IP Library Granted Patent US 11,271,891
Granted Patent B2
US 11,271,891 · App. 17/317,427 · Granted Mar 8, 2022

Methods and apparatuses for managing external approval provisioning and external messaging communication requests in a group-based communication system

Inventors: Britton Jamison (San Francisco, CA); Smruthi Venkatesh (Newark, CA); James Barnes (San Francisco, CA); Ryan Morris (Alameda, CA)
Assignee: Slack Technologies, LLC
H04L51/32H04L51/12H04L51/18H04L51/36H04L9/321H04L29/08621H04L63/102H04L63/104H04L65/1066
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,271,891
App. No.
17/317,427
Granted
Mar 8, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a group-based communication system that is configured to more efficiently manage resource sharing requests. In particular, in some embodiments, the group-based communication system is configured to enable admin users to use an external service, such as an external approval provisioning service, that is separate and distinct from the group-based communication system to manage group-based communication resource sharing requests. In other embodiments, the group-based communication system is configured to allow communication with external users and to trigger new user onboarding protocols through the ingestion of external user directories associated with a sponsor user.

Claims (61)

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method of transmitting a group-based communication system message to an external user, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a sending user interface, a recipient entry field for receiving a plurality of member identifiers associated with a group-based communication system and a plurality of non-member identifiers;

receiving, from a sending user and by the recipient entry field, the plurality of member identifiers and the plurality of non-member identifiers associated with message data of the group-based communication system message,

wherein each of the plurality of member identifiers is associated with one or more organizations in the group-based communication system,

wherein each of the plurality of non-member identifiers is not associated with the one or more organizations of the group-based communication system;

transmitting the message data to an external messaging resource address associated with each non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers for display by an external messaging resource; and

transmitting the message data to the plurality of members for display in a messaging interface in the group-based communication system.

2. The media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

suggesting one or more recipient identifiers based on a received portion of a recipient identifier in the recipient entry field;

receiving a selection of the recipient identifier from the suggested one or more recipient identifiers; and

sending the message data to a message recipient associated with the selected recipient identifier.

3. The media of claim 2 , wherein the suggested one or more recipient identifiers is based on a previously ingested user contacts list associated with the sending user.

4. The media of claim 3 , wherein the user contacts list comprises the plurality of member identifiers and at least one non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers.

5. The media of claim 4 ,

wherein the at least one non-member identifier is an email address, and

wherein the messaging interface is a group-based direct messaging interface.

6. The media of claim 1 , wherein the messaging data sent to the message recipient includes an invitation to join a group-based communication organization of the one or more organizations.

7. The media of claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises the step of generating a new member identifier associated with the non-member such that the non-member can access the group-based communication organization.

8. A method of transmitting a group-based communication system message to an external user, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a sending user interface, a recipient entry field for receiving a plurality of member identifiers associated with a group-based communication system and a plurality of non-member identifiers;

receiving, from a sending user and by the recipient entry field, the plurality of member identifiers and the plurality of non-member identifiers associated with message data of the group-based communication system message,

wherein each of the plurality of member identifiers is associated with one or more organizations in the group-based communication system,

wherein each of the plurality of non-member identifiers is not associated with the one or more organizations of the group-based communication system;

transmitting the message data to an external messaging resource address associated with each non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers for display by an external messaging resource; and

transmitting the message data to the plurality of members for display in a messaging interface in the group-based communication system.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:

suggesting one or more recipient identifiers based on a received portion of a recipient identifier in the recipient entry field;

receiving a selection of the recipient identifier from the suggested one or more recipient identifiers; and

sending the message data to a message recipient associated with the selected recipient identifier.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the suggested one or more recipient identifiers is based on a previously ingested user contacts list associated with the sending user.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the user contacts list comprises the plurality of member identifiers and at least one non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers.

12. The method of claim 11 ,

wherein the at least one non-member identifier is an email address, and

wherein the messaging interface is a group-based direct messaging interface.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the messaging data sent to the message recipient includes an invitation to join a group-based communication organization of the one or more organizations.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of generating a new member identifier associated with the non-member such that the non-member can access the group-based communication organization.

15. A system for transmitting a group-based communication system message to an external user, comprising:

a data store;

a sending user device;

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 transmitting the group-based communication system message to the external user, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, on the sending user interface, a recipient entry field for receiving to receive a plurality of member identifiers associated with a group-based communication system and a plurality of non-member identifiers;

receiving, from a sending user and by the recipient entry field, the plurality of member identifiers and the plurality of non-member identifiers associated with message data of the group-based communication system message,

wherein each of the plurality of member identifiers is associated with one or more organizations in the group-based communication system;

wherein each of the plurality of non-member identifiers is not associated with the one or more organizations of the group-based communication system;

transmitting the message data to an external messaging resource address associated with each non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers for display by an external messaging resource; and

transmitting the message data to the plurality of members for display in a messaging interface in the group-based communication system.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

suggesting one or more recipient identifiers based on a received portion of a recipient identifier in the recipient entry field;

receiving a selection of the recipient identifier from the suggested one or more recipient identifiers; and

sending the message data to a message recipient associated with the selected recipient identifier.

17. The system of claim 16 ,

wherein the suggested one or more recipient identifiers is based on a previously ingested user contacts list associated with the sending user and,

wherein the user contacts list comprises the plurality of member identifiers and at least one non-member identifier of the plurality of non-member identifiers.

18. The system of claim 17 ,

wherein the at least one non-member identifier is an email address, and

wherein the messaging interface is a group-based direct messaging interface.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the messaging data sent to the message recipient includes an invitation to join a group-based communication organization of the one or more organizations.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving, by an external approval provisioning service, approval for a non-member of the plurality of non-members to gain access to the group-based communication organization; and

generating a new member identifier associated with the non-member such that the non-member can access the group-based communication organization.

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 11, 2021
From: JAMISON, BRITTON; VENKATESH, SMRUTHI; BARNES, JAMES; MORRIS, RYAN
To: SLACK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 056204/0258 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16825527 · Mar 20, 2020
Continuation 16821514 · Mar 17, 2020
Related Publication 20210297419A1 · Sep 23, 2021