Patents Assigned to DROPBOX, INC.
  • Patent number: 10185759
    Abstract: An example computer-implemented method to determine if an event was triggered by an action performed by a client synchronization module begins with receiving an event from an operating system. The event can be associated with a content item. The computer can then compare the event to a log. The log can describe one or more recent actions performed by a client synchronization module. The computer can then determine whether the event was triggered by a recent action in the log. When the event is triggered by a recent action in the log, the computer can ignore the event. When the event is not triggered by a recent action in the log, the computer can process the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Isaac Goldberg
  • Patent number: 10181058
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for assisting owners to recover missing devices. The missing device automatically performs certain actions proactively in response to detecting conditions that indicate that the device has been lost or stolen. Conditions that indicate the device has been lost or stolen (“triggering conditions”) may include that a password failure has occurred more than a predetermined number of times. Any number and type of recovery-assisting actions may be taken, in response to triggering conditions, to assist owners in recovering a missing device. For example, a device may generate a record that indicates the current location of the device, and synchronize the record with an online service or some other device. The generation and synchronization of such records may be repeated on a periodic basis until either (a) the device becomes disabled, or (b) a user enters an appropriate password.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Cailen D'sa
  • Publication number: 20190012065
    Abstract: A user viewing an online content item using an online content client application can, from within that application, launch an operating application to operate on the content item. The operating application can interact with the online content management provider to obtain a current copy of the content item and to save a modified content item back to the online content management service, e.g., if the user instructs the operating application to save the item. Interactions between the client application, the operating application and the online content management service can occur without requiring the user to manually initiate upload or download of any content items. Operations on an online content item can also be initiated from within an operating application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Lynch, Brian Smith, Ilya Fushman, Josiah Boning
  • Patent number: 10176312
    Abstract: User authentication for a user device can leverage one or more fingerprint sensor regions capable of detecting and/or recognizing a user's fingerprints. The user can define a fingerprint gesture or sequence of fingerprint gestures as a passcode, with access to a protected function being conditional on the user performing the defined fingerprint gesture or sequence of fingerprint gestures. Different fingerprint gestures or fingerprint gesture sequences can invoke or authorize different functions of the device. Fingerprint gestures from two or more users in the same location or in different locations can be used to unlock a protected function of a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Brett Alten
  • Patent number: 10177783
    Abstract: Lossless compression of a content item using a neural network trained on content item cohorts. A computing system includes a neural network that is used to train a plurality of symbol prediction models. Each symbol prediction model is trained based on a corresponding cohort of content items. A particular symbol prediction model of the models trained is selected based on an intrinsic characteristic of a particular content item to be losslessly compressed such as, for example, the type or file extension of the content item. The content item is then losslessly compressed based on a set of symbol predictions fed to an arithmetic coder that are generated using the particular symbol prediction model selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel R. Horn, Jongmin Baek, Anatoly Yakovenko
  • Patent number: 10177960
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for multi-tiered data synchronization. Data is synchronized between a master synchronization server, one or more proxy synchronization servers, and client devices. Client devices establish synchronization sessions with either a proxy synchronization server or a master synchronization server, depending on which server provides the “best” available connection to that client device. Each proxy synchronization server synchronizes data with client devices that have established a synchronization session with such proxy synchronization server. The master synchronization server synchronizes data with client devices that have established a synchronization session with the master synchronization server. Each proxy synchronization server synchronizes data with the master synchronization server. Metadata associated with synchronized files is synchronized throughout the system in real-time. Files may be synchronized in real-time or at a delayed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Kiren R. Sekar, Jack B. Strong
  • Patent number: 10178063
