IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,346,538
Granted Patent B2
US 12,346,538 · App. 18/186,479 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Configuring subscriptions for objects of third-party applications integrated into a communication platform

Inventors: Lorilyn McCue (Pacifica, CA); Kimberly Munoz (Oakland, CA); Zachariah Buechler (Portland, OR); Sai Pinapati (Foster City, CA); Michael Deng (San Francisco, CA); Albert Treat (Kirkland, WA); Ryan Mah (Santa Clara, CA); Saurabh Sahni (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Salesforce, Inc.
G06F3/0484G06F3/0481G06F3/0482G06F9/542G06F40/30G06N20/00H04L65/403H04L67/306
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,346,538
App. No.
18/186,479
Granted
Jul 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Configuring subscriptions for receiving notifications associated with objects of a group-based communication platform is described. A user interface element, which can correspond to an object, can be displayed in a user interface of the group-based communication platform. An indication of an interaction with the user interface element can be received and in response to receiving the indication of the interaction with the user interface element, a subscription user interface can be presented via the user interface, wherein the subscription user interface is associated with an option to subscribe to notifications associated with the object. In response to receiving a request to subscribe to notifications associated with the object, a subscription for notifications associated with the object can be generated and, in response to generating the subscription, a subscription user interface element can be presented via the user interface to indicate that the object is associated with a subscription.

Claims (61)

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by one or more servers of a group-based communication platform that facilitates communications between a plurality of users of the group-based communication platform, data indicating a plurality of third-party applications that are integrated within the group-based communication platform;

determining that a user of the plurality of users is subscribed to a third-party application of the plurality of third-party applications;

causing, based at least in part on the user being subscribed to the third-party application and without the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to a user computing device associated with the user, one or more notifications associated with the third-party application to be displayed via a user interface of the group-based communication platform that is presented via the user computing device; and

based at least in part on the third-party application not being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device:

providing, to the user, first access to a first subset of functionality of the third-party application; and

restricting, to the user, second access to a second subset of functionality of the third-party application, wherein the first subset of functionality is a partial provisioning of features of the third-party application that differs from the second subset of functionality selected from a full provisioning of the features of the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device;

wherein a frequency of notifications that are associated with the third-party application and that are provided to the user is based at least in part on the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device.

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

receiving, in association with the user, a request to install or download the third-party application to the user computing device or a different user computing device associated with the user; and

providing, to the user and based at least in part on the request, the second access to the second subset of functionality.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the communications between the plurality of users of the group-based communication platform occurs via communication channels authorized to be accessed by different sets of the plurality of users and that are presented via user computing devices associated with the plurality of users.

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

causing display of a user interface element via the user interface presented via the user computing device, wherein the user interface element corresponds to an object associated with the third-party application;

receiving, in association with the user, an indication of an interaction with the user interface element; and

generating a subscription between the user and the third-party application based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the subscription causes notifications associated with the third-party application to be presented via the user interface, and further comprising associating, based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element, the subscription with a user account of the user.

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

causing, based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element, display of a subscription user interface of the group-based communication platform via the user computing device; and

receiving, via the subscription user interface presented on the user computing device, authorization of the subscription.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more notifications to be displayed via the user interface occurs without the third-party application being downloaded to a virtual space in which the user is a member.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein determining that the user is subscribed to the third-party application comprises receiving, in association with the user, a request to subscribe to the third-party application via a subscription user interface of the group-based communication platform, wherein the subscription user interface includes input mechanisms to enable the user to designate a first option to subscribe to notifications associated with the third-party application and a second option to indicate a preference of the user regarding a type of the notifications, of multiple types of the notifications, to be received or excluded.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a type of the notifications that are to be provided to the user is based at least in part on the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

