KR102561557B1 - Method, apparatus, and computer program product for creating externally shared communication channels - Google Patents

Abstract

Computing systems, apparatuses, computer-implemented methods, and computer program products for creating a shared communication channel in a group-based communication platform with a plurality of database shards are disclosed. An example computer implemented method includes a shared communication channel identification, a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. Creating channel shards. The method further includes generating first and second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interfaces, respectively, based on the first and second sets of shared communication channel attributes. The method further includes transmitting the first and second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interfaces to a first client device associated with a first group identification and a second client device associated with a second group identification, respectively. do.

Description

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for creating externally shared communication channels

This application claims "METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING EXTERNALLY SHARED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS" and filed on June 12, 2019, US Patent Application Serial No. 16/438,957, and "METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING EXTERNALLY SHARED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. /206,578, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/816,925, entitled “METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING EXTERNALLY SHARED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS,” filed on November 17, 2017, which This is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/655,634, entitled "METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING EXTERNALLY SHARED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS," filed on July 20, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. included as

Various systems are configured to create externally shared communication channels. Applicant has identified many deficiencies and problems associated with existing systems. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, many of these identified deficiencies and problems have been addressed by developing solutions in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, many examples of which are described in detail herein.

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, etc. for creating externally shared communication channels.

In one illustrative embodiment, a computing system for creating a shared communication channel in a group based communication platform is provided. A group-based communication platform may include a plurality of database shards. The computing system can include communication circuitry configured to receive, from a first client device associated with an initiator group identification, a create shared communication channel query associated with an initiator group identification and a target group identification. The communication circuitry may be further configured to transmit a shared communication channel accept request to the second client device associated with the target group identification. The communication circuitry may be further configured to receive notification of acceptance of the shared communication channel. The communication circuitry may be further configured to transmit, to the first client device, a group-based shared communication channel interface shared first outside of the shared communication channel. The communication circuitry may be further configured to transmit, to the second client device, a group based shared communication channel interface shared second outside of the shared communication channel. The computing system may further include database circuitry in communication with the communication circuitry. The database circuitry may be configured to receive a shared communication channel creation query from the communication circuitry. The database circuitry may be further configured to create shared communication channel shards. A plurality of database shards may include a shared communication channel shard. A shared communication channel shard may be assigned a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a shared communication channel identification, an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. The database circuitry may be further configured to generate a shared communication channel accept request. A shared communication channel acceptance request may be associated with a shared communication channel identification. The database circuitry may be further configured to transmit a shared communication channel accept request to the communication circuitry for transmission to a second client device associated with the target group identification. The database circuitry may be further configured to receive a shared communication channel acceptance notification from the communication circuitry. The shared communication channel acceptance notification may include an electronic authorization to associate the shared communication channel identification with the target group identification. The computing system may further include communication circuitry, database circuitry, and lookup table generation circuitry in communication with the main database. The main database may include a shard lookup table. The lookup table creation circuitry is configured to update the shard lookup table based on the initiator group identification, the target group identification, the shared communication channel identification, the first set of shared communication channel attributes, and the second set of shared communication channel attributes. It can be. The computing system may further include interface generation circuitry in communication with the communication circuitry, the database circuitry, and the lookup table generation circuitry. The interface generation circuitry is configured to generate a group-based shared communication channel interface shared first outside of the shared communication channel based on the shared communication channel shard and the first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the initiator group identification. It can be. The interface generation circuitry may be configured to generate a group-based shared communication channel interface shared second outside of the shared communication channel based on the shared communication channel shard and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the target group identification. can The interface generation circuitry may be configured to transmit the shared group-based shared communication channel interface on the first outside of the shared communication channel, with the communication circuitry for transmission to the first client device. The interface generation circuitry may be further configured to transmit the shared group-based shared communication channel interface second outside of the shared communication channel, with the communication circuitry for transmission to the second client device.

In another exemplary embodiment, a computer implemented method for creating a shared communication channel in a group based communication platform is provided. A group-based communication platform may include a plurality of database shards. The computer implemented method may include receiving, by communication circuitry from a first client device associated with the initiator group identification, a shared communication channel creation query associated with an initiator group identification and a target group identification. The computer-implemented method may further include creating a communication channel shard that is shared by the database circuitry in communication with the communication circuitry. A plurality of database shards may include a shared communication channel shard. A shared communication channel shard may be assigned a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a shared communication channel identification, an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. The computer implemented method may further include generating, by the database circuitry, a request to accept the shared communication channel. A shared communication channel acceptance request may be associated with a shared communication channel identification. The computer implemented method may further include sending, by the communication circuitry to the second client device associated with the target group identification, a request to accept the shared communication channel. The computer implemented method may further include receiving, by the communication circuitry, a notification of acceptance of the shared communication channel. The shared communication channel acceptance notification may include an electronic authorization to associate the shared communication channel identification with the target group identification. A computer implemented method comprising, by means of communication circuitry, database circuitry, and lookup table generating circuitry in communication with the main database, an initiator group identification, a target group identification, a shared communication channel identification, a first set of shared communication channel attributes, and It may further include updating the shard lookup table based on the second set of shared communication channel attributes. The main database may include a shard lookup table. A computer implemented method comprising interface generation circuitry in communication with communication circuitry, database circuitry, and lookup table generation circuitry based on a shared communication channel shard and a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with an initiator group identification. The method may further include generating a group-based shared communication channel interface shared outside the first outside of the communication channel to be shared. A computer-implemented method comprising a group-based shared communication shared, by interface generating circuitry, a second outside of a shared communication channel based on a shared communication channel shard and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. It may further include creating a channel interface. The computer-implemented method may further include transmitting, by the communications circuitry to the first client device, a shared group-based shared communications channel interface first outside of the shared communications channel. The computer-implemented method may further include transmitting, by the communications circuitry to the second client device, a shared group-based shared communications channel interface second outside of the shared communications channel.

