Patents Assigned to DROPBOX, INC.
  • Patent number: 9609043
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates access to content. During operation, the system detects uploading of the content within a group interaction among a set of users. Next, the system aggregates the content into a centralized location. Finally, the system enables access to the content at the centralized location by one or more of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventor: Ramsey Homsany
  • Publication number: 20170083871
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and non-transitory computer-readable medium may provide event attendees of a network-accessible calendar with a way to generate collaborative notes for a meeting related to an event. In some embodiments, a calendar entry in a network-accessible calendar may be identified. The calendar entry may correspond to an event and may identify the event attendees. A collaborative document that capable of receiving modifications to the event from the event attendees may be created. The event attendees may further be provided access to the collaborative document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Tsung-Hsiang Chang, Christina Cacioppo, Ryhan Hassan, Phillip Cohen
  • Patent number: 9600701
    Abstract: A sending computing device encodes data items as barcodes and simultaneously displays two or more barcodes on a first display screen of, or operatively coupled to, the sending computing device. A receiving computing device obtains the two or more barcodes from a single video frame captured by a first camera module of, or operatively coupled to, the receiving computing device. Furthermore, the receiving computing device encodes, as an acknowledgement barcode, an acknowledgement that identifies each barcode that was successfully received and displays the acknowledgement barcode on a second display screen of, or operatively coupled to, the receiving computing device. The sending computing device captures the acknowledgement barcode via a second camera module of, or operatively coupled to, the sending computing device. Based on the acknowledgement barcode, the sending computing device determines which of the data items were or were not successfully received by the receiving computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Chien, Richard Ian Orton, Gellert Weisz, Vikrant Varma
  • Patent number: 9596276
    Abstract: A content management system creates and modifies user notification queues for shared content items synchronized between a content management system and multiple devices. A user notification queue includes interactions with a shared content item that may be presented to a user to indicate recent interactions with the shared content item by other sharing users. The content management system sends the user notification queue corresponding to a user to the user's device when the user accesses the content item. The client device displays a content item in a window associated with a process on the device. A client application displays an interaction indicator that presents user notification queue content to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Julian Michael, Anvisha Pai
  • Patent number: 9582545
    Abstract: A system for optimizing the manner in which a listing of files is displayed to a user. In various embodiments, the system is configured to display the files based at least in part on a number of times the user has shared the files with other users of the system. In other embodiments, the system is configured to display the files based at least in part on the number of times the user has accessed the files or the number of times users with whom the files have been shared have accessed the files. In particular embodiments, the system displays files based at least in part on an amount of time that the user has accessed the files, that any user of the system has accessed the files, or that other users with whom that user has shared the files have accessed the files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Ramsey Homsany
  • Patent number: 9576071
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that manages access to data. During operation, the system provides a graph-based data model of the data, wherein the graph-based model comprises a set of nodes and a set of directed edges among the nodes. Next, the system stores the graph-based data model in a set of partitions, wherein each partition from the set of partitions includes one or more nodes from the set of nodes and all outgoing edges from the one or more nodes. Finally, the system enables lookup of a set of outgoing edges associated with a source node from the one or more nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Zviad Metreveli, Akhil Wable
  • Patent number: 9569635
    Abstract: A computer implemented system and method of sharing files between a link sharer and a link recipient over a network. The method comprises generating, in response to a request by a link sharer, a file sharing link to a file set, where the link does not provide a link recipient the ability to modify the contents of the linked file set. In response to receiving an indication that the generated link has been activated by a link recipient, displaying a representation of the linked file set with a display element configured to send a request for modification rights to the linked file set when activated by the link recipient. In response to receiving the request for modification rights, either automatically granting modification rights to the linked file set or sending notice to the link sharer indicating that the link recipient is requesting modification rights to the linked file set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Ivan Kirigin, Olumakinde Adegboyega Adeagbo
  • Patent number: 9571573
    Abstract: A peer-to-peer synchronization protocol for multi-premises hosting of digital content items. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises the operations of: receiving, from a peer computing device, a peer download advertisement comprising an identifier of a content item namespace in association with a peer client journal cursor value; receiving, from a server, one or more server journal entries, each identifying one or more content item blocks of a content item represented by the server journal entry and each having a server journal cursor value; and for at least one server journal entry, downloading, from the peer computing device, at least one content item block of the content item represented by the server journal entry that is not already stored at the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Nipunn Koorapati, Christopher Rude, Marcio von Muhlen, Nils Bunger
  • Patent number: 9569515
    Abstract: A data storage system includes multiple zones that comprise separate geographic storage locations and store replicated copies of data items. Upon receiving a delete operation at a local zone at a time td, if a copy of the first data item exists in the local zone, the system computes a maximum last update time tmlu=td?tmin, wherein tmin is a minimum lifetime for a data item. Next, the system determines, from a local index, a time tlu that the first data item was last updated. If tlu<tmlu, the system deletes the copy of the first data item in the local zone. The system also asynchronously propagates the delete operation to other zones in the data storage system along with tmlu, wherein the delete operation is performed in another zone if the other zone determines that the first data item was last updated before tmlu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: James Cowling, Venkata Harish Mallipeddi
  • Patent number: 9563638
    Abstract: A content management system synchronizes content items across client computing systems connected by a network. Each client device has a storage allocation for synchronized shared content items. If the storage allocation for shared content items on a client device is exceeded by the request to add or edit a content item such that it is enlarged, a client application or the host of content management system selects content items to remove from residence on the client device but keep remotely on content management system. Upon removal of the selected content items, the client application creates shadow items, representing the content item but only containing the metadata of the content item. This creates sufficient space while maintaining user access to all synchronized shared content items. When a shadow item is requested by an application running on the client device the client application may approve or deny the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventor: Benjamin Zeis Newhouse
