Method, apparatus, and computer program product for selectively granting permissions to group-based objects in a group-based communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11095657-B2
Application number	US-201815894821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2018
Priority date	Feb 12, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products that provide for an improved, more efficient, and more stable system of networked computing devices. The embodiments disclose an apparatus and system that enable client devices to selectively grant to third party applications permissions to access group-based communication objects of a group-based communication system. The apparatus and system further enable client devices to selectively grant to third party applications permissions to take specific actions with regards to the group-based communication objects within the system. To accomplish the improvements, the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and computing devices maintain a record of the permissions granted to third party applications in a permissions table stored in a computer storage device. The permissions table may be modified to expand the permissions granted to the third party application without requiring a new authentication process that issues a new authenticating token. Further, third party applications are installed at a group level and not at a user level within the system, which increases system stability and efficiency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for selectively granting permissions to group-based communication objects in a group-based communication system comprising a group-based communication server, a group-based communication repository, and a plurality of group-based communication channels, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
generate an application (app) user account comprising an app user account identifier and a third party application identifier, wherein the app user account is associated with a group identifier;
generate, based on the group identifier, a candidate group-based communication object set comprising a plurality of group-based communication objects,
wherein each of the plurality of group-based communication objects is processed in connection with a group-based communication action by a third party application;
generate a permissions interface configured to enable a user to authorize permissions for a third party application associated with the group identifier;
generate a permissions table associated with the app user account, the permissions table comprising the third party application identifier and the group identifier;
generate an app token comprising the third party application identifier and the group identifier; and
transmit the app token to a third party application provider,
wherein the app token comprises permission information that provides, to the third-party application, access to post messages in at least one group-based communication channel of the plurality of group-based communication channels in the group based communication system, and
wherein the at least one group-based communication channel provides a virtual communications feed environment to display communications posted by channel members and the third party application,
wherein each respective communication channel of the plurality of the communication channels is accessible only to users who are joined to the respective communication channel, and
wherein users of the group-based communication system may independently join and be removed from each respective communication channel of the plurality of the communication channels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the permissions interface is configured to enable user selection of permission actions for each of the group-based communication objects in a permitted group-based communication object set to generate a permitted group-based communication action set, wherein the permissions table further comprises mapping data at least partially implementing a mapping association between the permitted group-based communication object set and the permitted group-based communication action set, and wherein the permitted group-based communication object set and the permitted group-based communication action set are associated with the app user account identifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the computer program code is configured to further cause the apparatus to:
receive a permissions update request associated with the app user account identifier;
generate a permissions update interface configured to enable user modification of the permitted group-based communication object set and the permitted group-based communication action set; and
update the group-based communication repository based on the user modification of the permitted group-based communication object set and the permitted group-based communication action set.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the permissions interface is configured to enable user selection of one or more group-based communication objects of the candidate group-based communication object set to generate a permitted group-based communication object set, and wherein the permitted group-based communication object set comprises a subset of the candidate group-based communications object set.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the candidate group-based communication object set is a plurality of group-based communication channels that are accessible to a user associated with the user identifier, and wherein the permitted group-based communication object set is a permitted group-based communication channel set.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the permissions interface is a permissions update interface that is configured to enable user selection of permission actions for each of the permitted group-based channel set to generate a permitted group-based communication action set, wherein the permissions table further comprises mapping data least partially implementing a mapping association between the permitted group-based communication object set and the permitted group-based communication action set, and wherein the permitted group-based communication channel set and the permitted group-based communication action set are associated with the app user account identifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each group-based communication channel of the permitted group-based channel set is associated with a channel object set, and wherein the permissions update interface is further configured to enable user selection of permission actions for the channel object set.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the candidate group-based communication object set comprises group-based communication channels, private multi-party direct messages, public group-based communication channels, private direct messages, files, and user accounts.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the permissions interface is configured to enable user selection of one or more group-based communication objects of the candidate group-based communication object set to generate a permitted group-based communication object set, and wherein the permitted group-based communication object set comprises a subset of the candidate group-based communication object set.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the app user account is further associated with a user identifier, and wherein the candidate group-based communication object set is generated based on the group identifier and the user identifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer program code is configured to further cause the apparatus to:
store, in the permissions table, the candidate group-based communication object set;
generate a permitted group-based communication object set by:
associating a selection indication with each of the plurality of group-based communication objects of the candidate group-based communication object set upon user selection via the permissions interface, and
associating a permission action with each of the plurality of group-based communication objects of the candidate group-based communication object set that is associated with the selection indication upon user selection of the permission action by the permissions interface; and
store, in the permissions table, the permitted group-based communication object set.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer program code is configured to further cause the apparatus to:
transmit to the third party application provider a trigger identifier;
receive a permissions update request associated with the app user account identifier;
generate a permissions update interface configured to enable user modification of at least one of (a) a permitted group-based communication object set or (b) a permitted group-based communication action set;
update the group-based communication repository based on the user modification of the at least one of (a) the permitted group-based communication object set or (b)

Assignees

• Slack Tech Inc

Inventors

• Gamache Meagan
• Brito Diogenes
• Benson Buster
• Xie Kefan
• Jennings Paul Matthew
• Sullivan Christopher
• Redman Benjamin William Scholey

Classifications

• H04L67/53

  using third party service providers · CPC title

• H04L12/1813

  for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04L12/1818

  Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties · CPC title

• H04L63/104 Primary

  Grouping of entities · CPC title

• G06F21/6218

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title