Patents Assigned to DROPBOX, INC.
  • Publication number: 20150295851
    Abstract: A computer system can provide user interfaces and back-end operations to facilitate review of the web requests. The system can detect whether an operation of an application called by a web request includes a review tag or a call to a review method. If a review tag or a call to a review method is detected, the middleware can initiate a review process that can include receiving input from a client device associated with a human reviewer. Upon receiving approval by the reviewer, the web request can be generated using a saved version of the original web request and executed. Thus, this review process can run without requiring that code for reviewing the web request be contained within the web request or the application called by the web request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: David Stein
  • Patent number: 9158436
    Abstract: A file upload widget is provided on a website to enable the upload of files to a website from an account within a content management system. The file upload widget may be used to: (1) allow a user to select files from a content management system, such as a synced online content management system; and (2) initiate the upload of the files directly from the content management system to the website. In various embodiments, this may: (1) allow the user to upload files that are not stored locally on the computing device being used to access the file upload widget; and (2) allow the user to complete the upload of files by initiating the transfer of files and then logging off of the website (and/or powering down their computing device) before the transfer of files is complete, which may result in a more convenient and enjoyable upload process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Varenhorst, Dan Wheeler, Brain Smith, Aston Motes
  • Publication number: 20150288744
    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: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Dwan, Alon Levi
  • Publication number: 20150288757
    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: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Publication number: 20150288774
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Publication number: 20150288756
    Abstract: 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, and includes presence information obtained from a native application such as whether the content item is being viewed by the user on a user interface element or the user interface element is modifying the content item. A presence management module receives presence events indicating possible change of presence with respect to a user interface window associated with a process and a synchronized content item. Such presence events include a change in focus of a user interface element indicating that a user is viewing the content item, and changes to a content item indicating a user is editing the content item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Publication number: 20150288775
    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: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Maxime Larabie-Belanger
  • Patent number: 9154498
    Abstract: Shareable content items links with use restrictions. In one embodiment, for example, a method comprises: receiving, from a client computing device used by a link submitter, a request to access a server-stored content item at a sharable link; denying the access requested by the link submitter based on one or more use restrictions associated with the shareable link; prompting the link submitter to request approval to access to the server-stored content item at the shareable link; responsive to receiving approval for the link submitter to access the server-stored content item at the shareable link, modifying the use restrictions associated with the shareable link to allow the link submitter to access the server-stored content item at the shareable link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Byrne, Todd Dabney
  • Patent number: 9152646
    Abstract: A creation order of content items can generally be determined by a metadata creation time associated with the content items. In some instances, multiple content items can be associated with the same metadata creation time. To determine the order of content items associated with the same metadata creation time, a files system modification time for the content items can be accessed. The file system modification time may indicate time in a smaller time increment than the metadata creation time. If the creation order of the content items cannot be determined from the file system modification time, the names of the content items can be analyzed to determine if they indicate a creation order. Alternatively the order the content items are placed in memory can be used to determine the creation order. Metadata identifying the determined creation order of the content items can be appended to the content items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Alex Sydell, Kyle Consalus
  • Publication number: 20150281156
    Abstract: Filtering rules for incoming messages can be dynamically generated by a message management service based on patterns in the user's behavior. The message management service can analyze event records associating user actions with features of messages to detect correlations between message features and resulting actions, including correlations across multiple messaging accounts belonging to the same user. Based on correlations, the message management service can provide a suggested rule to the user's client device, and the user can accept or decline the suggestion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Beausoleil, Jack Dubie, George Milton Underwood, IV, Adam Cue, Anthony DeVincenzi, Michael Roeder
  • Patent number: 9141811
    Abstract: Techniques for coercing users to encrypt synchronized content stored at their personal computing devices. In some aspects, one or more computing devices receive, from a personal computing device, an indication of whether data stored in at least a portion of a storage device of the personal computing device is protected by disk encryption. In response to determining, based on the indication, that the portion of the storage device is not protected by encryption, synchronization data for synchronizing a copy of one or more synchronized content items stored in the portion of the storage device with another copy of the synchronized content items stored at one or more server computing devices is withheld from the personal computing device until disk encryption on the personal computing device is enabled so as to coerce the user to enable disk encryption on the personal computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: Sean Byrne
  • Patent number: 9141483
