IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,470,614
Granted Patent B2
US 12,470,614 · App. 18/414,454 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

Integrated workspace on a communication platform

Inventors: Michael Demmer (San Francisco, CA); Matthew Wahl (San Francisco, CA); Christopher Sullivan (Wellesley, MA); Ilan Frank (Los Altos, CA); Yian Lo (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Salesforce, Inc.
H04L65/4015H04L12/1818H04L12/1822H04L65/4038
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,470,614
App. No.
18/414,454
Granted
Nov 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Generating shared workspaces for enabling communications between users of different organizations and facilitating discovery of users associated with different organizations is described. A first user can generate a shared workspace and associate one or more other organizations therewith. The first user can designate first criteria associated with joining the shared workspace. The communication platform can receive a request from a second user to join the shared workspace. Based on a determination that the second user satisfies the first criteria, the communication platform can enable the second user access to the shared workspace. In some examples, an administrator associated with an organization of the second user can establish second criteria for users of the organization to join the shared workspace. In such examples, the communication platform can enable the second user access to the shared workspace based on a determination that the second user also satisfies the second criteria.

Claims (46)

1 . A method implemented at least in part by one or more computing devices of a communication platform, the method comprising:

determining a first organization having a first plurality of users that are members of the communication platform;

determining a second organization, different than the first organization, having a second plurality of users that are members of the communication platform;

receiving, from a client device associated with at least one of the first organization or the second organization, a request to generate a workspace within the communication platform;

generating the workspace based at least in part on the request, wherein the workspace comprises one or more virtual spaces that facilitate communications between a first group of users of the first plurality of users and a second group of users of the second plurality of users, wherein at least a portion of the one or more virtual spaces are restricted from view by other users or organizations that are unassociated with the workspace;

determining that at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfies first criteria for joining the workspace;

determining that at least one of the first group of users or the second group of users satisfies second criteria for joining the workspace; and

associating, based at least in part on the at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfying the first criteria and on the at least one of the first group of users or the second group of users satisfying the second criteria, the first organization and the second organization with the workspace such that the workspace is accessible, via the communication platform, to the first group of users and the second group of users.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the workspace is a shared workspace and generating the workspace comprises converting an existing non-shared workspace to the shared workspace, wherein the existing non-shared workspace is accessible to the first organization and is inaccessible to the second organization.

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the request is received from the client device of the first organization and the request identifies an organization identifier associated with the second organization.

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

joining, based at least in part on the at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfying the first criteria, the at least one of the first organization or the second organization to the workspace.

5 . The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein determining that the at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfies the first criteria comprises determining that one or more characteristics of at least one of one more first users of the first organization or one or more second users of the second organization satisfy the second criteria, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least one of a group or team affiliation, a project affiliation, a job position, a job title, or a qualification.

6 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein generating the workspace is based at least in part on determining that one or more first users of the first organization and one or more second users of the second organization are each members of at least one existing shared channel of the communication platform.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein generating the workspace is in response to receiving, from an administrator of the communication platform, approval to generate the workspace.

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising causing an indicator associated with the workspace to be presented in an interface associated with the first group of users and the second group of users.

9 . The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the indicator enables access to the one or more virtual spaces included within the workspace by the first group of users and the second group of users.

10 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the request identifies the one or more virtual spaces to associate with the workspace and wherein the one or more virtual spaces are one or more communication channels.

11 . A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a first organization having a first plurality of users that are members of a communication platform;

determining a second organization, different than the first organization, having a second plurality of users that are members of the communication platform;

receiving, from a client device associated with at least one of the first organization or the second organization, a request to generate a workspace within the communication platform;

generating the workspace based at least in part on the request, wherein the workspace comprises one or more virtual spaces that facilitate communications between a first group of users of the first plurality of users and a second group of users of the second plurality of users, wherein at least a portion of the one or more virtual spaces are restricted from view by other users or organizations that are unassociated with the workspace;

determining that the first organization and the second organization satisfies first criteria for joining the workspace;

determining that the first group of users and the second group of users satisfies second criteria for joining the workspace; and

associating, based at least in part on the first organization and the second organization satisfying the first criteria and on the first group of users and the second group of users satisfying the second criteria, the first organization and the second organization with the workspace such that the workspace is accessible, via the communication platform, to the first group of users and the second group of users.

12 . The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the workspace is a shared workspace and generating the workspace comprises converting an existing non-shared workspace to the shared workspace, wherein the existing non-shared workspace is accessible to the first organization and is inaccessible to the second organization.

13 . The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the request is received from the client device of the first organization and the request identifies an organization identifier associated with the second organization.

14 . The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:

joining, based at least in part on the at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfying the first criteria, the at least one of the first organization or the second organization to the workspace.

15 . The system as recited in claim 14 , wherein determining that the at least one of the first organization or the second organization satisfies the first criteria comprises determining that one or more characteristics of at least one of one more first users of the first organization or one or more second users of the second organization satisfy the second criteria, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least one of a group or team affiliation, a project affiliation, a job position, a job title, or a qualification.

16 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining a first organization having a first plurality of users that are members of the-a communication platform;

determining a second organization, different than the first organization, having a second plurality of users that are members of the communication platform;

receiving, from a client device associated with at least one of the first organization or the second organization, a request to generate a workspace within the communication platform;

generating the workspace based at least in part on the request, wherein the workspace comprises one or more virtual spaces that facilitate communications between a first group of users of the first plurality of users and a second group of users of the second plurality of users, wherein at least a portion of the one or more virtual spaces are restricted from view by other users or organizations that are unassociated with the workspace;

determining that the first organization and the second organization satisfies first criteria for joining the workspace;

determining that the first group of users and the second group of users satisfies second criteria for joining the workspace; and

associating, based at least in part on the first organization and the second organization satisfying the first criteria and on the first group of users and the second group of users satisfying the second criteria, the first organization and the second organization with the workspace such that the workspace is accessible, via the communication platform, to the first group of users and the second group of users.

17 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein generating the workspace is based at least in part on determining that one or more first users of the first organization and one or more second users of the second organization are each members of at least one existing shared channel of the communication platform.

18 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein generating the workspace is in response to receiving, from an administrator of the communication platform, approval to generate the workspace.

19 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise causing an indicator associated with the workspace to be presented in an interface associated with the first group of users and the second group of users, wherein the indicator enables access to the one or more virtual spaces included within the workspace by the first group of users and the second group of users.

20 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein the request identifies the one or more virtual spaces to associate with the workspace and wherein the one or more virtual spaces are one or more communication channels.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 4, 2026
From: SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
To: SALESFORCE, INC.
Reel/Frame 076118/0548 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2025
From: SULLIVAN, CHRISTOPHER; FRANK, ILAN; WAHL, MATTHEW; DEMMER, MICHAEL; LO, YIAN
To: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 072165/0414 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 4, 2025
From: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
To: SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
Reel/Frame 072165/0442 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17723286 · Apr 18, 2022
Continuation 17459235 · Aug 27, 2021
Related Publication 20240155010A1 · May 9, 2024
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