In another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product for creating a shared communication channel in a group based communication platform is provided. A group-based communication platform may include a plurality of database shards. The computer program product may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable program code instructions, which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to initiate Receive, by communication circuitry from a first client device associated with a child group identification, a shared communication channel creation query associated with a target group identification and an initiator group identification. The computer executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, may further cause the computing system to create a communication channel shard that is shared by the database circuitry in communication with the communication circuitry. A plurality of database shards may include a shared communication channel shard. A shared communication channel shard may be assigned a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a shared communication channel identification, an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. The computer executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, may further cause the computing system to generate, by the database circuitry, a shared communication channel accept request. A shared communication channel acceptance request is associated with a shared communication channel identification. The computer executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, may further cause the computing system to transmit a shared communication channel accept request by the communication circuitry to the first client device associated with the target group identification. there is. The computer executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, may further cause the computing system to receive, by the communications circuitry, a notification of acceptance of the shared communications channel. The shared communication channel acceptance notification may include an electronic authorization to associate the shared communication channel identification with the target group identification. The computer executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to: , update the shard lookup table based on the shared communication channel identification, the first set of shared communication channel attributes, and the second set of shared communication channel attributes. The main database may include a shard lookup table. The computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to, by interface generating circuitry in communication with the communication circuitry, the database circuitry, and the lookup table generating circuitry, share the associated initiator group identification. and create a group-based shared communication channel interface shared at a first outside of the shared communication channel based on the shared communication channel shard and the first set of communication channel attributes being defined. The computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to, by the interface generation circuitry, access the second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the target group identification and the shared communication channel shard. Based on the second outside of the shared communication channel, it is possible to create a group-based shared communication channel interface. The computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to communicate group-based shared communication shared first outside of the shared communication channel by the communication circuitry to the first client device. channel can be transmitted. The computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to: group-based shared communication shared second outside of the shared communication channel by the communication circuitry to the second client device. channel can be transmitted.

The foregoing summary is provided only for purposes of summarizing some exemplary embodiments illustrating some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the present disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments beyond those outlined herein, some of which will be described further below.

While some exemplary embodiments have been thus described in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and illustrate exemplary embodiments and features of the present disclosure. Components illustrated in the drawings represent components that may or may not be present in various embodiments or features of the disclosure described herein. Accordingly, some embodiments or features of the present disclosure may include fewer or more components than those shown in the drawings without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
1 illustrates an example system architecture diagram of a group-based communication platform in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 illustrates an exemplary schematic diagram of a message server according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 illustrates an example schematic diagram of a network application server according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 illustrates an example flow diagram illustrating an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
5 illustrates an example flow diagram illustrating an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 illustrates an example flow diagram illustrating an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
7 illustrates an example flow diagram illustrating an example method according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.
8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D illustrate various elements of example user interfaces in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are now more fully described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that, as such, this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The term “or” may be used herein in both alternative and conjunctional senses, unless otherwise indicated. The terms "illustrative, and example" are used to refer to examples that do not have an indication of quality level. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

generalization

Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the creation of externally shared communication channels in a group based communication platform. The group-based communication platform is configured to communicate with a plurality of client devices and to operate a plurality of databases. Each of the client devices may be associated with a group identification, which may indicate the group or organization with which the client device is associated. For example, a particular organization may have a plurality of client devices connected to a group-based communication platform, and the group-based communication platform identifies each client device as associated with that particular organization.

The group-based communication platform also includes a plurality of database shards, each database shard storing data related to a plurality of group identities. For example, a database shard may store electronic communication data associated with members of a particular organization, enabling members of that particular organization to communicate and exchange data with other members of the same organization in real time. In this example, the organization itself is the owner of the database shards and has control over where and how related data is stored. This simplifies many technical tasks such as data retention, unfurling, and integration settings.

However, existing systems and approaches suffer from many technical constraints and limitations as they do not provide support for data exchange and communication between different organizations, since each database is a single organization. because it can only be owned by For example, when user Tony from organization X intends to share data (stored in organization X's database shard) with another user Frank from organization Y, Tony can send the data through other means of communication. would have to be exchanged, which can cause communication delays and inefficiencies. Because data can be time-sensitive and dynamic in nature, the technical limitations of existing systems can compromise data integrity and drastically reduce network resources.

Moreover, existing systems are not configured to manage user identities in externally shared communication channels. For example, Tony could be a member of both Organization X and Organization Z. Tony may have an identity associated with communication channels in organization X ("Tony-X"), and another identity associated with communication channels in organization Z ("Tony-Z"). In an externally shared communication channel connecting Organization X and Organization Z, existing systems cannot reconcile “Tony-X” and “Tony-Z”, and “Tony-X” and “Tony-Z” are two They may erroneously determine that they are different individuals. Existing systems may determine Tony as a member in Organization X, but as a guest or individual in Organization Z, which may create conflicts in data management.

Systems structured according to various embodiments of the present disclosure overcome challenges faced by existing systems.

Continuing from the “Tony vs. Frank” discussion above, Tony in a group-based communication platform (eg, a cloud-based group collaboration tool provided by SLACK®) structured according to various embodiments of the disclosure is an externally shared It is possible to exchange data with Frank in real time through the communication channel. In other words, members of Organization X and Organization Y view content and transmit data in an externally shared communication channel, in some cases as if they belong to the same organization, and in other cases as if they belong to different organizations. sharing (eg, “one-sided viewing” as described below). Network applications and other software integrations continue to operate on an externally shared communication channel, and each organization maintains its own preferences that apply to its respective channel experience.

Continuing from the “Tony-X/Tony-Z” discussion above, in a group-based communication platform structured according to various embodiments of the disclosure, Tony recognizes Tony as a member of both Organization X and Organization Y. assigned an identity. In other words, the cloud-based group collaboration tool provided by SLACK® can create a combination of identities that can identify individuals as members of distinct teams.

From a user experience perspective, systems structured according to various embodiments of the disclosure greatly enhance organizational productivity and efficiency. They also reduce the need for other forms of communication (such as e-mail) and provide better collaboration between different organizations while eliminating channel disconnects between teams. Moreover, they are configured to provide asymmetric and customizable privacy settings, where an externally shared communication channel between two teams can have one privacy configuration for one team and a different configuration for the other team. . Additionally, externally shared communication channels can create cross-network effects that increase user retention rates from different organizations or different groups.

From a developer's point of view, systems structured according to various embodiments of the disclosure provide flexibility in retention settings while providing appropriate visibility (e.g., based on shared communication channel attributes, viewing privilege settings, or both) of data. and provides support for searches. They also enable selective access of channels as well as teams on a channel-by-channel basis.

