IP Library Granted Patent US 11,810,072
Granted Patent B2
US 11,810,072 · App. 17/306,260 · Granted Nov 7, 2023

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for authorizing and authenticating user communication within an enterprise group-based communication platform

Inventors: Ilan Frank (Los Altos Hills, CA); Daniel Stewart Butterfield (Aspen, CO); Callum Henderson-Begg (San Francisco, CA); April Underwood (San Anselmo, CA); Leah Jones (San Francisco, CA); Myles Grant (San Carlos, CA); Todd Wirth (Concord, CA); Eric Vierhaus (Oakland, CA); Samantha Stoller (San Francisco, CA); Gregory Pelly (Oakland, CA); Yongxing Deng (San Francisco, CA); Matthew Mullen (Mill Valley, CA)
Assignee: Slack Technologies, LLC
G06Q10/103H04L63/101H04L63/104H04W4/08H04W12/08H04W12/76
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,810,072
App. No.
17/306,260
Granted
Nov 7, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosure generally relates to an enterprise group-based communication system. Group-based communication channels may be created and access by client devices associated with users within the enterprise group-based communication system that have various identifiers associated therewith.

Claims (57)

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method of authorizing a user in a group-based communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a request, from a first user associated with a first organization, to create a group-based communication channel, wherein the request comprises channel settings,

wherein the group-based communication channel is a virtual communications environment configured to display messages;

in response to determining, based on a comparison of the channel settings and enterprise settings, that the group-based communication channel is authorized for creation, creating the group-based communication channel according to the channel settings,

wherein the enterprise settings are associated with the first organization and are configured to regulate the group-based communication channel;

receiving a channel access request from a second user associated with the group-based communication channel, wherein the second user is associated with a second organization that is distinct from the first organization; and

in response to determining that the second user is authorized to access the group-based communication channel based on the channel settings, enabling the second user to access the group-based communication channel.

2. The media of claim 1 ,

wherein the method further comprises determining a user identifier that is associated with the second user,

wherein the user identifier is indicative of a profile of the second user.

3. The media of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises determining that the user identifier is associated with a whitelisted domain.

4. The media of claim 3 ,

wherein the user identifier is at least one of an email address, a company identification number, a one-time authentication number; and

if the user identifier is the email address, the method further comprises sending a challenge to the email address with a verification number to verify the email address.

5. The media of claim 1 ,

wherein the channel settings comprise a channel type value indicative of access control parameters; and

wherein the method further comprises creating the group-based communication channel according to the access control parameters.

6. The media of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises automatically generating a list of users that can create group-based communication channels by matching user identifiers with one or more parameters of the enterprise settings.

7. The media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, in accordance with a determination that there is a conflict in the comparison of the channel settings and the enterprise settings, automatically modifying the channel settings to equal the enterprise settings to remedy the conflict and authorize the group-based communication channel for creation.

8. A method of authorizing a user in a group-based communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a request, from a first user associated with a first organization, to create a group-based communication channel, wherein the request comprises channel settings,

wherein the group-based communication channel is a virtual communications environment configured to display messages;

in response to determining, based on a comparison of the channel settings and enterprise settings, that the group-based communication channel is authorized for creation, creating the group-based communication channel according to the channel settings,

wherein the enterprise settings are associated with the first organization and are configured to regulate the group-based communication channel;

receiving a channel access request from a second user associated with the group-based communication channel, wherein the second user is associated with a second organization that is distinct from the first organization; and

in response to determining that the second user is authorized to access the group-based communication channel based on the channel settings, enabling the second user to access the group-based communication channel.

9. The method of claim 8 , further performing determining a user identifier that is associated with the second user, wherein the user identifier is indicative of a profile of the second user.

10. The method of claim 9 , further performing determining that the user identifier is associated with a whitelisted domain.

11. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein the user identifier is at least one of an email address, a company identification number, a one-time authentication number; and

if the user identifier is the email address, further performing sending a challenge to the email address with a verification number to verify the email address.

12. The method of claim 8 ,

wherein the channel settings comprise a channel type value indicative of access control parameters; and

further comprising creating the group-based communication channel according to the access control parameters.

13. The method of claim 12 , further performing automatically generating a list of users that can create group-based communication channels by matching user identifiers with one or more parameters of the enterprise settings.

14. The method of claim 8 , further performing, in accordance with a determination that there is a conflict in the comparison of the channel settings and the enterprise settings, automatically modifying the channel settings to equal the enterprise settings to remedy the conflict and authorize the group-based communication channel for creation.

15. A group-based communication system for authorizing a user to access the group-based communication system, comprising:

a data store;

at least one processor; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of authorizing the user in the group-based communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a request, from a first user associated with a first organization, to create a group-based communication channel, wherein the request comprises channel settings,

wherein the group-based communication channel is a virtual communications environment configured to display messages;

in response to determining, based on a comparison of the channel settings and enterprise settings, that the group-based communication channel is authorized for creation, creating the group-based communication channel according to the channel settings,

wherein the enterprise settings are associated with the first organization and are configured to regulate the group-based communication channel;

receiving a channel access request from a second user associated with the group-based communication channel, wherein the second user is associated with a second organization that is distinct from the first organization; and

in response to determining that the second user is authorized to access the group-based communication channel based on the channel settings, enabling the second user to access the group-based communication channel.

16. The group-based communication system of claim 15 ,

wherein the method further comprises determining a user identifier that is associated with the second user,

wherein the user identifier is indicative of a profile of the second user.

17. The group-based communication system of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises determining that the user identifier is associated with a whitelisted domain.

18. The group-based communication system of claim 17 ,

wherein the user identifier is at least one of an email address, a company identification number, a one-time authentication number; and

if the user identifier is the email address, the method further comprises sending a challenge to the email address with a verification number to verify the email address.

19. The group-based communication system of claim 15 ,

wherein the channel settings comprise a channel type value indicative of access control parameters; and

wherein the method further comprises creating the group-based communication channel according to the access control parameters.

20. The group-based communication system of claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises automatically generating a list of users that can create group-based communication channels by matching user identifiers with one or more parameters of the enterprise settings.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 18, 2023
From: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: SALESFORCE, INC.
Reel/Frame 064642/0564 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 29, 2021
From: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 057475/0404 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2021
From: FRANK, ILAN; BUTTERFIELD, DANIEL STEWART; HENDERSON-BEGG, CALLUM; UNDERWOOD, APRIL; JONES, LEAH; GRANT, MYLES; WIRTH, TODD; VIERHAUS, ERIC; STOLLER, SAMANTHA; PELLY, GREGORY; DENG, YONGXING; MULLEN, MATTHEW
To: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 056116/0530 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15782680 · Oct 12, 2017
Provisional Application 62554952 · Sep 6, 2017
Provisional Application 62408670 · Oct 14, 2016
Related Publication 20210264368A1 · Aug 26, 2021