SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PRESENTING CONTENT ITEMS IN A COLLECTIONS VIEW

• US 20140195516A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Balakrishnan, Ramesh, Boning, Josiah
• Application Number:
  US14/054,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• 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

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for managing, creating, and presenting a virtual collection. In some embodiments, a content management system can receive a request to display a virtual collection of content items from a first user account, whereupon at least one content identifier stored for the virtual collection can be retrieved. The at least one content identifier can identify at least one content item in data storage. Subsequently, updated information can retrieved for the at least one content item, including at least one of an updated location within a file system hierarchy or a modification to the at least one content item by a second user account, for example. An updated content item can then be selectively provided for display with the virtual collection in accordance with accessibility to the content item permitted by the second user account.

Claims

1. A method for presenting content items using a collections view, the method comprising:

receiving a request for display of a virtual collection of content items by a first user account with a content management system;

retrieving at least one content identifier stored for the virtual collection, wherein the at least one content identifier identifies at least one content item in data storage;

retrieving, using the at least one content identifier, updated information for the at least one content item comprising at least one of an updated location within a file system hierarchy and a modification to the at least one content item by a second user account; and

selectively providing an updated content item for display with the virtual collection in accordance with accessibility to the content item permitted by the second user account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, using the at least one content identifier, a list of related content items comprising the updated content item and a version of the content item; and

selectively providing at least one of the updated content item and the version of the content item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a content item from the virtual collection accessible for the second user account for storage on a device;

detecting a new storage location within the file system hierarchy on the device for the content item of the virtual collection;

obtaining the content identifier from metadata of the content item;

storing the new storage location with the content identifier within data storage;

detecting a modification to the content item stored;

retrieving accessibility information for the content item for the second user account;

selectively storing information on the updated content item with the content identifier; and

providing, upon request by the first user account, the updated content item for display with the virtual collection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the at least one content identifier stored for the virtual collection, wherein the content identifier identifies the content item in a database table;

retrieving at least one content pointer associated with the at least one content identifier, wherein the at least one content pointer comprises an address to a storage location within data storage for at least a portion of the content item; and

accessing at least the portion of the content item at the storage location using the at least one content pointer, wherein the portion of the content item is stored in data storage for use by the first and second user accounts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessibility to the content item by the second user account is determined by at least one of:

(1) the content item is designated as shared with the second user account, (2) accessibility information for the content item indicates read and write privileges for the content item for the second user account, and (3) accessibility information for the virtual collection containing the content item indicates read and write privileges for the second user account.

6. The method from claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving a request for metadata for the virtual collection of content items;

retrieving a virtual collection identifier identifying the virtual collection;

retrieving metadata associated with the virtual collection identifier, wherein the metadata for the virtual collection comprises at least one of a number of content items, a creation date, a revision date, a name, a description, a visual representation, and a share link;

retrieving metadata associated with the at least one content identifier stored for the virtual collection, wherein the metadata for the at least one content item comprises at least one of a sort key, a content item identifier, a visual representation, a hash key for the content item, a file path, and a content item identifier for a related content item; and

sending retrieved metadata for the virtual collection and retrieved metadata for the at least one content item to a client device.

7. The method from claim 1, further comprising:

sending a hash key for retrieval of at least a portion of the content item from a cache of a client device, wherein the portion of the content item comprises a file segment of an image file.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to share the virtual collection with a third user account; and

providing a sharing link for the virtual collection to the third user account.

9. A system for presenting content items using a collections view, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to;

receive a request to create a virtual collection for a first user account with a content management system;

retrieve at least one content identifier for at least one content item accessible to the first user account;

retrieve at least one visual representation for the at least one content item using the at least one content identifier;

send the at least one visual representation to a device for rendering within a user interface;

receive a request for selection of the at least one content item for the virtual collection;

establish accessibility to the at least one content item for the second user account; and

store the at least one content identifier for the virtual collection.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein accessibility to the content item for the second user account is determined by at least one of:

(1) the content item is designated as shared with the second user account, (2) accessibility information for the content item indicates read and write privileges for the content item for the second user account, and (3) accessibility information for the virtual collection containing the content item indicates read and write privileges for the second user account.

11. The system of claim 9, the memory containing instructions that, when executed, further cause one or more processors to:

send a hash key for retrieval of the at least one visual representation from a cache of a client device, wherein the at least one visual representation comprises an image file.

12. The system of claim 9, the memory containing instructions that, when executed, further cause one or more processors to:

receive the request to create the virtual collection for a category of file; and

send a plurality of visual representations for content items identified for the category of file to a client device.

13. The system of claim 9, the memory containing instructions that, when executed, further cause one or more processors to:

receive a request to share the virtual collection with a third user account; and

provide a sharing link for the virtual collection to the third user account.

14. A nontransitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive a request for display of a virtual collection of content items by a first user account with a content management system;

retrieve at least one content identifier stored for the virtual collection, wherein the at least one content identifier identifies a content item in data storage;

receive information on a new storage location within a file hierarchy for the content item stored for a second user account with a content management system;

store the new storage location with the content identifier within data storage;

receive information on a modification to the content item by the second user account that results in an updated content item;

retrieving accessibility information for the content item for the second user account; and

provide the updated content item for display with the virtual collection in accordance with the accessibility information.

15. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, containing instructions that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

receive a request to create a virtual collection for a first user account with a content management system;

retrieve at least one content identifier for at least one content item accessible to the first user account;

retrieve at least one visual representation for the at least one content item using the at least one content identifier; and

send the at least one visual representation to a device for rendering within a user interface.

16. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, containing instructions that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

receive a request for selection of the at least one content item for the virtual collection;

establish accessibility to the at least one content item for the second user account; and

store the at least one content identifier for the virtual collection.

17. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein accessibility to the content item for the second user account is determined by at least one of:

(1) the content item is designated as shared with the second user account, (2) accessibility information for the content item indicates read and write privileges for the content item for the second user account, and (3) accessibility information for the virtual collection containing the content item indicates read and write privileges for the second user account.

18. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, containing instructions that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

send a hash key for retrieval of the at least one visual representation from a cache of a client device, wherein the at least one visual representation comprises an image file.

19. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, containing instructions that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

receive the request to create the virtual collection for a category of file; and

send a plurality of visual representations for content items identified for the category of file to a client device.

20. The nontransitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, containing instructions that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

receive a request to share the virtual collection with a third user account; and

provide a sharing link for the virtual collection to the third user account.