Displaying presence in an application accessing shared and synchronized content

• US 9,998,555 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Larabie-Belanger, Maxime
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Application Number:
  US14/248,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• 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: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A client application of a device collects presence information and other interaction information from an application viewing a content item synchronized with a content management system. The interaction information indicates interactions of a device with respect to a content item. The client application receives presence information from other devices synchronized to the content item and displays a presence indicator in a user interface element. The presence indicator is displayed relative to a user interface element of the application viewing the content item. The displayed presence information may inform the user that other users are editing or viewing the content item, and may permit the user to receive notifications when another user'"'"'s presence has changed to a particular status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a presence application executed by a processor on a first device, presence information, the presence information identifying a content item stored on the first device and synchronized with a content management system and further identifying a user of the content management system, the user associated with at least a second device synchronizing the content item;

identifying, by the presence application, a native application separately executing from the presence application on the first device, the native application having accessed the content item;

identifying, by the presence application, a first user interface window displayed by the native application, the first user interface window displaying the content item and associated with a first operating system process identifier corresponding to the native application; and

displaying, by the presence application, a second user interface window within a threshold distance of the first user interface window, the second user interface window including an indicator of the user of the content management system identified by the presence information, the second user interface window not embedded within the first user interface window, and the second user interface window associated with a second operating system process identifier different than the first operating system process identifier and corresponding to the presence application, wherein movement of the first interface window does not affect movement of the second interface window and vice versa.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a number of other devices that have a window associated with the content item as a focused window on a display on the other device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates a number of other devices that have a window associated with the content item modifying the content item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first user interface window comprises receiving an event indicating a focused window changed to the first user interface window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator includes a color modified based on the presence information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a supplemental indicator when a user of the first device interacts with the indicator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the supplemental indicator includes a user interface element to transmit a chat message to the second device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the native application by the presence application comprises receiving an event associated with the first user interface window displayed by the native application and responsive to receiving the event, determining that the native application accessed the content item based on an open file handle of the native application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering, by the presence application, with an operating system of the first device to monitor events generated by the native application;

wherein the presence application identifies the first user interface window responsive to receiving a monitored event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the native application comprises querying an operating system of the first device for the operating system process identifier associated with the first user interface window.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the native application does not display content within the second user interface window, and wherein the presence application does not display content within the first user interface window.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interface window at least partially extends outside a boundary of the first user interface window.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code for a presence application configured to cause a processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a device presence information associated with a content item, the presence information describing user interactions with the content item on at least one other device;

identifying a native application separately executing from the presence application on the device, the native application having accessed the content item;

identifying a first user interface element displayed by the native application displayed on the device interacting with the content item and associated with a first operating system process identifier corresponding to the native application; and

displaying, by the presence application, a second user interface element within a threshold distance of the first user interface element, the second user interface element including a presence indicator describing the presence information at the user interface element, the second user interface element not embedded within the first user interface element, and the second user interface window associated with a second operating system process identifier different than the first operating system process identifier and corresponding to the presence application, wherein movement of the first interface window does not affect movement of the second interface window and vice versa.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the presence indicator indicates the number of other devices that have a user interface element associated with the content item as a focused user interface element on a display on the other device.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the presence indicator indicates the number of other devices that have a user interface element modifying the content item.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein identifying the first user interface element comprises receiving an event indicating a focused element changed to the first user interface element.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the presence indicator includes a color modified based on the presence information.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to receive presence information associated with a second content item and describing user interactions with the second content item on at least one other device, and to display the presence information associated with the second content item.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer program code further causes the processor to receive a new version of the content item;

to display a notification indicating the new version has been received; and

to display an. action for selection, the displayed action based on a presence of the user interface element displayed on the device.

20. A system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions;

a non-transitory, non-volatile storage medium containing instructions for a presence application, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving, at a device, presence information associated with a content item, the presence information describing user interactions with the content item on at least one other device;

identifying a native application separately executing from the presence application on the device, the native application having accessed the content item;

identifying a first user interface element displayed by the native application displayed on the device interacting with the content item and associated with a first operating system process identifier corresponding to the native application; and

displaying, by the presence application, a second user interface element within a threshold distance of the first user interface element, the second user interface element including a presence indicator describing the presence information at the user interface element, the second user interface element not embedded within the first user interface element, and the second user interface window associated with a second operating system process identifier different than the first operating system process identifier and corresponding to the presence application, wherein movement of the first interface window does not affect movement of the second interface window and vice versa.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the presence indicator indicates the number of other devices that have a user interface element associated with the content item as a focused user interface element on a display on the other device.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the presence indicator indicates the number of other devices that have a user interface element associated with the content item modifying the content item.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein identifying the first user interface element comprises receiving an event indicating a focused user interface element changed to the first user interface element.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the presence indicator includes an interface element for a user to indicate a request to be notified when a condition is satisfied by received presence information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the condition comprises user interactions with the content item indicating at least one of a change in presence of a user, a quantity of users associated with a presence, or that another user device is no longer editing the content item.