Method for displaying files from a plurality of devices in a multi-view interface and for enabling operations to be performed on such files through such interface

• US 9,841,875 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Vivek, Dixon, Mark C., Thomas, Gibu, Chordia, Ashish, Gabriel, Nichole C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhargava, Anil
• Application Number:
  US14/682,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/07 Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

In a synchronization or back-up system that synchronizes and/or back-ups files from multiple computing devices, the present invention provides a method for (1) displaying files from multiple computing devices in a multi-view user interface and (2) enabling content and file operations to be performed on such files through the user interface. The multi-view interface includes a file-system view and one or more media-specific views. In the file-system view files are organized in the same way in which they are organized on the devices on which they are stored. The file-system view in the interface looks essentially the same as the file-system view on client devices. In the file-system view, users can perform file operations on files. In the media-specific view files are organized by media category. In one embodiment of the media-specific view, files are organized by metadata that relates to the files content. In the media-specific view, users can perform content operations on the files.

Claims

1. A method for viewing files from a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a plurality of files, at least some of the files stored on different devices;

providing an interface to the server via which the user is able to view the stored files, the interface including a view window and, within the view window, the user is able to view, at the user'"'"'s discretion, either a media-specific view or one of a plurality of file-system views, wherein each file-system view corresponds to a local file-system view on a different one of the plurality of devices and files within each file-system view are organized in the same way as files are organized in the corresponding local file-system view, and wherein the media-specific view is a compilation view of all the stored files that are designated with a particular media category;

enabling the user to perform file operations in each of the file-system views in the interface, wherein file operations include deleting files from folders, copying files in folders, and pasting files to folders and wherein performing a file-system operation in a file-system view in the interface causes the file-system on the device to which the file-system view corresponds to be altered in accordance with the performed file-system operation;

enabling the user to perform content-specific operations in the media-specific view in the interface; and

enabling a user to switch between the file-system and media-specific views in the view window, and switching automatically from the media-specific view to the file-system view responsive to a file system operation performed in the media-specific view.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is a web interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media-specific view is a photo view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as photos are displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media-specific view is a music view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as music files are displayed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media-specific view is a video view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as video files are displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the media-specific view is a document view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as documents are displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user also can view and edit data objects through the interface and the media-specific view corresponds to a type of data object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein data objects include email messages.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein data objects include contacts.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein data objects include calendar items.

11. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and including instructions for causing a computer processor to carry out steps comprising:

receiving, by a server, a plurality of files, at least some of the files stored on different devices;

providing an interface to the server via which the user is able to view the stored files, the interface including a view window and, within the view window, the user is able to view, at the user'"'"'s discretion, either a media-specific view or one of a plurality of file-system views, wherein each file-system view corresponds to a local file-system view on a different one of the plurality of devices and files within each file-system view are organized in the same way as files are organized in the corresponding local file-system view, and wherein the media-specific view is a compilation view of all the stored files that are designated with a particular media category;

enabling the user to perform file operations in each of the file-system views in the interface, wherein file operations include deleting files from folders, copying files in folders, and pasting files to folders and wherein performing a file-system operation in a file-system view in the interface causes the file-system on the device to which the file-system view corresponds to be altered in accordance with the performed file-system operation;

enabling the user to perform content-specific operations in the media-specific view in the interface; and

enabling a user to switch between the file-system and media-specific views in the view window, and switching automatically from the media-specific view to the file-system view responsive to a file system operation performed in the media-specific view.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the interface is a web interface.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the media-specific view is one of:

a photo view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as photos are displayed;

a music view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as music files are displayed;

a video view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as video files are displayed;

or

a document view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as documents are displayed.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein a user also can view and edit data objects through the interface and the media-specific view corresponds to a type of data object.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein data objects include at least one of email messages, contacts or calendar items.

16. A computer server comprising a non-transitory data store, the computer server configured to:

receive a plurality of files, at least some of the files stored on different devices;

provide an interface to the computer server via which the user is able to view the stored files, the interface including a view window and, within the view window, the user is able to view, at the user'"'"'s discretion, either a media-specific view or one of a plurality of file-system views, wherein each file-system view corresponds to a local file-system view on a different one of the plurality of devices and files within each file-system view are organized in the same way as files are organized in the corresponding local file-system view, and wherein the media-specific view is a compilation view of all the stored files that are designated with a particular media category;

enable the user to perform file operations in each of the file-system views in the interface, wherein file operations include deleting files from folders, copying files in folders, and pasting files to folders and wherein performing a file-system operation in a file-system view in the interface causes the file-system on the device to which the file-system view corresponds to be altered in accordance with the performed file-system operation;

enable the user to perform content-specific operations in the media-specific view in the interface; and

enable a user to switch between the file-system and media-specific views in the view window, and switching automatically from the media-specific view to the file-system view responsive to a file system operation performed in the media-specific view.

17. The computer server of claim 16, wherein the interface is a web interface.

18. The computer server of claim 16, wherein the media-specific view is one of:

a photo view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as photos are displayed;

a music view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as music files are displayed;

a video view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as video files are displayed;

or

a document view in which a compilation of all the stored files designated as documents are displayed.

19. The computer server of claim 16, wherein a user also can view and edit data objects through the interface and the media-specific view corresponds to a type of data object.

20. The computer server of claim 19, wherein data objects include at least one of email messages, contacts or calendar items.