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform provides shared communication channel attributes (eg, name, purpose, subject), shared communication channel controls (eg, access controls, viewing privilege settings), and externally shared It can provide a “one-way view” with shared communication channel interfaces that are configurable to be different on each side of the communication channel being used. For example, shared communication channel attributes, controls, and interfaces on each side of an externally shared communication channel may be configurable (eg, automatically and without user interaction) by a user, administrator, or system. there is. For example, even if the system maintains sharding for an externally shared communication channel, the attributes, controls, and interfaces of the externally shared communication channel are determined in the first instance that the externally shared communication channel needs to be public. An organization (e.g., an agency with many people flowing in and out of an externally shared communication channel) creates an externally shared communication channel with a second organization that needs to be private (e.g., creates a personal document). It can be different on each side so that it can be shared with the company). In some cases, architecturally these attributes and controls may be contained in a single table, but may be partitioned into attributes by organization or team. Such "one-way view" provided by a group-based communication platform allows messages, attachments, and content communicated over an externally shared communication channel to be "public" to members of a first organization, and 2 Allows the organization to be “personal” to its members. In an illustrative example, the system can provide equal control over attributes around a name so that organizations with different workflows can utilize different names for an externally shared communication channel. For example, communication channels that are shared externally may have different names that are actively being used by members of each organization.

In one illustrative example, the organization X end of the externally shared communication channel may have a different interface and different properties and controls than the organization Y side of the externally shared communication channel. In another illustrative example, the group-based communication platform broadcasts (eg, in real time by a message server) a public message to members of both organizations X and Y over an externally shared communication channel by a member of organization X. provide what to do The group-based communication platform further provides for members of organization Y to send private messages to members of organization Y but not to members of organization X over an externally shared communication channel. A group-based communication platform stores public and private messages in a main database (e.g., by a network application server), and allows members of either organization X or organization Y to search for and access public messages, while It further provides that only members of organization Y (eg, by the network application server) can browse and access private messages. For example, a group-based communication platform may: index public messages sent by members of organization X or organization Y into a shared index accessible to members of organization X and members of organization Y; index private messages sent by members of organization X with a first distinct index that is accessible to members of organization X but not accessible to members of organization Y; Private messages sent by members of organization Y may be indexed with a second distinct index that is accessible to members of organization Y but not accessible to members of organization X.

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform may store the attributes and controls of the communication channel that are shared externally architecturally in a single table, but may partition the stored attributes and controls into attributes and controls according to the organization. can For example, a group-based communication platform may store privacy or publicity of a channel as an attribute in a channel row of a relation table stored in a database. For shared communication channels, the group-based communication platform may create a separate association table according to the organization. The group-based communication platform provides all static information about the shared communication channel (eg facts that cannot be changed or configured by the user), such as when the shared communication channel was created, when the shared communication channel was last updated , who created the shared communication channel, etc. can be stored in the channel row. In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform provides a distinct association to the shared communication channel that includes properties and controls configurable on a per-organizational basis (eg, per each of two or more organizations within the shared communication channel). table can be created. For example, a group-based communication platform may have two or more rows (e.g., one for each of two or more organizations in a shared communication channel) containing data representing those attributes and controls that are serialized down to the clients. It is possible to create an association table having a row of). The group-based communication platform can create different user interfaces for the shared communication channel based on attributes and controls for each organization in the shared communication channel. In some cases, one organization in the shared communication channel will not know whether another organization has different settings, properties, or controls in the shared communication channel.

In some embodiments, continuing from the “Tony v. Frank” discussion discussed above, the organization X end of the externally shared communication channel has a different interface and different properties and controls than the organization Y side of the externally shared communication channel. can have In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform allows a member of organization X (eg, Tony) to send a public message to members of both organization X and organization Y over an externally shared communication channel (eg, by a message server). in real time). The group-based communication platform further provides for a member of organization Y (eg, Frank) to send private messages to members of organization Y but not to members of organization X over an externally shared communication channel. A group-based communication platform stores public and private messages in a main database (e.g., by a network application server), and allows members of either organization X or organization Y to search for and access public messages, while It further provides that only members of organization Y (eg, by the network application server) can browse and access private messages. For example, a group-based communication platform may allow Tony and Frank to browse and access public messages, but allow Frank, but not Tony, to browse and access private messages.

In some embodiments, when Organization Y configures the shared communication channel to be private, and Frank changes the subject of the shared communication channel, the real-time messaging server disclosed herein (e.g., message server 107) , device 200 may be configured to broadcast the change as a message on a shared communication channel (eg, a private general message) only to organization Y and not to organization X. In addition, the network application server (eg, network application server 109, device 300) disclosed herein stores search access to changes as a history (eg, privately stored messages) in a shared communication channel, and It may be configured to serve only to Organization Y, but not to Organization X. As a result, only one side, organization Y, will be able to see the information.

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform provides non-transitory “ephemeral” messages (eg, personal general messages and personally stored messages viewable and navigable only by client devices associated with a correct group identification). to provide. A group-based communication platform provides mechanisms for enabling message servers, network application servers, and any other suitable components to receive, transmit, store, and retrieve data with the following rites: (i) visible only to specific members; messages that can be sent (e.g., if a member performs an action that results in an error, the group-based communication platform can send a message directly to that member and only to that member); (ii) short-lived messages that are configured to be present (eg, to be transmitted, to be seen, to be stored, to be searched for, to be retrieved) only on one side of a shared communication channel; and (iii) messages broadcast to all members of the shared communication channel.

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform determines whether to retrieve messages on one side, on the other side, or on both sides of a communication channel for which storage (eg, a network application server) is shared. Annotating the messages to allow the creation of the aforementioned non-transitory "short-lived" messages is provided. A group-based communication platform analyzes annotations electronically (and without user input) by a message server and, based on the annotations, decides whether to broadcast messages to one side or the other side of a shared communication channel. , or to determine whether to broadcast to both sides. Accordingly, the group-based communication platform provides a real-time view of messages (eg, by a real-time messaging server) as well as a historical and search-based view (eg, by a network application server) of messages. For example, a member of one side of a shared communication channel may receive short-lived messages viewable only on that side of the shared communication channel in real time from a real-time messaging server. Subsequently, the member can refresh the member's user interface. The member may then receive a short time message from the network application server (eg, the short time is now coming from the main database via the network application server and not from the real time messaging server).

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform provides a sharded database comprising database shards. In some embodiments, a group-based communication platform may shard over teams. For example, a group-based communication platform may: send one organization's data to a first database shard; other organizations' data in the second database shard; In addition, a shared communication channel may be stored in the third database shard. In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform may provide access control using a permissive hopping technique.