  • Patent number: 9563820
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for organization and presentation of content. In some embodiments, a plurality of images and a plurality of similarity rules for image categorization are received. For each image in the plurality of images, that image and each remaining image from the plurality is compared by: applying each similarity rule to the image and a remaining image from the plurality to obtain a numeric result, and recording the numeric result for the pair of images in a numeric representation, the numeric representation embodying similarities. The numeric representation is used as a reference for clustering the plurality of images into clusters of similar images, and each image is stored with a marker denoting a cluster to which it has been assigned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dwan, Jinpeng Ren
  • Patent number: 9565232
    Abstract: Content items stored on a client device can be imported to a content management system. The client device can be configured to search on the client device for specified file extensions to identify content items to be imported. The search can be of the entire memory, or alternatively, locations known to likely include content items. For example, the search can be based on folders known to be used by content management applications to store content items. Upon identifying content items, an import interface can be presented to the user that enables the user to select whether to proceed with the import. Further, the import interface can enable the user to select import parameters such as the type of import and which content items to import. A user can be enabled to select a subset of content items based on a variety of gathered metadata associated with the content items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Alicia Chen
  • Patent number: 9558401
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for content item classification. In some embodiments, an image for classification is received, a compact representation for the image having values indicative of pixel values within the received image is generated, a plurality of angle measurements for possible edges of at least one potential document within the received image are determined, and the image is classified using said compact representation and said plurality of angle measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Tej Chajed, Peter Welinder, Boris Babenko, Dimitar Simeonov
  • Patent number: 9552142
    Abstract: A system for displaying the listings of files and/or folders in one of a plurality of different views (e.g., gallery view or list view). In particular embodiments, the system determines which of the views to display in the listings in based on: (1) the types of files to be displayed; (2) a specified preference of a content sharer; and/or (3) a specified preference of a content recipient. Various embodiments are particularly useful for displaying lists of files that a content sharer shares with a content recipient via a URL within the context of a synched file sharing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Aston Motes, Ivan Kirigin, Olumakinde Adegboyega Adeagbo, Yi Wei
  • Patent number: 9553868
    Abstract: Techniques are described for enabling administrators of teams that use a particular service to specify which sign-on options, of multiple possible sign-on options, are assigned to the members of the teams to which the administrators belong. For example, an administrator may assign a first sign-on option, which only allows users to use native authentication, to one set of members of the team. At the same time, the administrator may assign a second sign-on option, which only allows users to use third-party single-sign-on authentication, to another set of members of the same team.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Anand Subramani, Francois Alexander Allain
  • Patent number: 9547706
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that uses colocation hints to facilitate storing data blocks in a distributed data storage system, which includes a plurality of data centers. During operation, the system receives a write request from a client to write a data block to the distributed data storage system, wherein the write request includes a colocation hint that identifies a colocation group associated with the data block. In response to the write request, the system uses the colocation hint to identify one or more data centers associated with the colocation group. Next, the system writes copies of the data block to the one or more identified data centers. In this way, the system situates copies of data blocks associated with the colocation group in the same data centers when possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: James Cowling
  • Patent number: 9547668
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for an event-based photo view in a browser are disclosed. The system can receive a request to display a set of content items associated with a user account. The system can generate a web page based on a size of the set of files, the web page providing a continuous presentation of the set of files at the web page on a device, wherein a visible portion of the web page includes a presentation of files, and wherein the files are mapped to an area in the web page that is associated with a current position within the web page. The web page can include an events-based navigation feature. The system can transmit the web page to device for display at the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Beckmann, Ramesh Balakrishnan, Rajeev Nayak, Yi Wei, Ayush Sood
  • Patent number: 9542377
    Abstract: A notes system is presented with a content management system. The notes system manages creation and distribution of edits to notes to users sharing the notes. The notes are stored as a series of edits at the notes 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 application servers associated with each sharing user. The notes server includes various indices for searching the notes and allows notes to be searched quickly to organize viewing by a user of notes and identification of relevant material in the 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: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Rian Hunter, Kijun Seo
  • Patent number: 9544373
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are provided for maintaining local virtual states pending server-side storage across multiple devices and users and intermittent network connections. In exemplary embodiments, content added by a user to his or her account locally on a user device may be displayed, and all interactivity therewith may be facilitated, as if the content had already been created on the content management system. In content management system applications that support shared virtual spaces, changes made by the user from his or her user device to the shared virtual space (including creation of a new shared virtual space) may be displayed locally as soon as the change has been made, not waiting for the information to be transmitted to the server or its state to be made consistent with that of the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Stephen Poletto, Nils Peter Welinder, Anthony Grue
  • Patent number: 9537805
    Abstract: Generation of filtering rules for incoming messages can be activated by a user through a gesture-based input. When the user activates filtering rule generation, the message management service can cause a user device to display a prompt requesting additional data to be used to generate the filtering rule. The gesture can be a swipe and hold gesture, where the swipe is associated with an action (archiving, deleting, deferring, or adding the message to a list), and the swipe and hold action can activate filtering rule generation associated with the action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Adam Cue, George Milton Underwood, IV, Tim Van Damme