators representing the items, the plurality of graphical indicators comprising;

a first item indicator representing first item content, the first item content located on the synchronization server and not located on the user client device, and

a second item indicator, separate from the first item indicator, representing second item content located on the user client device, wherein the first item indicator and the second item indicator are displayed in the same manner such that the first item content located on the synchronization server visually appears to be locally stored on the user client device;

provide, based on an indication of a user interaction with the first item indicator, an option to set permission attributes associated with the first item content;

receive a permission attribute associated with the first item content; and

send, to the synchronization server, a notification comprising updated metadata indicating the edit to the permission attribute associated with the first item content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein sending, to the synchronization server, the notification indicating the received permission attribute causes the synchronization server to update the permission attribute for the first folder content on at least one additional client device with which the first folder content is synchronized.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the received permission attribute for the first item content defines a sharing permission for the first item content.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the received permission attribute for the first item content defines an editing permission for the first folder content.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user client device to download, from the synchronization server, the first item upon receiving input to access the first item via an application on the user client device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the received permission attribute for the first item content defines a synchronization setting for the first item content.