    Abstract: A system and method for synchronizing messages between client application instances and a message service provider includes a connection service communicatively coupled to a plurality of client messaging application instances; a first intermediary transfer layer with an inbound message data queue that queues message updates of a client application instance and an outbound message data queue that queues message updates and notifications from a mailbox service layer; a mailbox service layer communicatively coupled to the connection service through the first intermediary transfer layer; a second intermediary transfer layer with an mailbox message data queue that contains queued message data directed at the mailbox service layer and a message service data queue that contains queued message updates directed at a message service layer; and a message service layer configured for message interactions with an outside message service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Sean Beausoleil, David Barshow, Scott Cannon, Adam Cue, Steven Flory, Steven Kabbes, Andrew Steven Long, Michael Roeder, George Milton Underwood, IV
  • Patent number: 10171579
    Abstract: A content management system receives presence information from a client application on a device indicating interaction information of a user relative to a content item synchronized to the content management system. The interaction information includes presence information describing presence information of a native application interacting with the content item. The presence information indicates whether the native application opened, is viewing, or is editing the content item. The presence information may specify a user interface element and process associated with the presence information. The content management system stores presence records describing the presence information and uses the presence records to generate and transmit a presence status associated with a user. When a new version of a content item is received, the content management system may also use the presence records to determine an action to perform with the user interface window associated with the prior version.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Patent number: 10171820
    Abstract: Techniques for image recompression. In one implementation, the techniques are implemented to recompress a baseline joint photographic experts group (JPEG) image with compression savings. The techniques replace the Huffman coding of baseline JPEG with an arithmetic coding that uses a sophisticated adaptive probability model. The arithmetic coding techniques avoid global operations such as global sorting that would prevent distributed and multithreaded decompression operations when recovering the original JPEG image from the recompressed image. At the same time, the techniques realize substantial compression savings relative to baseline JPEG, on average 23% compressing savings in some implementations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Horn, Ken Elkabany, Keith Winstein
  • Patent number: 10162972
    Abstract: A content management system for collecting files from one or more submitters in a collection folder. A collector, who generates the collection folder, can invite one or more submitters to submit one or more files to the collection folder. The one or more submitters have limited rights to the collection folder. The limited rights can include uploading rights and prohibiting a submitter from viewing files that other submitters associated with the collection folder submitted. Thus, the collection folder is able to store files from the one or more submitters, but prevent them from viewing other's submissions. Once collected, the collector can publish the files thereby allowing the submitters access to the published files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Mindy Zhang, Pranav Piyush, Jan Senderek
  • Patent number: 10162698
    Abstract: A system and method for extensible, protective, and verifiable automated issue remediation for information technology infrastructure comprises invoking an application programming interface to obtain at least one issue object corresponding to an alert generated by a monitoring system; matching the issue object to at least one diagnosis plugin of a plurality of diagnosis plugins; obtaining a prescription object from the diagnosis plugin, the prescription object comprising a remedy; and invoking the remedy after verifying the remedy is authorized to proceed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: David Mah, Scott MacFiggen, John Watson
  • Patent number: 10162517
    Abstract: Techniques for cross-application content item management. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises detecting a touch gesture related to a representation of a content item displayed by a first application. And based at least in part on detecting the touch gesture, a different application performing a content management action on the content item. The content management action may encompass storing the content item in a content item collection, sharing the content item with a user account, uploading the content item to a server, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dwan, Daniel Kluesing
  • Patent number: 10158708
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for managing and sharing picture files. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises providing a server platform and providing a datastore on the server platform for maintaining full resolution copies of the files shared between a plurality of sharing clients. A synchronization engine is provided on the server platform and is configured to send real-time updates to a plurality of sharing clients when at least one of the sharing clients updates or changes one of said files. A web interface may also be provided that allows a user to access files in the datastore through the use of a web browser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Jack Benjamin Strong, Gibu Thomas
  • Patent number: 10152538
