Automatic account selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9992278-B2
Application number	US-201313871480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2013
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a content management system, a content item transmitted from a client application associated with the content management system for a client device, wherein the content management system maintains a first user account for a user and a second user account for the user and associates the first user account and the second user account with the client device;
identifying, by the content management system, at least the first user account and the second user account of the content management system associated with the client device;
selecting, by the content management system, the first user account according to account selection rules that dictate whether the content item should be assigned to the first user account or the second user account based on metadata describing at least one of:
the first user account,
the second user account, or
the content item;

assigning automatically, by the content management system, the content item to the first user account, wherein the content item is associated with a first user account identifier in the content management system;
associating with the second user account, by the content management system, the content item; and
synchronizing, by the content management system with the client application of the client device, assignment information for the content item, wherein the assignment information is transmitted to the client application and identifies assignment of the content item to at least the first user account.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the first user account according to the account selection rules comprises:
comparing metadata indicating a preferred location of the first user account and metadata identifying a location of the content item; and
when the location of the content item is within the preferred location of the first user account, determining that the content item should be assigned to the first user account.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the location of the content item identifies at least one of:
a geographic position where the content item was created;
a geographic position where the content item was modified; or
a geographic position of the client device when the content item was transmitted to the content management system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the preferred location comprises a geographic region surrounding a work office of a user of the client device, and the first user account is a work user account.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the preferred location comprises a geographic region surrounding a home of a user of the client device, and the first user account is a personal user account.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein synchronizing by the content management system with the client device comprises:
causing, by the content management system, that the client device assign the content item to the first user account.

7. A content management system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a content item and a second content item transmitted from a client application associated with the content management system for a client device, wherein the content management system maintains a first user account for a user and a second user account for the user and associates the first user account and the second user account with the client device;
identify at least the first user account and the second user account of the content management system associated with the client device;
select the first user account according to account selection rules that dictate whether the content item should be assigned to the first user account or the second user account based on metadata describing at least one of:
the first user account,
the second user account, or
the content item;

assign automatically the content item to the first user account, wherein the content item is associated with a first user account identifier in the content management system;
select the first user account and the second user account according to account selection rules that dictate whether the second content item should be associated to the first user account and the second user account;
associate the second content item to the first user account and the second user account; and
synchronize, with the client application of the client device, assignment information for the content item, wherein the assignment information is transmitted to the client application and identifies assignment of the content item to at least the first user account.

8. The content management system of claim 7 , wherein selecting the first user account according to the account selection rules comprises:
comparing metadata indicating a preferred client device of the first user account and metadata identifying a source client device of the content item; and
when the source client device of the content item is the preferred client device of the first user account, determining that the content item should be assigned to the first user account.

9. The content management system of claim 8 , wherein a source client device identifies at least one of:
a client device that created the content item;
a client device that modified the content item; or
a client device that transmitted the content item to the content management system.

10. The content management system of claim 9 , wherein the source client device of the first user account identifies at least one of:
a client device that created the content item;
a client device that modified the content item; or
a client device that transmitted the content item to the content management system.

11. The content management system of claim 7 , wherein selecting the first user account according to the account selection rules comprises:
comparing metadata indicating a restricted client device of the second user account and metadata identifying the client device; and
when the client device is the restricted client device of the second user account, determining that the content item should be assigned to the first user account.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a client application of a client device of a content management system, a command to upload a content item to the content management system, wherein the content management system maintains a first user account for a user and a second user account for the user and associates the first user account and the second user account with the client device;
receiving, by the client device, a command to upload a second content item to the content management system;
identifying, by the client device, at least the first user account and the second user account associated with the user and the client device;
selecting, by the client device, the first user account according to account selection rules that dictate whether the content item should be assigned to the first user account or the second user account based on metadata describing at least one of:
the first user account,
the second user account, or
the content item;

transmitting, by the client device to the content management system, assignment data for the content item identifying automatic assignment of the content item to the first user account; and
selecting, by the client device, the first user account and the second user account according to account selection rules that dictate whether the second content item should be assigned to the first user account and the seco

Assignees

• Dropbox Inc

Inventors

• Chen Alicia
• Euresti David

Classifications

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• H04L67/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/1095 Primary

  Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes · CPC title

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title