Globally unique identifiers in an online content management system
AssigneeDropbox, Inc.
InventorRian Hunter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for implementing globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) in a multi-user network-based content management environment, from the perspective of a server creating a GUID for a content item, and serving requests based on the GUID. A content management system can identify a content item at a location within the data storage. Each user of the content management system can be associated with a respective user account having an amount of storage space within the storage environment. The content management system can model a user account as a collection of content item objects and globally unique identifiers that are independent of a directory-based hierarchy of content items.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein processor-executable instructions for causing the processor to:
- identify a content item stored at a location within a multi-user network-based content management environment;
- generate, for the content item, a globally unique identifier, wherein the globally unique identifier is unique within the content management environment;
- associate the globally unique identifier with data that identifies the content item, data that identifies the location of the content item within the multi-user network-based content management environment, and data that identifies an authorized user having access to the content item in an identifier database;
- propagate the globally unique identifier to at least one client device associated with an authorized user;
- and
- responsive to a request identifying the globally unique identifier from an authorized user, providing to a client device associated with the authorized user at least one of the content item, a revision of the content item, the location, an attribute of the content item, or metadata associated with the content item.
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- identifying a content item to request from a multi-user network-based content management system, the content item stored at a location within the content management system;
- retrieving, via a processor, a globally unique identifier associated with the content item, wherein the globally unique identifier is unique within the content management system;
- submitting, to the content management system, a request for the content item, wherein the request indicates the content item by the globally unique identifier, and wherein the request is associated with an authorized user having access to the content item;
- and
- receiving, from the content management system and in response to the request, at least one of the content item, a revision of the content item, the location of the content item, an attribute of the content item, or metadata associated with the content item.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
- identifying a content item to request from a synchronized online content management system, the content item stored at a location within the content management system;
- retrieving, a globally unique identifier associated with the content item, wherein the globally unique identifier is unique within the content management system;
- submitting, to the content management system, a request to perform a content item operation on the content item, wherein the request indicates the content item by the globally unique identifier, and wherein the request is associated with an authorized user having access to the content item;
- and
- receiving, from the content management system in response to the request, a result of the content item operation and a new globally unique identifier;
- and
- updating the content item in local storage based on the result of the content item operation and associating the new globally unique identifier with the content item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.