Patents Assigned to DROPBOX, INC.
  • Patent number: 10303418
    Abstract: In one aspect, a content item presentation server sends, to a first client of the server, browser-executable instructions implementing a presentation application. The instructions are configured to present, at the first client, at least a portion of a content item in the presentation application with at least one user control of the presentation application for navigating the content item in a particular manner disabled. After sending the instructions, the server receives, from a second client of the server, a first command to navigate the content item in the particular manner. In response to receiving the first command, the server sends, to the first client, a second command to navigate the content item in the particular manner thereby causing the presentation application to automatically navigate, at the first client, the content item in the particular manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Alex Marshall, George O'Brien, Joe Kromer
  • Patent number: 10303658
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generate and share metadata for indexing synchronized content items. A server generates metadata for indexing synchronized content items and manages sharing of the metadata with client devices in accordance with user preferences that may be embodied in metadata generation and sharing management rules. For example, a content item stored at the server has been designated to be synchronized across at least a first client. The server generates metadata for indexing the content item and sends the metadata to at least a second client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Graham Abbott, Todd Dabney, George Milton Underwood, IV
  • Publication number: 20190158441
    Abstract: A message can be selectively provided to users of an online content management service based at least in part on a user relationship between the users and a shared content item. Users having the user relationship associated with the message can be shown the message, where users without the user relationship are not shown the message. For example, a message can be configured to be shown upon the first time a content item is opened by a user, but not on subsequent openings of the content item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Ramsey Homsany
  • Patent number: 10296518
    Abstract: A data storage system includes multiple storage zones that store replicated copies of data items. Upon receiving a delete operation at a particular time to delete a data item, the system computes a maximum last update time based on the particular time and a minimum data item lifetime. Based on determining that a copy of the data item is stored in the data storage zone, the system then determines a last update time of the data item. In addition, based on determining that the last update time is less than the first maximum last update time, the system deletes the copy of the data item from the data storage zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: James Cowling, Venkata Harish Mallipeddi, IV
  • Patent number: 10298630
    Abstract: A content management system allows users to collaboratively edit, draft, or otherwise work with the same content item simultaneously by displaying a real-time data stream of a native application displaying a content item on a host device in a screen sharing window of a webpage. The screen sharing window is capable of receiving edit inputs and sending the edit inputs to a client application on the host device. The edit inputs are provided as interpretable code for the native application for the content item and the client application provides the interpretable code to the native application to have the changes corresponding to the edit inputs incorporated into the content item. Further, the cursors of other users participating in the collaborative editing session are displayed in the screen sharing window to allow each participant to view and follow the changes made by the other participants of the session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Min Ming Lo, Michael Wu, Shravan Reddy
  • Patent number: 10296577
    Abstract: A collaborative content management system allows for the mutual-synchronization of content within a spreadsheet and within a document in which a set of spreadsheet cells are embedded. When a user modifies the embedded set of cells, the spreadsheet is updated to reflect the modification. A set of tasks, for instance each associated with descriptive text and one or more interactive elements, can be incorporated into a set of spreadsheet cells such that a user can interact with the tasks. A data value from a spreadsheet cell can be embedded into a document such that when the spreadsheet is updated and the data value changes, the corresponding embedded data value within the document can be changed. Spreadsheets can also include comments that can be navigated using a movable interface element that changes position within the spreadsheet based on a location of a set of cells corresponding to a comment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Udell, Constance Gwendolyn Duong
  • Patent number: 10290086
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of an image enhancement system enable a computing device to generate an enhanced digital image. In particular, a computing device can enhance a digital image including, for example, a photograph of a whiteboard, document, chalkboard, or other object having a uniform background. The computing device can determine modifications to apply to the digital image by minimizing an energy heuristic that both causes pixels of the digital image to change to a uniform color (e.g., white) and preserves gradients from the digital image. The computing device can further generate an enhanced digital image by applying the determined modifications to the digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventor: Jongmin Baek
  • Patent number: 10289693
    Abstract: A system and method for displaying an enhanced version history user interface for an online content management system. In one embodiment, a version history user interface includes version history entries that represent primary events and anchor events. In another embodiment, a preview version history user interface is displayed that allows a user to preview a version of a content item. In another embodiment, a restore action process allows a user to restore a previous version of a content item to be the new current version of the content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Chin, Wei Feng
  • Patent number: 10290019
    Abstract: An online photo management service that stores a collection of photos belonging to a user can send re-engagement messages to the user that can include photos automatically selected from the collection. The selection can be based on a scoring algorithm that rates the photos according to a set of attributes and computes a score based on the attributes and a set of weights. Based on user responses to re-engagement messages, the weights can be tuned to more reliably select photos likely to result in user re-engagement with the stored collection of photos.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Kleinpeter, Zachary Kagin
  • Patent number: 10291702
    Abstract: The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for synchronizing a content library between a content management system and client devices. Each content item in a user's content library is stored on the content management system and a record of each change to the content library is recorded in a content journal. A client device transmits a synchronization request that a portion of the content journal representing unsynchronized changes be processed to update the content library on the client device. The synchronization request includes a content library identifier and a content journal number identifying the content entry in the content journal last processed by the client device. Synchronization commands are sent based on the content entries not processed by the client device. Updated synchronization data representing the processed content entries is sent to the client device after synchronization is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Drew Houston
  • Patent number: 10282405
    Abstract: A collaborative content management system allows for the mutual-synchronization of content within a spreadsheet and within a document in which a set of spreadsheet cells are embedded. When a user modifies the embedded set of cells, the spreadsheet is updated to reflect the modification. A set of tasks, for instance each associated with descriptive text and one or more interactive elements, can be incorporated into a set of spreadsheet cells such that a user can interact with the tasks. A data value from a spreadsheet cell can be embedded into a document such that when the spreadsheet is updated and the data value changes, the corresponding embedded data value within the document can be changed. Spreadsheets can also include comments that can be navigated using a movable interface element that changes position within the spreadsheet based on a location of a set of cells corresponding to a comment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Gabriel Silk, Andrew Udell, Constance Gwendolyn Duong