In some embodiments, a group-based communication platform may shard over a channel. For example, the access control may be tailored to which organizations have access to a particular channel within a shard containing multiple different channels associated with multiple different organizations. In one illustrative example, a shard containing channels A, B, C, D, E, and F may be shared by organizations X, Y, and Z. Channels A and B within a shard may be associated with organization X, where channel A is accessible only by organization X and channel B is accessible by organizations X, Y, and Z. Channel C within the shard may be associated with organization Y and may be accessible by organizations Y and Z. Channels D, E, and F within a shard may be associated with organization Z, where channel D is accessible only by organization Z, channel E is accessible only by organizations Z and X, and channel F is accessible only by organizations Z and X. Accessible only by Z and Y.

As such, systems structured according to various embodiments of the disclosure provide specific technical solutions to technical problems faced by existing systems, the details of which are described below.

definitions

As used herein, the terms "data", "content", "information", and similar terms are used interchangeably to refer to data that may be transmitted, received, and/or stored according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It can be used to refer to possible. Accordingly, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this disclosure. Also, where a computing device is described herein as receiving data from another computing device, the data may be received directly from the other computing device, or, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, base stations. It will be appreciated that may be received indirectly through one or more intermediary computing devices, such as a host, etc. Similarly, where a computing device is described herein as transmitting data to another computing device, the data may be directly transmitted to the other computing device, or may be transmitted, for example, to one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, It will be appreciated that it may be transmitted indirectly through one or more intermediate computing devices such as a base station, host, or the like.

The term "user" should be understood to refer to an individual, group of individuals, business, organization, or the like. Users may use client devices to access a group based communication or messaging system. “Group-based” is used herein to refer to a system, channel, message, or virtual environment that has sufficient security to be accessible only by a defined group of users. A group may be defined by common access credentials, such as those of an organization or commercial enterprise. Access may further be enabled by a verified request to join or an invitation to join sent by one group member user to another non-member user. Group identifiers (defined below) are used to associate data, information, messages, etc. with specific groups.

The terms "user profile", "user account", and "user account details" include, for example, a user identifier, one or more group-based communication channel identifiers associated with the group-based communication channels to which the user has been granted access. , one or more group identifiers for groups with which the user is associated, an indication of whether the user is the owner of any group-based communication channels, an indication of whether the user has any group-based communication channel restrictions, a plurality of messages, multiple emojis, multiple conversations, multiple conversation topics, avatar, email address, real name (eg John Doe), username (eg jdoe), password, real name, time zone, status, etc. refers to User account details may include, for example, specifying a subset of user credentials, such as login information for the user including the user's username and password.

The term “client device” refers to computer hardware(s) and/or software(s) configured to access one or more services made available by one or more servers. The server(s) are often (but not always) on other computer systems, in which case client devices access the service by way of a network. A client device may be associated with a group identification, where the group identification is an electronic indication suggesting a group to which the user belongs (eg, a user group). Client devices may include, without limitation, smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wearable devices, personal computers, business computers, and the like.

The term “group-based communication platform” refers to a collection of computing devices accessible to one or more client devices and operable to provide access to a plurality of software applications related to the operations of databases. In some examples, the group-based communication platform may include one or more centralized servers having access to one or more databases that store digital content items, application-related data, etc., arranged in communication with one or more servers running software applications. can take the form of A group-based communication platform may also support client retention settings and other compliance aspects. Additionally, the group-based communication platform grants appropriate access to data (e.g., based on shared communication channel attributes, viewing privilege settings, or both) and enables third parties to build applications and bots. and provide comprehensive third-party developer support to enable integration with customers' workflows.

The term "communication channel" refers to an information route and associated circuitry used for data exchange between and between systems and parts of systems. For example, a communication channel can be established between and between various client devices, enabling these client devices to communicate and share data with each other and between them. A communication channel identification may be assigned to a communication channel, which indicates a physical address in a database where data related to that communication channel is stored. A communication channel can be “public,” which allows any client device to join and participate in the information it shares over the communication channel. A communication channel may be “private,” which may limit data communication on the communication channel to certain client devices and/or users.

The term "group-based communication channel interface" refers to a virtual communication configured to display messaging communications posted by channel members (eg, authenticated users accessing the environment using client devices) that are visible only to members of the group. Refers to the environment or feed. The format and properties of the group-based communication channel may appear differently to different members of the group-based communication channel; Content of a group-based communication channel (ie, messaging communication) may be displayed to each member of the group-based communication channel. For example, to allow for public viewing as discussed herein, a common set of group-based messaging communications will be displayed to each member of their respective group-based communication channel, and thus the group-based communication channel (i.e., messaging communication) will not change depending on the membership of the group-based communication channel. In some cases, a separate set of group-based messaging communications will be displayed to each member of an organization in a group-based communication channel, to allow one-way viewing as discussed herein, but in a group-based communication channel. will not be displayed to any member of any other organization in

As used herein, the terms “messaging communication” and “message” refer to any electronically generated digital content object provided by a user using a client device and configured for display within a group based communication channel. refers to The message communication may include any text, image, video, audio, or combination thereof provided by the user (using the client device). For example, a user may provide a messaging communication that includes images and video as well as text within the messaging communication as message contents. In such cases, text, images, and video will include messaging communications or digital content objects. Each message sent or posted to a group-based communication channel of a group-based communication system includes metadata including: originating user identifier, message identifier, message contents, group identifier, and group-based communication channel identifier. Each of the aforementioned identifiers may include ASCII text, pointers, memory addresses, and the like.

The term “general message” refers to a message configured to be amplified by message amplification circuitry over a shared communication channel for either one-way viewing or public viewing. For example, a general message associated with setting personal viewing privileges for a first group identification is amplified by a message amplifier circuit to all client devices in a shared communication channel associated with the first group identification, where the general message is is not transmitted by the message amplifier circuitry to any client device on shared communication channels associated with a second group identification different from the first group identification. In another example, a generic message associated with setting public viewing privileges may be amplified by the message amplifier circuitry to all client devices in a shared amplification channel.

The term "stored message" refers to a message stored in a database shard. For example, the stored message may include message identifier, group identifier, group-based communication channel identifier, originating user identifier, subjects, responses, message contents, attachments, message layer data, third party metadata, conversation primitive data, data such as privileged view settings, any other suitable data, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, a store message may be stored in a database shard in association with a set of viewing privilege settings.

The term “distinct index” refers to client devices associated with a particular group identification (e.g., with a distinct index associated with a group and/or company that is not shared with other groups and/or companies) individually indexed for their Indicates the index of private messages accessible only to .

The term “shared index” refers to an index of public messages that are indexed together (eg, to a shared index associated with a group and/or company that is shared with other groups and/or companies).

