Selectively adding users to channels in a group-based communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11870845-B2
Application number	US-202217693843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2022
Priority date	Aug 21, 2020
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

Methods, media, and systems are disclosed for adding new users to a channel in a group-based communication system. The system receives a request to add new users to a channel. The system adds a new user by classifying the new user's email address domain as internal or external. If the domain is internal, the first user is added to the channel as a member, and if the domain is external, the user is prompted for a type of access for the new user. If the new user's access type is guest, the new user is added to the channel as a guest. If the type of access is shared, the channel is shared with an organization associated with the domain, and the new user is added as a member of the channel that has been shared.

First claim

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method for adding new users to a shared channel in a group-based communication system, the method comprising:
providing, to a first user of the group-based communication system, a first user interface component for receiving one or more requests to add one or more users to the shared channel, the one or more requests comprising a portion of at least one user identifier corresponding to the one or more users, the at least one user identifier includes an email domain;
based on organization and interaction metadata between the one or more users and one or more other users of the group-based communication system, automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to an organization corresponding to that of the first user, the organization and interaction metadata comprises one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user, providing a second user interface component for specifying whether the one or more users should be added to the shared channel; and
adding the one or more users to the shared channel as members of the shared channel.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the organization and interaction metadata includes information derived from a directory service.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the at least one user identifier further includes a username.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user involves comparing the email domain to a previously identified list of email domains previously associated with the organization.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with communication data within the group-based communication system.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with a meeting scheduled in a calendar system.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with a plurality of messages, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is either posted to an organization channel or a direct message.

8. A method for adding new users to a shared channel in a group-based communication system, the method comprising:
providing, to a first user of the group-based communication system, a first user interface component for receiving one or more requests to add one or more users to the shared channel, the one or more requests comprising a portion of at least one user identifier corresponding to the one or more users, the at least one user identifier includes an email domain;
based on organization and interaction metadata between the one or more users and one or more other users of the group-based communication system, automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to an organization corresponding to that of the first user, the organization and interaction metadata comprises one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user, providing a second user interface component for specifying whether the one or more users should be added to the shared channel; and
adding the one or more users to the shared channel as members of the shared channel.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the organization and interaction metadata includes information derived from a directory service.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one user identifier further includes a username.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user involves comparing the email domain to a previously identified list of email domains previously associated with the organization.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with communication data within the group-based communication system.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with a meeting scheduled in a calendar system.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain comprises metadata associated with a plurality of messages, wherein each message of the plurality of messages is either posted to an organization channel or a direct message.

15. A system for adding new users to a shared channel in a group-based communication system, the system comprising:
a data store;
a processor; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform a method for adding the new users to the shared channel in the group-based communication system, comprising:
providing, to a first user of the group-based communication system, a first user interface component for receiving one or more requests to add one or more users to the shared channel, the one or more requests comprising a portion of at least one user identifier corresponding to the one or more users, the at least one user identifier includes an email domain;
based on organization and interaction metadata between the one or more users and one or more other users of the group-based communication system, automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to an organization corresponding to that of the first user, the organization and interaction metadata comprises one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user, providing a second user interface component for specifying whether the one or more users should be added to the shared channel; and
adding the one or more users to the shared channel as members of the shared channel.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the organization and interaction metadata includes information derived from a directory service.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one user identifier further includes a username.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as belonging to the organization corresponding to that of the first user involves comparing the email domain to a previously identified list of email domains previously associated with the organization.

19. The system

Assignees

• Salesforce Inc

Inventors

• Henkens Sarah
• Jamison Britton
• Sion Yoav

Classifications

• H04L67/1046 Primary

  Joining mechanisms · CPC title

• H04L67/1051

  Group master selection mechanisms · CPC title

• H04L67/1057

  involving pre-assessment of levels of reputation of peers · CPC title

• H04L67/1059

  Inter-group management mechanisms, e.g. splitting, merging or interconnection of groups · CPC title