Dropbox, Inc.

David Euresti

Andrew Bortz

Josh Kaplan

Alicia Chen

Brian E Smith

Rian Hunter

Viraj Mody

Aston Motes

Ambrus Csaszar

Dwayne Litzenberger

Huy Nguyen

Jie Tang

Ritu Vincent

Maxime Larabie-Belanger

Alex Sydell

Peter Welinder

Bryan Jadot

Matt Holden

Sang Tian

Alison Kao

A content management system can tag a client installer with an information tag linking the client installer to a user account. The client installer can be configured to install the client-side application on the client device and pass the identification tag to the installed client-side application. The client-side application can transmit the identification tag to the content management system, which can use the identification tag to identify the linked user account and log the client-side application into the user account. The content management system can implement several verification measures such as limiting the number of times and when an identification tag can be used, as well as IP addresses that can use the identification tag. The content management system can also use data cached by the web-browser application to determine if the web-browser application was used to access the user account in the past.

Pre-authorizing a client application to access a user account on a content management system

A content item on a content management system can be shared using a generated sharing link. The sharing link can be a custom network address, such as a uniform resource locator (URL), which allows the content item to be accessed without authentication. The sharing index and a content path of the content items can be listed in a sharing index used to identify the content upon a request initiated by the sharing link. The content management system can generate a content link to a content item upon receiving a sharing input from a user indicating the user wants to share a content item. Alternatively, in some embodiments, sharing links can be pre-generated by the content management system and stored on the client device. The sharing link can stored directly to a data buffer on the client device, such as a clipboard, where it can be accessed by the user.

Sharing a content item

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for prioritizing structural operations and distributing changes in a synced online content management system. An exemplary method can include receiving, from a first client device, a first structural operation for a particular content item and an account within the online content management system. The method can also include receiving, from a second client device, a competing structural operation for the particular content item and the account. The method can then include prioritizing the first structural operation from the first client device over the competing structural operation from the second client device based on predetermined factors. The method can then include executing the first structural operation for the particular content item and the account. The exemplary method can then include distributing the prioritized first structural operation to all synced devices for execution.

Prioritizing structural operations and distributing changes in a synced online content management system

A content item uploaded to a content management system from a client device can be assigned to one of multiple user accounts on which the client device is authorized. The user account can be selected based on account selection rules dictating selection of a user account based on various factors. For example, the account selection rules can dictate selection of a user account based on the type of user account; the type of content item; the client device that created the content item; the time the content item was created, modified, or uploaded; the location the content item was created, modified, or uploaded; etc. The account selection rules can be specified by a user or be heuristics based on general assumptions, data gathered regarding the user, and/or historical data gathered from content items already assigned to the user accounts. The content item can be assigned to the selected user account.

Automatic account selection

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for securely accessing locally stored synchronized content using a local web server. A client application on a client device may receive from a web browser on the client device a request to access a local content stored on a client device. The client application may be configured to synchronize the local content with a remote content stored in an online content management system. The client application may issue a challenge for the web browser. The client application or the online content management system may then receive a response to the challenge. If the response is a valid response to the challenge, the web browser may be allowed to access the local content via the client application.

Secure local server for synchronized online content management system

A method and system for automatically rotating image files and preventing duplicate uploads in a remote file storage system is described. The system receives an image file. The system calculates a hash value associated with newly uploaded files. The system then automatically rotates the images based on orientation data associated with the files (if included). The system then compares the hash value(s) associated with the new file(s) with the hash values from the existing files stored on the remote file storage system. If the hash values of any of the new files to be uploaded match a hash value on the hash value list, then the system prevents the new files from being uploaded to the remote file storage system.

System and method for preventing duplicate uploads of modified photos in a synchronized content management system

Some systems allow a user to access content using both a native client application and a web interface. In these systems, the client application authorized to access a user account can assist with automatically logging a user into the web interface through the use of authentication tokens. In response to an authentication request, the client application can select a token and split it into multiple parts. One piece can be embedded in a URL and a second piece can be stored in a file. The file can also contain browser executable instructions that when executed combine the two pieces to re-create the token and send the re-created token to a server to authenticate the user. The client application can forward the URL to the browser, which can direct the browser to the file. The browser can execute the instructions thereby authenticating the user.

Client application assisted automatic user log in

A method and system for preventing duplicate file uploads in a remote content management system is described. The user device receives a hash value list associated with the files stored in the remote content management system. The user device calculates a hash value associated with new files to be uploaded. The system then compares the hash value(s) associated with the new file(s) to be uploaded with the hash value list received from the remote file storage system. If the hash values of any of the new files to be uploaded match a hash value on the hash value list, then the system prevents the new files from being uploaded to the remote file storage system.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

David Euresti