    Abstract: A note sharing system is presented with a content management system. Note sharing system manages creation and distribution of edits to notes to users sharing notes. Notes are stored as a series of edits at note sharing system. When an edit to a note is received, the edit is propagated to users subscribed to a note by a backend server responsible for managing the note. The sharing users are notified through notes servers associated with each sharing user. Notes server includes various indices for searching notes and allows notes to be searched quickly to organize viewing by a user of notes and identification of relevant material in notes. The stored edits are used to display edits to a note to a user by replaying the accessed note to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Rian Hunter, Kijun Seo
  • Patent number: 10148730
    Abstract: Synchronization of folders shared among multiple clients over a network is provided. A first user of a first client instantiates a folder to be shared, and the folder and its contents are synchronized with a host system. As the user makes changes to the folder and its contents on the first client, those changes are propagated to the synchronized version on the host server. Other clients who will be sharing the synchronized folder register with the host system and obtain a current version of the synchronized folder and contents. As the contents of the synchronized folder are changed by any of the clients, the changes are propagated to the host system, which in turn delivers the changes to each of the clients registered as sharing that folder. In this way, each client participating in the share has a current version of the folder and its contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Drew Houston, Arash Ferdowsi
  • Patent number: 10147163
    Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention automatically crop images based upon the location of one or more regions of interest (ROIs) identified within the cropped image. In one embodiment, an image cropping application configures a processor to utilize at least one object detector to identify at least one region of interest within an image. A plurality of candidate cropped images within the image are selected and for each candidate cropped image, an output is generated by weighting each of the at least one region of interest contained within the candidate cropped image as a function of its position within the candidate cropped image. A crop location can then be selected based upon the candidate cropped image having the largest output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Nils Peter Welinder, Szu-Po Wang
  • Patent number: 10140467
    Abstract: The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for providing workflow controls to shared content items stored on client devices, and enforcing content item check outs or content item locks for shared content items stored and accessed on client devices. The present technology further includes automatically locking a shared content item that is edited on a client device so that other team members cannot modify the content item. Accordingly, the present technology improves upon existing systems that provide workflow controls such as file check-in and checkout functionality by permitting users to access content items directly from the file system of their client device, and by providing automatic checkout and check-in functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Tony Xu, Kevin Grey, Sergei Vorobev, Haichen Liu, Stephen Eisner, Alexandra Harris, Blake Lucchesi, Waqas Sheikh, Royce Ausburn, Panagiotis Athanasiou, Zach Johnston, Narmada Jayasankar, Vinod Valloppillil
  • Patent number: 10142309
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present technology enable users to sign in to an account without a password. For example, when receiving a request to register a device with an account, a user can be prompted to enter their email address. In response, two tokens are generated. A first token is sent to a client application on the device and the second token is sent to the user's email. The user can then only login to their account with the device if the device has both tokens. Thus, if someone intercepts the email, they will be unable to login from another device since they don't have the first token. If the client token and email token cannot be automatically joined on the same device, a web page showing a code can be displayed on a first device, which can be entered on the second device to finish login process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Josh Kaplan, Adam Cook, Stephen Poletto, Thomas Wright, Luke Faraone
  • Patent number: 10140517
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention analyze and score each image associated with a group to determine representative image or images for the group. Such analysis can include detecting objects shown in the images, determining the quality of the images, and/or contextually analyzing the images as a group. In some embodiments, each image in a group (e.g., an event) of images can be analyzed by one or more image analysis modules that calculate a score for the image based on a different image characteristic. A composite image score can then be calculated based on the various image characteristic scores to identify the image or images to be used as to represent the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Boris Babenko, Nils Peter Welinder
  • Patent number: 10140279
    Abstract: A system and method for providing user enhancements for spreadsheets and tables. In one implementation, the system detects a semantic organization event related to one or more data cells in a content-view of the spreadsheet or table. The system determines whether semantic organization data should be stored for the one or more data cells. The system can use the semantic organization data to display a semantic-view of the spreadsheet or table. The system then allows a user to navigate between the semantic-view and the content-view of the spreadsheet or table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Khurram Zia, Kevyn Arnott