Dropbox, Inc.

Chris Beckmann

Drew Houston

Ramesh Balakrishnan

Rajeev Nayak

Francois Alexander Allain

Yi Wei

Jeffrey M Bartelma

Joshua Jenkins

Ayush Sood

Ziga Mahkovec

Nikrad Mahdi

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for migrating content items from a source user account to a target user account. A user can specify content items in the source user account to be migrated to an existing or new target user account. A new content entry including an account identifier of the target account and a pointer to the content item can be created for each migrated content item. Further, a determination can be made as to whether a sharing link to each content item exists, and if so, the content pointer of the old content entry is modified to forward or redirect to the new content entry. An active flag associated with the old content entry can be set to false or 0 to indicate that the old content entry is no longer active.

Migrating content items

The described systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media manage pooled collections of content items in a content management system. An example system can receive, from a user device, content uploaded to an account at a synchronized online content management system, and cluster some of the content as a collection. The system can receive, from a user, a request to share the collection with a second user having a second account at the content management system. In response to the request, content management system generates a pooled collection from the collection. The system can also transmit an invitation to the second user to join the pooled collection, and, upon acceptance, link the pooled collection to the second user account so that the first user and the second user have access to the persistent pooled collection and have permission to contribute content to the pooled collection.

Identifying content items for inclusion in a shared collection

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for adding users to groups of content items organized into events based on a common attribute. An example system configured to practice the method can receive, from a client device, content items uploaded to a synced online content management system, wherein the content items are associated with an account of a first user. The system can cluster at least some of the content items as an event, wherein the event is associated with a common attribute, and identify a second user satisfying a minimum similarity threshold for the event based on the common attribute. The system can provide a suggestion to share the event with the second user. Upon receiving a confirmation of the suggestion, the system can make content items clustered in the event available to the second user.

Organizing network-stored content items into shared groups

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for managing pooled collections of content items, such as photos, in a content management system. An example system can first receive, from a first user device, images uploaded to a first account at a synchronized online content management system, and cluster at least some of the images as a collection. The system can receive, from the first user, a request to share the collection with a second user having a second account at the content management system, and generate, in response to the request, a pooled collection at the content management system from the collection. The system can transmit an invitation to the second user to join the pooled collection, and, upon acceptance, link the pooled collection to the second user account so that the first user and the second user have access to images in the persistent pooled collection and have permission to contribute content to the pooled collection.

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.

Event-based content item view

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for importing and merging photos from different sources are disclosed. The system receives credentials from a user, who has an account with a content management system. The credentials are associated with content item storage entities such as photo repositories. The system accesses the photo repositories, using the plurality of credentials if authorization is required for data access. The system identifies source photo data in each of the photo repositories, and duplicates the source photo data in the content management system account to create consolidated photo data.

System and method for importing and merging content items from different sources

A content preview of a content item stored in an online storage system can be viewed on a client device without the content item itself being downloaded to the client device and without the use of software associated with the content item being installed on the client device. Furthermore, data storage and processing requirements can be minimized by creating and storing only one content preview for each unique content item. The content item can be identified by using the content item as a hash key in a hashing algorithm. The resulting unique identifier can be used to search a preview index that lists all created content previews and their location. A content preview is only created if one does not exist. The unique identifier can be used to locate the content preview and return it in response to a preview request by a client device.

Providing a content preview

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for importing a new content item, such as a photo, document, video, email, or application, into a content item repository. A content item repository can contain a set of existing content item groups, and each content item group can include at least one content item. The system can calculate a profile for a new content item to be imported. Upon determining, based on the calculated profile, that the new content item exceeds a similarity threshold for an existing content item group, the system can insert the new content item into the content item group. Upon determining, based on the calculated profile, that the new content item does not exceed the similarity threshold for any existing content item group, the system can create a new content item group and insert the new content item therein.

Intelligent content item importing

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for a continuous photo view on a browser-type application are disclosed. The system can receive a request to display a set of images associated with a user account. The system can generate a web page based on a size of the content items, the web page having a respective placeholder for each of the content items in an area of the web page that is relative to a visible portion of the web page, wherein the web page can provide a continuous presentation of the content items on a device, and wherein the web page can be configured to dynamically load and unload content items based on a current position of the web page.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Chris Beckmann