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

maintaining, by one or more servers of a group-based communication platform that facilitates communications between a plurality of users of the group-based communication platform, data indicating a plurality of third-party applications that are integrated within the group-based communication platform;

determining that a user of the plurality of users is subscribed to a third-party application of the plurality of third-party applications;

causing, based at least in part on the user being subscribed to the third-party application and without the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to a user computing device associated with the user, one or more notifications associated with the third-party application to be displayed via a user interface of the group-based communication platform that is presented via the user computing device; and

based at least in part on the third-party application not being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device:

providing, to the user, first access to a first subset of functionality of the third-party application; and

restricting, to the user, second access to a second subset of functionality of the third-party application, wherein the first subset of functionality is a partial provisioning of features of the third-party application that differs from the second subset of functionality selected from a full provisioning of the features of the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device;

wherein a frequency of notifications that are associated with the third-party application and that are provided to the user is based at least in part on the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, in association with the user, a request to install or download the third-party application to the user computing device or a different user computing device associated with the user; and

providing, to the user and based at least in part on the request, access to the second subset of functionality.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the communications between the plurality of users of the group-based communication platform occurs via communication channels authorized to be accessed by different sets of the plurality of users and that are presented via user computing devices associated with the plurality of users.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:

causing display of a user interface element via the user interface presented via the user computing device, wherein the user interface element corresponds to an object associated with the third-party application;

receiving, in association with the user, an indication of an interaction with the user interface element; and

generating a subscription between the user and the third-party application based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 , wherein the subscription causes notifications associated with the third-party application to be presented via the user interface, and further comprising associating, based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element, the subscription with a user account of the user.

15. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein a type of the notifications that are to be provided to the user is based at least in part on the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device.

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:

maintaining, by one or more servers of a group-based communication platform that facilitates communications between a plurality of users of the group-based communication platform, data indicating a plurality of third-party applications that are integrated within the group-based communication platform;

determining that a user of the plurality of users is subscribed to a third-party application of the plurality of third-party applications;

causing, based at least in part on the user being subscribed to the third-party application and without the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to a user computing device associated with the user, one or more notifications associated with the third-party application to be displayed via a user interface of the group-based communication platform that is presented via the user computing device; and

based at least in part on the third-party application not being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device:

providing, to the user, first access to a first subset of functionality of the third-party application; and

restricting, to the user, second access to a second subset of functionality of the third-party application, wherein the first subset of functionality is a partial provisioning of features of the third-party application that differs from the second subset of functionality selected from a full provisioning of the features of the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device;

wherein a frequency of notifications that are associated with the third-party application and that are provided to the user is based at least in part on the third-party application being installed on or downloaded to the user computing device.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:

causing display of a user interface element via the user interface presented via the user computing device, wherein the user interface element corresponds to an object associated with the third-party application;

receiving, in association with the user, an indication of an interaction with the user interface element; and

generating a subscription between the user and the third-party application based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:

causing, based at least in part on the indication of the interaction with the user interface element, display of a subscription user interface of the group-based communication platform via the user computing device; and

receiving, via the subscription user interface presented on the user computing device, authorization of the subscription.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein causing the one or more notifications to be displayed via the user interface occurs without the third-party application being downloaded to a virtual space in which the user is a member.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 16 , wherein determining that the user is subscribed to the third-party application comprises receiving, in association with the user, a request to subscribe to the third-party application via a subscription user interface of the group-based communication platform, wherein the subscription user interface includes input mechanisms to enable the user to designate a first option to subscribe to notifications associated with the third-party application and a second option to indicate a preference of the user regarding a type of the notifications, of multiple types of the notifications, to be received or excluded.

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 Mar 20, 2023
From: MCCUE, LORILYN; MUNOZ, KIMBERLY; BUECHLER, ZACHARIAH; TREAT, ALBERT; PINAPATI, SAI; DENG, MICHAEL; MAH, RYAN; SAHNI, SAURABH
To: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 063034/0952 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 20, 2023
From: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
Reel/Frame 063035/0060 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17163095 · Jan 29, 2021
Continuation 17163017 · Jan 29, 2021
Related Publication 20230229291A1 · Jul 20, 2023
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