Method, apparatus and computer program product for generating externally shared communication channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11522729-B2
Application number	US-201916576085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2019
Priority date	Jul 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and computer program product for causing a rendering of a graphical icon associated with a message communication, wherein the message communication is received in a shared communication channel in a group-based communication platform. The graphical icon comprises a user avatar associated with a sender of the message communication and a group icon indicating association of the message communication with a group. A computer-implemented method may include receiving, from a first client and in a shared communication channel on the group-based communication platform, a message communication; transmitting, to a plurality of clients associated with the shared communication channel, the message communication; and causing rendering of the message communication with a first graphical icon within a shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel, wherein the first graphical icon comprises (i) a first user avatar indicating that the message communication is associated with the first user, and (ii) a first group icon indicating that the message communication is associated with the first group identification.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory comprising program code, the at least one non-transitory memory and the program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
receive, from a first client associated with a first user and in a shared communication channel on a group-based communication platform, a first message communication, wherein the first message communication is associated with a first group identification, and wherein the shared communication channel comprises a virtual space for message communications between a plurality of clients, wherein each client of the plurality of clients is associated with at least one of the first group identification or a second group identification;
based at least in part on determining that each client the plurality of clients is associated with at least one of the first group identification or the second group identification, transmit the first message communication to the plurality of clients; and
cause rendering of the first message communication with a first graphical icon within a shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel, wherein the first graphical icon comprises (i) a first user avatar indicating that the first message communication is associated with the first user, and (ii) a first group icon indicating that the first message communication is associated with the first group identification.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first group icon is superimposed on the first user avatar.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:
receive, from a second client associated with a second user and in the shared communication channel, a second message communication, wherein the second message communication is associated with the second group identification;
based at least in part on determining that the plurality of clients are associated with at least one of the first group identification or the second group identification, transmit the second message communication to the plurality of clients; and
cause rendering of the second message communication with a second graphical icon within the shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel, wherein the second graphical icon comprises (i) a second user avatar indicating that the second message communication is associated with the second user, and (ii) a second group icon indicating that the second message communication is associated with the second group identification.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second group icon is superimposed on the second user avatar.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first group identification is associated with a first viewing privilege settings set, wherein the second group identification is associated with a second viewing privilege settings set that is different from the first viewing privilege settings set.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first message communication is rendered within the shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel based at least in part on the first viewing privilege settings set.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:
receive, from a second client associated with a second user and in the shared communication channel, a second message communication, wherein the second message communication is associated with the second group identification;
based at least in part on determining that the plurality of clients are associated with at least one of the first group identification or the second group identification, transmit the second message communication to the plurality of clients; and
cause rendering of the second message communication with a second graphical icon within the shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel based at least in part on the second viewing privilege settings set, wherein the second graphical icon comprises (i) a second user avatar indicating that the second message communication is associated with the second user, and (ii) a second group icon indicating that the second message communication is associated with the second group identification.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:
based at least in part on determining that a second client is not associated with the first group identification or the second group identification, forgo transmitting a second message communication from the second client to the plurality of clients.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory and the program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:
based at least in part on determining that a second client is not associated with the first group identification or the second group identification, forgo rendering the shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel to the second client.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first message communication comprises at least one of: a text, an image, a video, an audio, or a combination thereof.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, from a first client associated with a first user and in a shared communication channel on a group-based communication platform, a first message communication, wherein the first message communication is associated with a first group identification, and wherein the shared communication channel comprises a virtual space for message communications between a plurality of clients, wherein each client of the plurality of clients is associated with at least one of the first group identification or a second group identification;
based at least in part on determining that each client of the plurality of clients is associated with at least one of the first group identification or the second group identification, transmitting the first message communication to the plurality of clients; and
causing rendering of the first message communication with a first graphical icon within a shared communication channel interface associated with the shared communication channel, wherein the first graphical icon comprises (i) a first user avatar indicating that the first message communication is associated with the first user, and (ii) a first group icon indicating that the first message communication is associated with the first group identification.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the first group icon is superimposed on the first user avatar.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, from a second client associated with a second user and in the shared communication channel, a second message communication, wherein the second message communication is associated with the second group identification;
based at least in part on determining that the plurality of clients are associated with at least one of the first group identification or the second group identification, transmitting the second message communication to the plurality of clients; and
causing rendering of the second message communication with a second graphical icon within the s

Assignees

• Slack Tech Inc
• Slack Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jin Brenda
• Rose Sean
• Grant Myles
• Johnston Elizabeth
• King Andrew

Classifications

• H04L12/1859

  adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels · CPC title

• G06F16/13

  File access structures, e.g. distributed indices (arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06) · CPC title

• H04L67/01

  Protocols · CPC title

• G06Q10/103

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title

• G06F16/27

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title