    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: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Kiren R. Sekar, Jack B. Strong
  • Publication number: 20150254320
    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: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventor: James Cowling
  • Publication number: 20150256504
    Abstract: A message management service that acts as intermediary between a messaging service and a client device can generate a synchronization data bundle for a message that includes an external message identifier usable to retrieve the message from the messaging service. The message management service can send the synchronization data bundle to the client along with the message, and the client can store the synchronization data bundle for each message in its local data store. The client can later return the synchronization data bundle to the message management service, which can use information contained therein to facilitate synchronization and related operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Beausoleil, Steven Kabbes, Michael Roeder
  • Patent number: 9128932
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for analyzing the recorded interactions of users within a shared dataspace, where the shared dataspace is provided by an a synced online content management system. As each user adds and deletes files in the shared dataspace, the content management system can record each interaction. The content management system can then analyze the recorded interactions, creating collapsed summaries of the interactions, and generate notifications that can be presented to users. Various thresholds can be used to determine when the recorded interactions are condensed, and when notifications associated with those condensed interactions are presented to users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Maxime Belanger, Kyle Consalus
  • Patent number: 9130922
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a session continuity feature that allows a user to access an online content management system through different instances of a third-party application located on different computing devices without having to log in to the online content management system separately from each computing device. When the user signs on to the online content management system, the session continuity mechanism provides a session continuity token to the third-party system. When the user subsequently accesses an instance of the third-party application located on another computing device, the third-party system provides the session continuity token to the new instance of the third-party application. This enables the user to access the online content management system through the new instance of the third-party application without having to sign on again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Ilya Fushman, Sean Lynch
  • Patent number: 9128977
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for enhancing event summaries of synced online content management system interactions. Users can identify one or more of the collapsed events markers that have pointers to the original, uncondensed, event markers. Upon identifying the one or more collapsed event markers, users can add additional data, via the pointers, to the original, uncondensed, event markers that were used to generate the collapsed event marker. The content management system can then perform a new analysis of the shared dataspace, analyzing the event markers using pre-existing data and the newly added data to create additional collapsed event markers, modify previously generated collapsed event markers, or remove/replace collapsed event markers. These enriched collapsed event markers can then newly presented to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Maxime Belanger, Kyle Consalus
  • Publication number: 20150249647
    Abstract: A method, system, and manufacture for securely broadcasting shared folders from one client device to other client devices and synchronizing the shared folders over a local area network. A first client device, associated with a content management system, generates a secure identifier for a shared folder, using a shared secret key that is associated with the shared folder. The first client device announces the secure identifier over a local area network to other client devices on the local area network including a second client device. The first client device receives a synchronization request for the shared folder from the second client device. After authenticating, using the shared secret key, that the second client device has authorization to access the shared folder, the first client device synchronizes the shared folder with the second client device over the local area network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: September 3, 2015
    Applicant: DROPBOX, INC.
    Inventors: Anton Mityagin, Dwayne Litzenberger
  • Publication number: 20150242110
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the present disclosure include a content navigation system that allows a user to search, browse, and otherwise experience a collection of digital content items. For example, the content navigation system can provide a graphical user interface including a scroll element. One or more embodiments of the scroll element can include various navigational functions that provide a user-friendly interface for browsing and experiencing a collection of digital content items. Furthermore, the content navigation system can provide methods and systems for a user to easily configure the way in which the digital content items are organized within the user interface, thereby customizing the user's browsing experience.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramesh Balakrishnan, Yi Wei, Joshua Puckett, Brian Smith, Andrew Scheff, Rajeev Nayak
  • Publication number: 20150244794
    Abstract: Providing a user with an interactive user interface that may fully enable interactions regardless of connectivity status may be provided. In some embodiments, one or more content items may be selected by a user of the user devices and may be queued for upload to a content management system. The content items may be organized into one or more collections of content items with other content items already stored in a user account on the content management system, such as images having similar geo-temporal characteristics. A set of interactivity features may be available to the user for interacting with the queued content item. This may provide the user with the seamless feeling as if the content items have been uploaded to the content management system and the user may be interacting with the content items on the content management system, even if the upload has not been completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Dropbox, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Poletto, Peter Belknap, Thomas Kleinpeter