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US 9,870,430 B2Granted
Location-independent links to content at online content management systems
AssigneeDropbox, Inc.
InventorRamesh Balakrishnan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates access to content. During operation, the system tracks a content item at an online content management system using an identifier for the content item. Next, the system uses the identifier to provide a link to the content item, wherein the link enables access to the content item from an electronic device independently of a location of the content item within the online content management system.
Claims16
A computer-implemented method for facilitating access to content, comprising:
- responsive to receiving, at an online content management system, a content item associated with a user account:
- storing the content item at a location within the online content management system,
- creating a mapping of an identifier of the content item to the location, wherein the mapping comprises an entry within a table of a relational database of the online content management system,
- wherein the online content management system is configured to synchronize the content item with one or more client devices;
- tracking the content item at the online content management system by updating the mapping based on a change to the content item;
- and
- using the identifier to provide a link to the content item, wherein the link enables access to the content item from an electronic device regardless of a change to the location of the content item within the online content management system, and wherein the location comprises a file path within a data store of the online content management system;
- wherein tracking the content item at the online content management system comprises:
- responsive to a particular request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the file path from the mapping;
- and using the file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item;
- responsive to determining that the content item has been moved to a new file path:
- writing the mapping to a previous version of the mapping;
- writing the new file path to the mapping;
- and
- moving the content item to the new file path within the data store;
- and responsive to a subsequent request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the new file path from the mapping;
- and
- using the new file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item.
19 more elements
An online content management system for facilitating access to content, comprising:
- a write apparatus configured to:
- responsive to receiving a content item associated with a user account;
- storing the content item at a location within the online content management system,
- creating a mapping of an identifier of the content item to the location wherein the mapping comprises an entry within a table of a relational database of the online content management system,
- wherein the online content management system is configured to synchronize the content item with one or more client devices;
- tracking the content item at the online content management system by updating the mapping based on a change to the content item;
- and
- a read apparatus configured to use the identifier to provide a link to the content item, wherein the link enables access to the content item from an electronic device regardless of a change to the location of the content item within the online content management system, and wherein the location comprises a file path within a data store of the online content management system;
- wherein tracking the content item at the online content management system comprises:
- responsive to a particular request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the file path from the mapping;
- and
- using the file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item;
- responsive to determining that of the content item has been moved to a new file path:
- writing the mapping to a previous version of the mapping;
- writing the new file path to the mapping;
- and
- moving the content item to the new file path within the data store;
- and
- responsive to a subsequent request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the new file path from the mapping;
- and
- using the new file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item.
22 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating access to content, the method comprising:
- responsive to receiving, at an online content management system, a content item associated with a user account:
- storing the content item at a location within the online content management system, creating a mapping of an identifier of the content item to the location, wherein the mapping comprises an entry within a table of a relational database of the online content management system,
- tracking the content item at the online content management system by updating the mapping based on a change the content item;
- and
- using the identifier to provide a link to the content item, wherein the link enables access to the content item from an electronic device regardless of a change to the location of the content item within the online content management system, and wherein the location comprises a file path within a data store of the online content management system;
- wherein tracking the content item at the online content management system comprises:
- responsive to a particular request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the file path from the mapping;
- and using the file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item;
- responsive to determining that the content item has been moved to a new file path:
- writing the mapping to a previous version of the mapping;
- writing the new file path to the mapping;
- and
- moving the content item to the new file path within the data store;
- and
- responsive to a subsequent request, by the electronic device, to access the content item:
- using the identifier to obtain the mapping from the table;
- extracting the new file path from the mapping;
- and using the new file path to provide, to the electronic device, access to the content item.
17 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.