The terms “group-based communication channel identifier” or “channel identifier” refer to one or more items of data by which a group-based communication channel can be identified. For example, the group-based communication channel identifier may include ASCII text, pointers, memory addresses, and the like.

The terms “group identifier” or “team identifier” refer to one or more items of data by which a group-based communication system can be identified. For example, group identifiers may include ASCII text, pointers, memory addresses, and the like.

A “originating user identifier” is associated with a set of messages transmitted by a particular user (ie, a client device associated with a particular user). These messages may be analyzed to determine context about the user (e.g., a user's expertise or interest in a subject may be determined based on the frequency of mention of topics or keywords associated with the subject within such messages). .

Group-based communication system users are organized into organizational groups (e.g., each company's employees may be a separate organizational group), each organizational group being assigned one or more groups to which users may be assigned or to which users may join. may have based communication channels (described below) (e.g., group based communication channels may represent departments, geographic locations such as offices, product lines, user interests, topics, issues, etc. ). Group identifiers can be used to facilitate access controls for messages (e.g., having a message return as part of a search result in response to a search query). Access to messages may use a group identifier associated with their user profile. may be limited to those users with The group identifier may be used to determine context for the message (eg, a description of the group, such as the name of the organization and/or a brief description of the organization, may be associated with the group identifier).

Group-based communication system users can join group-based communication channels. Some group-based communication channels may be globally accessible to users who have an organizational group identifier associated with those users' user profiles (ie, users who are members of an organization). Access to some group-based communication channels may be restricted to members of specified groups, whereby group-based communication channels are accessible to those users with a particular group identifier associated with their user profile. Group-based communication identifiers can be used to facilitate access control to messages (e.g., having a message returned as part of search results in response to a search query), and access to messages can be group-associated with their user profile. The group-based communication channel identifier may be used to determine the context for the message (eg, the group-based communication channel). A description of a group-based communication channel, such as a description of a project discussed in , may be associated with a group-based communication channel identifier).

The term “private group-based communication channel” refers to a group-based communication channel that has limited access such that it is generally accessible and/or discoverable by other members of the group-based communication system. For example, only those users or administrators who have knowledge of and permission to access the personal group-based communication channel may view the contents of the personal group-based communication channel (e.g., group-based communication on the personal group-based communication channel). The channel identifier is associated with their user profile after the user is authenticated/authenticated).

The term "query" refers to a request associated with a database. A “query” can be created on one or more client devices and sent to the group based communication platform. The query may be a "selection query", which is used to extract data from the database in a readable format according to the query. A query may be an "action query", which requests actions (such as insert, delete, and/or update) on data stored in the network database. For example, “communication channel creation query” is an action query requesting creation of a communication channel.

The term “shard” refers to a collection of related discrete items of data that can be individually accessed and managed. A shard can be stored in a single database or, optionally, can be distributed across multiple databases. This is especially beneficial when there is a large amount of data. The cost of creating and maintaining a very large database in one place can increase exponentially because in some cases the database may require or be implemented using more high-end computers. am. In contrast, database shards can be distributed across many much less expensive commodity databases. “Sharding” refers to partitioning large databases to make them more manageable. Since sharding a database involves breaking the database into smaller databases that share nothing in common, it creates technical difficulties in creating a communication channel involving two or more database shards. A database may be "sharded" based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, channel identifications, user identifications, team identifications, or any attribute of data within the database structure. To determine which factor(s) to use, the system may consider data separation, proximity of data (for purposes of lookup), and performance/speed of access across the distributed system. The system may need to consider both the amount of data and the speed at which the system is required or designed to retrieve such data in some cases.

The term “reference table” refers to a set of reference connections between and between various data items. A lookup table may be in tabular form, which may contain "rows" and "columns". Each row can represent a reference connection, and each column can represent a data item. A data item may be a group identification, channel identification, physical address in a network database, setting viewing privileges, and the like. A reference connection may indicate relationships and/or constraints between and between various data items. For example, the shard lookup table may identify the physical address of a communication channel shard in a network database based on the identification of that communication channel. The shard reference table contains parameters such as database shard parameters, message server shard parameters, redis shard parameters, solr shard parameters, team metadata (e.g. data creation, data retention, data deletion), admin user data, domain, email domain, Preferences, invites, credits, payment tier, and data indicating whether or not the team is an enterprise.

The term “event” refers to an identifiable non-transient occurrence of technical significance to system hardware and/or software. An event may represent some message, token, count, pattern, value, or marker that can be recognized by a computer system. An application can be triggered to perform certain functions based on an event. For example, in a group-based communication channel, a message sent by a user is an event to applications that utilize an event application programming interface (API). Events can be user-generated, such as keystrokes or mouse movements, or system-generated, such as program loading and errors.

The term “shared communication channel properties” refers to one or more properties of a shared communication channel. For example, a set of shared communication channel attributes may include one or more shared communication channel names, icons (eg, pound signs, lock symbols), controls (eg, access controls), settings (eg, privileged view settings), any other suitable attribute, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, a shared communication channel shard is associated with a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a first group identification (eg, initiator group identification) and a second group identification (eg, target group identification). may be assigned a second set of shared communication channel attributes, where the first set of shared communication channel attributes and the second set of shared communication channel attributes are different. For example, a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a first group identification may include a first shared communication channel name, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a second group identification may include a first shared communication channel name. 1 may include a second shared communication channel name different from the shared communication channel name.

The term “viewing privilege settings” refers to viewing privilege settings of some content (eg, allowing client devices to view the content). For example, the viewing privilege setting may be a private viewing privilege setting (eg, specific to one or more group identities and hidden from public view), a public viewing privilege setting, any other suitable viewing privilege setting, or a combination thereof. (eg, the contents of a message may be associated with public viewing privilege settings, while attachments to a message may be associated with private viewing privilege settings). In some embodiments, the message may be associated with a set of viewing privilege settings. For example, the message may be a personal message associated with a personal viewing privilege setting, where the personal message is only to client devices associated with a particular group identification (eg, group identification associated with the client device sending the message) on a shared communication channel. It may be amplified (e.g., transmitted in real time), transmitted only to them, discoverable only by them, filterable only by them, visible only to them, or accessible only to them. In another example, the message may be a public message associated with setting public viewing privileges, where the public message may be amplified to, transmitted to, or discoverable by all client devices in a shared communication channel. may exist, may be filterable by them, may be visible to them, or may be accessible to them.

