IP Library Granted Patent US 12705375
Granted Patent B2
US 12705375 · App. 18/819,844 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Collection folder for collecting file submissions in response to a public file request

Inventors: Mindy Zhang (San Francisco, CA); Pranav Piyush (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
G06F21/604G06F16/9566G06F21/62G06F21/6218G06F21/6245G06F40/295H04L51/04H04L51/08H04L51/52H04L63/0861H04L63/102H04L63/104H04L63/105H04L63/1408H04L63/1416H04L63/1425H04L65/403H04L67/06H04L67/1078H04L67/1095H04L67/1097H04L67/306H04L63/101
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12705375
App. No.
18/819,844
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A content management system for collecting files from one or more submitters in a collection folder. A collector, who generates the collection folder, can invite one or more submitters to submit one or more files to the collection folder in response to a public file request. The one or more submitters have limited rights to the collection folder. The limited rights can include uploading rights and prohibiting a submitter from viewing files that other submitters associated with the collection folder submitted. Thus, the collection folder is able to store files from the one or more submitters, but prevent them from viewing other's submissions.

Claims (50)

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a content management system and from a collector client device, a request to collect one or more files, the request comprising an authentication electronic mail (email) address;

associating the authentication email address with a designated collection folder corresponding to the request to collect one or more files, wherein the designated collection folder is associated with a user account corresponding to the collector client device;

sending, to a submitter client device, a file request link that references the designated collection folder;

based on the submitter client device accessing the file request link, providing a file upload user interface to the submitter client device, the file upload user interface comprising an upload file option and an email address input field;

receiving, by the content management system and from the submitter client device, an electronic file input via the upload file option and a submitter email address input via the email address input field; and

determining storage authorization for storing the electronic file in the designated collection folder by determining whether the authentication email address associated with the designated collection folder matches the submitter email address input via the email address input field.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder by granting storage authorization based on determining the authentication email address matches the submitter email address.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising denying storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder by withholding storage authorization based on determining the authentication email address is different than the submitter email address.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an authentication name as part of the request to collect one or more files;

associating the authentication name with the designated collection folder;

receiving, by the content management system and from the submitter client device, a submitter name; and

wherein determining the storage authorization for storing the electronic file in the designated collection folder further comprises determining whether the authentication name associated with the designated collection folder matches the submitter name received from the submitter client device.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an authentication password as part of the request to collect one or more files;

associating the authentication password with the designated collection folder;

receiving, by the content management system and from the submitter client device, a submitter password; and

wherein determining the storage authorization for storing the electronic file in the designated collection folder further comprises determining whether the authentication password associated with the designated collection folder matches the submitter password received from the submitter client device.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a unique file name for the electronic file based on authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a notification to the submitter client device based on authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder, the notification indicating the electronic file was successfully received.

8 . A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive, by a content management system and from a collector client device, a file collection request, the file collection request comprising authentication information;

associate the authentication information with a designated collection folder corresponding to the file collection request, wherein the designated collection folder is associated with a user account corresponding to the collector client device;

send, to a submitter client device, a file request link that references the designated collection folder;

based on the submitter client device accessing the file request link, provide a file upload user interface to the submitter client device;

receive, by the content management system and from the submitter client device, an electronic file and submitter information that is input via the file upload user interface; and

determine storage authorization for storing the electronic file in the designated collection folder by determining whether the authentication information associated with the designated collection folder matches the submitter information that is input via the file upload user interface.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the authentication information is one or more of: an authentication email address, an authentication name, or an authentication password.

10 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to authorize storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder by granting storage authorization based on determining the authentication information matches the submitter information.

11 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to deny storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder by withholding storage authorization based on determining the authentication information is different than the submitter information.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the file upload user interface comprises choose file element, a selection of which activates a choose file interface that displays a file directory corresponding to the submitter client device.

13 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to generate a unique file name for the electronic file based on authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder, wherein the unique file name is different from an original file name associated with the electronic file.

14 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide a notification to the submitter client device based on denying storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder, the notification indicating the electronic file was not successfully submitted.

15 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide a notification to the collector client device based on authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder.

16 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause one or more computing devices to:

receive, by a content management system and from a collector client device, a file collection request, the file collection request comprising authentication information;

associate the authentication information with a designated collection folder corresponding to the file collection request, wherein the designated collection folder is associated with a user account corresponding to the collector client device;

send, to a submitter client device, a file request link that references the designated collection folder;

provide a file upload user interface to the submitter client device based on the submitter client device accessing the file request link;

receive, by the content management system and from the submitter client device, an electronic file and submitter information that is input via the file upload user interface; and

authorize storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder based on determining the authentication information associated with the designated collection folder matches the submitter information that is input via the file upload user interface.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the one or more computing devices to:

store the electronic file in the designated collection folder; and

provide a notification to the submitter client device based on storing the electronic file in the designated collection folder.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the authentication information is one or more of: an authentication email address, an authentication name, or an authentication password.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the file upload user interface comprises at least one information field, the at least one information field comprising at least one of an email address field, a name field, or a password field.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the one or more computing devices to generate a unique file name for the electronic file based on authorizing storage of the electronic file in the designated collection folder, wherein the unique file name is different from an original file name associated with the electronic file.