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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12219007-B2
Application number	US-202318523418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2023
Priority date	Aug 21, 2020
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

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. 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 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 being related to an organization corresponding to that of the first user based on organizational metadata identifying one or more domains previously associated with an organizational domain corresponding to the first user;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as being related 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 method of claim 1 , further comprising:
automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as being related to the organization based on interaction metadata, wherein the interaction metadata comprises one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain.

3. The method of claim 2 , 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.

4. The method of claim 2 , 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.

5. The method of claim 2 , 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.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organization metadata includes information derived from a directory service.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one user identifier further includes a username.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as being related 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.

9. An apparatus for adding new users to a shared channel in a group-based communication system, comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and
one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the apparatus to:
provide, 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 metadata between the one or more users and one or more other users of the group-based communication system, automatically classify the at least one user identifier as being related to an organization corresponding to that of the first user based on
organizational metadata identifying one or more domains previously associated with an organizational domain corresponding to the first user;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as being related to the organization corresponding to that of the first user, provide a second user interface component for specifying whether the one or more users should be added to the shared channel; and
add the one or more users to the shared channel as members of the shared channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the apparatus to:
automatically classify the at least one user identifier as being related to the organization based on interaction metadata, wherein the interaction metadata comprises one or more prior interactions between the one or more other users and the email domain.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , 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.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , 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.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , 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.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the organization metadata includes information derived from a directory service.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one user identifier further includes a username.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein automatically classifying the at least one user identifier as being related 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.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for adding new users to a shared channel in a group-based communication system, the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to:
provide, 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 metadata between the one or more users and one or more other users of the group-based communication system, automatically classify the at least one user identifier as being related to an organization corresponding to that of the first user based on organizational metadata identifying one or more domains previously associated with an organizational domain corresponding to the first user;
in response to classifying the at least one user identifier as being related to the organization corresponding to that of the first user, provide a second user interface component for specifying whether the one or more users should be added to the shared channel; and
add the one or more users to the shared channel as members of the shared channel.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to:
automatically classify the at least one

Assignees

• Salesforce Inc

Inventors

• Henkens Sarah
• Jamison Britton
• Sion Yoav

Classifications

• H04L67/1051

  Group master selection mechanisms · CPC title

• H04L67/1059

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

• H04L67/1057

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

• H04L67/1046 Primary

  Joining mechanisms · CPC title