The term “one way view” and similar terms may only be amplified (e.g., transmitted in real time) to client devices associated with a particular group identification (or, in some cases, two or more group identifications) in a shared communication channel. ), data, information, messages associated with viewing private viewing privileges that may be transmitted only to them, may be searchable only by them, filterable only by them, visible only to them, or accessible only to them. , content, and attachments.

The term “set” refers to a collection of zero or more elements.

Exemplary System Architecture

The methods, apparatuses, and computer program products of the present disclosure may be implemented by any of a variety of devices. For example, the method, apparatus, and computer program product of an example embodiment may be implemented by a network device, such as a server or other network entity, configured to communicate with one or more devices, such as one or more client devices. In some embodiments, the computing device may include fixed computing devices such as a personal computer or computer workstation. In addition, example embodiments may be implemented on a variety of mobile devices, such as a portable digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combination of the foregoing devices. can be implemented by any of

1 illustrates an example computing system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may operate. Users may access the group-based communication platform 105 through the communication network 103 using client devices 101A-101N.

The communication network 103 includes, for example, a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network , WAN), etc., as well as any wired or wireless communications network including any hardware, software, and/or firmware (eg, network routers, etc.). For example, communication networks 103 may include cellular telephones, 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, and/or WiMax networks. Further, communication network 103 may include a public communication network, such as the Internet, a private communication network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, including but not limited to TCP/IP-based networking protocols, now available or later developed. A variety of networking protocols can be used. For example, the networking protocol can be customized to suit the needs of a group-based communication system. In some embodiments, the protocol is a custom protocol for JSON objects sent over a Websocket channel. In some embodiments, the protocol is JSON over RPC, JSON over REST/HTTP, etc.

The group based communication platform 105 may include a message server 107 and a network application server 109 . The network application server 109 may communicate with the main database 111 and one or more database shards 113A through 113N.

Message server 107 may be implemented as a computer or computers, such as one or more circuits, computers, or computing systems as described herein. Message server 107 may provide for receiving electronic data from various sources, including but not limited to client devices 101A-101N via communication network 103 . For example, message server 107 may be operable to receive and process electronic messages provided by client devices 101A-101N. Message server 107 may also facilitate transmission and amplification of electronic messages to client devices 101A-101N.

Similarly, network application server 109 may be implemented as one or more circuits, computers, or computing systems as described herein. Network application server 109 may provide for receiving electronic data from various sources, including but not limited to client devices 101A-101N via communication network 103 . For example, network application server 109 may be operable to receive and process electronic messages provided by client devices 101A-101N. The network application server 109 also connects the main database 111 and/or one or more database shards 113A-113N to the network provided by the client devices 101A-101N and/or the message server 107. It may be operable to receive and process database queries. The network application server 109 may further facilitate creation of user interfaces.

Client devices 101A-101N may be any computing device as defined above. Electronic data received by message server 107 and network application server 109 from client devices 101A-101N may be provided in various forms and via various methods.

In some embodiments, one or more of the client devices 101A-101N are mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. One or more client devices may run an “app” to interact with message server 107 and/or network application server 109 . Such apps are typically designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. For example, iOS® by Apple Inc., Android® by Google Inc., or Windows 10 Mobile® by Microsoft Inc. Apps that run on mobile device operating systems such as may be provided. These platforms typically provide frameworks that allow children to communicate with each other and with the specific hardware and software of mobile devices. For example, the mobile operating systems each named above provide location services circuitry, wired and wireless network interfaces, user contacts, and frameworks for interacting with other applications. Communicating with hardware and software modules running outside the app is typically provided through application programming interfaces (APIs) provided by the mobile device operating system.

In some embodiments, client devices 101A-101N may interact with message server 107 and/or network application server 109 via a web browser. Client devices 101A-101N may also include various hardware or firmware designed to interact with message server 107 and/or network application server 109 .

In some embodiments, database shards 113A-113N may be implemented as a data storage device, such as a network attached storage (NAS) device or devices, or as separate database server or servers. Database shards 113A through 113N contain information accessed and stored by network application server 109 . For example, database shards 113A-113N may include, without limitation, user profiles, user privilege information, electronic files, messaging communications organized among a plurality of group-based communication channels, and the like.

In some embodiments, main database shards 111 may be implemented as a data storage device, such as a network attached storage (NAS) device or devices, or as separate database server or servers. The main database 111 contains information accessed and stored by the network application server 109 . For example, the main database 111 may include a shard lookup table without limitation.

In some embodiments of the group-based communication platform 105, a message or messaging communication may be sent to the group-based communication platform 105 from the client devices 101A-101N. In various implementations, messages may be sent directly to the group-based communication platform 105 via the communication network 103 by one of the client devices 101A-101N. Messages may be transmitted to the group-based communication platform 105 through an intermediary such as a message server or the like. For example, the client devices 101A-101N may be desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. running a client application (eg, a group-based communication app). In one implementation, the message comprises a message identifier, an originating user identifier, a group identifier, a group-based communication channel identifier, shared communication channel attributes (eg, a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a first group identification, and a second group identifier). 2 A second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with group identification), message contents (eg text, emojis, images, links), attachments (eg files), message layer data (eg message may be a reply to another message), third party metadata, and the like. In one implementation, the client devices 101A-101N, as provided below, are substantially "HTTP(S)(Secure) Hypertext Transfer Protocol" containing "eXtensible Markup Language (XML)" format data. )" You can provide the following example personal message in the form of a POST message:

POST /authrequest.php HTTP/1.1

Host: www.server.com

Content Type: Application/XML

Content Length: 667

<?XML version = "1.0" encoding = "UTF-8"?>

<auth_request>

<timestamp>2020-12-31 23:59:59</timestamp>

<user_accounts_details>

<user_account_credentials>

<user_name>ID_user_1</user_name>

<password>abc123</password>

//OPTIONAL <cookie>cookieID</cookie>

//OPTIONAL <digital_cert_link>www.mydigitalcertificate.com/ JohnDoeDaDoeDoe@gmail.com/mycertifcate.dc</digital_cert_link>

//OPTIONAL <digital_certificate>_DATA_</digital_certificate>

</user_account_credentials>

</user_accounts_details>

<client_details> //iOS Client with App and Webkit

//to show example variants of client sources

//Several client detail sections are provided, but

//additional messages only to save space

// note that it will contain only one

<client_IP>10.0.0.123</client_IP>

<user_agent_string>Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11D201 Safari/9537.53</user_agent_string>

<client_product_type>iPhone6,1</client_product_type>

<client_serial_number>DNXXX1X1XXXX</client_serial_number>

<client_UDID>3XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXD</client_UDID>

