# US 2025/0156441 A1 · Storage constrained synchronization of shared content items

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- Number: US 2025/0156441 A1
- Document ID: US20250156441A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/025,912
- Filed: 2025-01-16
- Published: 2025-05-15
- Earliest claimed: 2015-01-30
- Assignees: Dropbox, Inc.
- Applicants: Dropbox, Inc.
- Inventors: Benjamin Zeis Newhouse
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250156441A1

## CPC

- G06F 16/27: Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
- G06F 16/162: {Delete operations (erasing in storage systems G06F3/0652)}
- G06F 16/178: Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
- G06F 16/2365: {Ensuring data consistency and integrity}
- H04L 67/1095: Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
- H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## 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, or open a large content item remote to the client device, 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 for the initial request to be completed while maintaining user access to all synchronized shared content items.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method comprising:
responsive to determining, by a content management system, that a first client device associated with a user has accessed a content item, storing data indicative of the content item having been accessed;
determining, by the content management system, based on the data indicative of the content item having been accessed, a predicted importance of the content item;
identifying a second client device that has a shadow item corresponding to the content item; and
responsive to the predicted importance of the content item exceeding a threshold importance, replacing, on the identified second client device, the shadow item with the content item.