Metadata enabled third-party application access of content at a cloud-based platform via a native client to the cloud-based platform

• US 9,280,613 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Michael, Smith, Benjamin Campbell, Tan, Simon, Yao, Rico
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shin-Hon
• Application Number:
  US13/898,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20130318125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for methods, architectures and security mechanisms for a third-party application to access content in a cloud-based platform. In one embodiment, a method includes, receiving, at the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file. The method further includes transmitting the metadata to a server which is associated with the third-party application. The metadata enables the server to request the file from the cloud-based environment.

Claims

1. A method for a third-party application to access to a file in a cloud-based environment, the method comprising:

receiving, at the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file, wherein the metadata identifies the file by identifying at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the metadata is received by the third-party application from a separate and distinct application of the cloud-based environment;

transmitting the metadata to a server which is associated with the third-party application, wherein the metadata is utilized by the server to request the file from a host server that hosts the cloud-based environment; and

receiving, at the third-party application, at least a portion of the file from the server to enable a user to perform one or more actions on the portion of the file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is received from a client of the cloud-based environment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an accessed portion of the file back to the host server for storage in the cloud-based environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received portion of the file comprises information for creating a view of at least a partial content of the file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received portion of the file comprises data that are included in the file.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the third-part application, an instruction from the cloud-based environment to delete the received portion of the file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the security attribute restricts the third-party application from storing the received portion of the file back to the cloud-based environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third-party application and the server associated with the third-party application are associated with a single entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.

10. A method for providing a third-party application with access to a file in a cloud-based environment, the method comprising:

receiving, from the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file, wherein the metadata identifies the file by identifying at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the metadata is received by the third-party application from a separate and distinct application of the cloud-based environment, and wherein the separate and distinct application is a mobile application operating on a mobile device;

requesting the file from a host server which hosts the cloud-based environment by transmitting the metadata to the host server, wherein the server associated with the third-party application utilizes the metadata to request the file from the host server;

receiving the file from the host server in response to the request; and

transmitting at least a portion of the file to the third-party application for one or more actions to be performed on the portion of the file.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an accessed portion of the file from the third-party application.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the received, accessed portion of the file to the host server.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the third-party application is listed in a list of approved third-party applications.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive, at the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file, wherein the metadata identifies the file by identifying at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the metadata is received by the third-party application from a separate and distinct application of a cloud-based environment;

transmit the metadata to a server which is associated with the third-party application, wherein the metadata is utilized by the server to request the file from a host server that hosts the cloud-based environment; and

receive, at the third-party application, at least a portion of the file from the server to enable a user to perform one or more actions on the portion of the file.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the metadata is received from a client of the cloud-based environment.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit an accessed portion of the file back to the host server to save the transmitted, accessed portion of file to the cloud-based environment.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive, from the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file, wherein the metadata identifies the file by identifying at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the metadata is received by the third-party application from a separate and distinct application of a cloud-based environment, and wherein the separate and distinct application is a mobile application operating on a mobile device;

request the file from a host server which hosts the cloud-based environment by transmitting the metadata to the host server associated with the third-party application, wherein the server associated with the third-party application utilizes the metadata to request the file from the host server;

receive the file from the host server in response to the request; and

transmit at least a portion of the file to the third-party application for one or more actions to be performed on the portion of the file.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive an accessed portion of the file from the third-party application.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit the received, accessed portion of the file to the host server.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.

23. A method for a third-party application on a client device to access content in a cloud-based environment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a client application of the cloud-based environment, the content from an associated workspace in the cloud-based environment;

receiving, by the client application, an authentication token used to decrypt the associated workspace;

creating, by the client application, a key by hashing the authentication token with a timestamp;

encrypting, by the client application, the content using the key; and

providing, by the client application, the encrypted content, along with the hashed authentication token, to the third-party application on the client device to enable the third-party application to decrypt the encrypted content.

24. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

at a client application of a cloud-based environment,

receive a file from an associated workspace of the cloud-based environment;

create a key based on hashing an authentication token used to decrypt the associated workspace and a timestamp;

encrypt the file using the key; and

provide the encrypted content, along with the hashed authentication token, to a third-party application.

25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the authentication token is retrieved from a local storage.

26. A method of providing a third-party application access to a file in a cloud-based environment, comprising:

receiving, at a host server hosting the cloud-based environment, a request for a file, the request including metadata that identifies the file at the cloud-based environment;

wherein the request is received from a third-party application server associated with a third-party application that utilizes the metadata to make the request, wherein the third-party application receives the metadata from a separate and distinct application of the cloud-based environment; and

wherein the metadata identifies at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file;

identifying the file requested by the third-party application server based on the metadata included in the request; and

transmitting the file to the third-party application server to enable the file to be accessed or edited using the third-party application.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

notifying a client of the cloud-based environment to reload the file from the cloud-based environment.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

at the host server, keeping a history of the file access, the history including at least information regarding which third-party application accessed what file.

30. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a request for a file from a third-party application server associated with a third-party application, the request including metadata that is utilized by the third-party application server to request the file from the cloud-based environment;

wherein the metadata identifies at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the third-party application receives the metadata from a separate and distinct application of the cloud-based environment;

identify the file requested by the third-party application server based on the metadata included in the request; and

transmit the file to the third-party application server to enable the file to be accessed or edited using the third-party application.

31. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the user associated with the file includes an owner or a collaborator of the file and wherein the security attribute associated with the file determines whether the portion of the file is storable by the third-party application.