<client_OS>iOS</client_OS>

<client_OS_version>7.1.1</client_OS_version>

<client_app_type>app with webkit</client_app_type>

<app_installed_flag>true</app_installed_flag>

<app_name>MSM.app</app_name>

<app_version>1.0 </app_version>

<app_webkit_name>Mobile Safari</client_webkit_name>

<client_version>537.51.2</client_version>

</client_details>

<client_details> //iOS Client with Webbrowser

<client_IP>10.0.0.123</client_IP>

<user_agent_string>Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11D201 Safari/9537.53</user_agent_string>

<client_product_type>iPhone6,1</client_product_type>

<client_serial_number>DNXXX1X1XXXX</client_serial_number>

<client_UDID>3XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXD</client_UDID>

<client_OS>iOS</client_OS>

<client_OS_version>7.1.1</client_OS_version>

<client_app_type>web browser</client_app_type>

<client_name>Mobile Safari</client_name>

<client_version>9537.53</client_version>

</client_details>

<client_details> //Android Client with Webbrowser

<client_IP>10.0.0.123</client_IP>

<user_agent_string>Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.4; en-us; Nexus S Build/IMM76D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30</user_agent_string>

<client_product_type>Nexus S</client_product_type>

<client_serial_number>YXXXXXXXXZ</client_serial_number>

<client_UDID>FXXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX</client_UDID>

<client_OS>Android</client_OS>

<client_OS_version>4.0.4</client_OS_version>

<client_app_type>web browser</client_app_type>

<client_name>Mobile Safari</client_name>

<client_version>534.30</client_version>

</client_details>

<client_details> //Mac Desktop with Webbrowser

<client_IP>10.0.0.123</client_IP>

<user_agent_string>Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_9_3) AppleWebKit/537.75.14 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0.3 Safari/537.75.14</user_agent_string>

<client_product_type>MacPro5,1</client_product_type>

<client_serial_number>YXXXXXXXXZ</client_serial_number>

<client_UDID>FXXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX</client_UDID>

<client_OS>Mac OS X</client_OS>

<client_OS_version>10.9.3</client_OS_version>

<client_app_type>web browser</client_app_type>

<client_name>Mobile Safari</client_name>

<client_version>537.75.14</client_version>

</client_details>

<message>

<message_identifier>ID_message_10</message_identifier>

<team_identifier>ID_team_1</team_identifier>

<channel_identifier>ID_channel_1</channel_identifier>

<contents>That is an interesting invention. I have attached a copy our patent policy.</contents>

<attachments>patent_policy.pdf</attachments>

<viewing_privilege_settings>private</viewing_privilege_settings>

</message>

</auth_request>

The group-based communication platform 105 includes at least one message server 107 capable of generating stored messages based on received messages to facilitate message indexing and storage in one or more database shards 113A-113N. include In one implementation, the stored message includes message identifier, group identifier, group based communication channel identifier, originating user identifier, subjects, responses, message contents, attachments, message layer data, third party metadata, conversation primitive data It may contain data such as For example, group-based communication server 106 may provide the following exemplary personal storage message, substantially in the form of an HTTP(S) POST message containing XML formatted data, as provided below. there is:

POST /storage_message.php HTTP/1.1

Host: www.server.com

Content Type: Application/XML

Content Length: 667

<?XML version = "1.0" encoding = "UTF-8"?>

<storage_message>

<message_identifier>ID_message_10</message_identifier>

<team_identifier>ID_team_1</team_identifier>

<channel_identifier>ID_channel_1</channel_identifier>

<sending_user_identifier>ID_user_1</sending_user_identifier>

<topics>

<topic>inventions</topic>

<topic>patents</topic>

<topic>policies</topic>

</topics>

<responses>

<response>liked by ID_user_2</response>

<response>starred by ID_user_3</response>

</responses>

<contents>That is an interesting invention. I have attached a copy our patent policy.</contents>

<attachments>patent_policy.pdf</attachments>

<viewing_privilege_settings>private</viewing_privilege_settings>

<conversation_primitive>

conversation includes messages: ID_message_8, ID_message_9, ID_message_10,

ID_message_11, ID_message_12

</conversation_primitive>

</storage_message>

In some embodiments, a group identifier as defined above may be associated with a message. In some embodiments, a group-based communication channel identifier as defined above may be associated with a message.

In some embodiments, an originating user identifier as defined above may be associated with a message. In one implementation, the message may be parsed (eg, using PHP commands) to determine the originating user identifier of the user sending the message.

In some embodiments, data representing responses may be associated with a message. For example, responses to messages by other users may include reactions (eg, selection of an emoji associated with a message, selection of a “like” button associated with a message), clicking on a hyperlink embedded in a message, Responding to a message (e.g., posting a message to a group-based communication channel in response to a message), downloading a file associated with a message, sharing a message from one group-based communication channel to another group-based communication channel, message can include pinning, staring messages, and the like. In one implementation, data regarding responses to the message by other users may be included in the message, and the message may be parsed (eg, using PHP commands) to determine responses. In another implementation, data regarding responses to a message may be retrieved from a database. For example, data about responses to a message can be retrieved via a MySQL database command similar to:

Select messageResponses

from MSM_Message

Here messageID = ID_message_10.

For example, data about responses to a message can be used to determine a context for the message (eg, a social score for the message from some user's perspective). In another example, data about responses to a message can be analyzed to determine a context about a user (e.g., a user's expertise in a subject can be determined based on the user's responses to messages about a subject). there is).

In some embodiments, attachments may be included in a message. If there are attachments, files may be associated with the message. In one implementation, the message can be parsed (eg, using PHP commands) to determine the filenames of the attachments. For example, file contents may be analyzed to determine context for a message (eg, a patent policy document may indicate that a message relates to the subject “patents”).

In some embodiments, third party metadata may be associated with a message. For example, third-party metadata may provide additional context about a specific user or message, such as a company, group, group-based communication channel, and the like. In one implementation, the message can be parsed (eg, using PHP commands) to determine third-party metadata. For example, the third-party metadata may indicate whether the user sending the message is an authorized representative of the group-based communication channel (e.g., the authorized representative provides the company with answers to questions on the group-based communication channel). may be authorized).