  • Patent number: 10282705
    Abstract: In some implementations, a graphical user interface of an electronic messaging system can highlight addressees of a message in a group of candidate message recipients. For example, the graphical user interface can present graphical objects corresponding to candidate message recipients. When a user composes a message, the user can provide input identifying a recipient of the message. In response to the user input identifying the recipient of the message, the graphical user interface can highlight a graphical object corresponding to the identified recipient. In some implementations, the graphical user interface can subdue (e.g., grey out) graphical objects corresponding to candidate message recipients that are not identified in the message in order to highlight the identified recipient objects. In some implementations, a message recipient can be an individual contact (e.g., person). In some implementations, a message recipient can be a message stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott Feeney
  • Patent number: 10284613
    Abstract: A content management system streams variable length segments of content items to client devices. The content management system stores a content item and makes the item available for access by one or more client devices. When a client device requests the content item from the content management system, the content management system sends the content item to the device by streaming the content item in segments. Specifically, the content management system partitions the content item into a sequence of variable length segments. An initial portion of the sequence includes rapid start segments that are configured as being the smallest segments in length from the sequence. A subsequent portion of the sequence includes the remaining segments having longer length(s). The content management system streams the segments to the client device in sequential order and in a streaming format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Pierpaolo Baccichet
  • Patent number: 10282522
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for cross-application authentication on a content management system. A client application running at a client device that is not authenticated with a content management system can receive, from a website associated with the content management system, a request to authenticate with the content management system under a user account used to authenticate a current session between a browser application at the client device and the website with the content management system. The client application can then obtain a uniform resource locator (URL) with a nonce associated with the client application, and send a command to the browser application including the URL and nonce. The command can trigger the browser application to use the URL and nonce to authenticate the client application with the content management system under the user account with which the current session between the browser application and the website is currently authenticated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Sang Tian, Joshua Kaplan, Devdatta Akhawe
  • Patent number: 10282056
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for forming share bars including collections of content items. In some embodiments, a user interface may be displayed on a display interface of a user device. The user interface may include a first region including a collection of content items and a second region including one or more contact icons. A first gesture may be detected on the display interface that selects one or more content items from the collection of content items and places the one or more content items in a first share bar associated with a first contact of the one or more contacts. One or more share options may be provided to share the first share bar with a first contact corresponding to the first contact icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Yi Wei, Joshua Puckett, Andrew Scheff, Abhay Buch, Rajeev Nayak, Tina Wen
  • Patent number: 10282307
    Abstract: Shared hash map implementations provide a linearizable programmatic interface to calling threads and support lock-free hash map operations. In addition to supporting lock-free operation, the shared hash map implementations are especially useful where the hash map is stored in a fixed-sized memory location such as, for example, in a shared memory segment, or in other situations where resizing the hash map is impractical or not desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Escriva
  • Patent number: 10277673
    Abstract: A client device can implement a client-side application for a server-side online content management system. The client-side application can communicate with the server-side online content management system to sync data stored locally on the client-side with data stored on the server-side. A local web server can be implemented on the client device to work in conjunction with the client-side application, such that the local web server can access the data stored locally. The client device can run a web browser that communicates with the local web server. A user of the client device can use the web browser to connect to the local web server to access the synced data stored locally on the client-side. Advantages of accessing the data stored locally using the web browser via the local web server include performance improvements, offline access to the data, and use of native client applications to interact with the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Ziga Mahkovec, Rajeev Nayak
  • Patent number: 10270871
    Abstract: A client application of a device receives presence information and other interaction information from other devices synchronized to a set of content items. The interaction information indicates interactions of at least one other device with respect to a synchronized content item. The client application displays a browser depicting the synchronized content items and permitting navigation among organizational elements. The browser also displays the interaction information associated with the content items received from the other devices. The browser displays the interaction information with respect to particular content items or for an organizational element. The browser may also include an activity feed displaying interaction information specific to a content item or relating to a synchronized folder or organizational element. This permits a user to view, at a browser, activity and interactions of other users with respect to content items using native applications on another device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Patent number: 10270845
    Abstract: A content management system enriches contact records obtained from a client device using user records stored on the content management system. The content management system receives contact records from a client device authorized on a user account of the content management system. The content management system compares contact records with user profiles stored on the content management system. The content management system matches contact records with user profiles of user accounts with which at least one sharing event occurred between the user account and the user account on which the client device is authorized. The content management system identifies a matching user profile corresponding to the contact record. The content management system determines modification information for modifying the contact record based upon the matching user profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dwan, Alon Levi
  • Patent number: 10270780
    Abstract: Techniques are described for an access management system to manage access to a service (e.g., a message management service). A client can receive a message including an electronic image from a messaging service. The electronic image can include access information for obtaining access to a message management service. Input is received that indicates interaction with the electronic image in an interface. The client can send, to the access management system, the electronic image to request access to the message management service based on the access information. Authorization is received from the access management system indicating that the account can access the message management service. The client displays an interface to provide access to the message management service. The access to the message management service can be based on the authorization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: David Barshow, Belinda Preno, George Milton Underwood, IV, Linda Eliasen, Anthony DeVincenzi