In embodiments, a conversation primitive may be associated with a message. In one implementation, a conversation primitive is an element used to parse messages, index them, store them, and/or the like. For example, the message itself can be parsed and can form its own dialog primitives. In another example, a message may be parsed along with other messages forming a conversation, and the messages forming a conversation may form a conversation primitive. In one implementation, a conversation primitive may be determined as a message, a specified number (eg, two) preceding messages, and a specified number (eg, two) following messages. In another implementation, the conversation primitive is used to analyze the topics discussed in the message and other messages (eg, in a channel) and/or the proximity of these messages (eg, proximity in order of sending messages, proximity in time of sending messages). can be determined based on

In embodiments, the various metadata determined as described above, and/or the contents of the message (e.g., using conversation primitives) index the message to determine various facets of discovery (i.e., the message server ( 107) can be used to facilitate search queries that return results from In one implementation, stored messages may be sent from the group-based communication server 106 to facilitate indexing into the message server 107. In another implementation, metadata associated with a message can be determined, and the message can be indexed in the message server 107 . In one implementation, a message can be indexed such that a company or group's messages can be individually indexed (e.g., in a separate index associated with a group and/or company that is not shared with other groups and/or companies). . In one implementation, messages may be indexed in a separate distributed store (eg, to facilitate data isolation for security purposes).

If there are attachments associated with the message, the file contents of the associated files may be used to index those files in the message server 107 to facilitate retrieval. In one embodiment, files may be indexed such that a company's or group's files are indexed in a separate distributed repository.

An example of electronic information exchange between one or more client devices 101A-101N and the group-based communication platform 105 is described below.

One or more client devices 101A-101N are configured to generate one or more shared communication channel creation queries associated with database shards 113A-113N. Continuing from the “Tony vs. Frank” discussion, Tony uses client device 101A (which has a group identification associated with organization X) to create a shared communication channel creation query, so that Frank's client device 101B (with organization Y (having a group identification associated with) may request creation of a communication channel shared externally. Organization X and organization Y are each associated with a separate shard of database shards 113A through 113N. The shared communication channel creation query may be sent to the group based communication platform 105 via the communication network 103 .

Upon receiving one or more shared communication channel creation queries from client devices 101A-101N, group-based communication platform 105 utilizes network application server 109 to respond to one or more shared communication channel creation queries. Based on this, one or more database shards can be created. The network application server 109 may further assign a shared communication channel identification to each of the one or more created database shards. Continuing from the previous example, the network application server 109 may create the database shard 113N based on the shared communication channel creation query provided by Tony via the client device 101A, and identify the shared communication channel. It can be associated with database shard 113N.

After creating one or more database shards based on one or more shared communication channel creation queries, group-based communication platform 105 transmits one or more shared communication channel accept requests to one or more client devices 101A-101N. can do. Continuing from the previous example, the group-based communication platform 105 may send a shared communication channel accept request to client device 101B (Frank), which provides for the shared communication provided by client device 101A (Tony). Indicated in the channel creation query.

Upon receiving a shared communication channel admission request, one or more client devices 101A-101N may generate one or more electronic grants and transmit these electronic grants to the group-based communication platform 105. Continuing from the previous example, Frank, via client device 101B, may generate an electronic grant in response to a request to accept a shared communication channel. The electronic approval may indicate Frank's acceptance of the shared communication channel creation query provided by Tony. The client device 101 may further transmit an electronic authorization to the group based communication platform 105 .

Upon receiving one or more electronic grants from one or more client devices 101A-101N, group-based communication platform 105 sends one or more channel identifications to one or more client devices via a shard lookup table stored in main database 111. (101A to 101N). Continuing from the previous example, upon receiving the electronic authorization from the client device 101B, the group-based communication platform 105 bases the organization X identification, the organization Y identification, and the newly created database shard, e.g., database shard 113N. Thus, the shard reference table stored in the main database 111 may be additionally updated.

By creating a shared communication channel shard and updating the shard lookup table, the present disclosure provides many technical advantages over existing systems, such as solving the identity integration issue. Continuing from the "Tony-X/Tony-Z" example above, an externally shared communication channel between Organization X and Organization Z, created based on the present disclosure, is Tony's two identities in two distinct organizations. They can harmonize Tony-X and Tony-Z. While updating the shard lookup table, systems structured according to embodiments of the present disclosure may identify duplicate user identities, for example by searching and comparing data associated with each organization. Upon determining that Tony-X and Tony-Y are associated with the same individual, systems structured according to embodiments of the present disclosure assign Tony a unified identity in the shared communication channel shard. On the other hand, existing systems cannot solve the identity integration issue because they cannot create a shared communication channel shard and/or update a shard lookup table.

The group-based communication platform 105 may further create one or more interfaces to the one or more created database shards and transmit the one or more interfaces to the client devices 101A-101N. Continuing from the previous example, the group-based communication platform 105 can create a user interface for database shard 113N and can transmit the user interface to client devices 101A, 101B. In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform 105 (eg, based on shared communication channel attributes, viewing privilege settings, or both): only appropriate data/interface to client devices 101A, 101B. can be transmitted to; data may be retrieved and cached prior to transmission to client devices 101A, 101B; can compile an interface program that can be used as part of the mouths on client devices 101A, 101B; or any other suitable operation or combination of operations described herein.

In some embodiments, a lookup table stored in main database 111 may represent group identification and reference connections between database shards of database shards 113A-113N. Continuing from the previous example, client devices 101A and 101C may both be associated with an organization X identification, and the shard lookup table is data related to communication between client devices 101A and 101B in database shard 113A. ) can indicate that it is stored in.

In some embodiments, when the group-based communication platform 105 receives one or more electronic grants from one or more client devices 101A-101N, the group-based communication platform 105 creates a new reference connection to the main database The shard lookup table stored in (111) can be updated. For example, after receiving electronic permission to create a shared communication channel between organization X and organization Y, the group-based communication platform 105 updates the shard lookup table to identify organization X, identify organization Y, and It can indicate a reference connection between the identification of the newly created database shard.

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform 105 transfers electronic messages received from one or more client devices 101A-101N within an externally shared communication channel to another within the same channel using the message server 107. Can be amplified by client devices. For example, message server 107 may receive an electronic message from client device 101A in association with an externally shared communication channel. Message server 107 may query network application server 109, which in turn identifies one or more client devices associated with an externally shared communication channel based on a shard lookup table stored in main database 111. . Message server 107 may further send an electronic message to each identified client device.

As a basis for some embodiments, the example computing system 100 may provide for creating a shared communication channel to a group-based communication platform 105 . The group-based communication platform 105 may include a message server 107 (eg, a real-time message server), a network application server 109, a plurality of database shards 113A to 113N, and a main database 111. . Exemplary computing system 100 provides, by means of a group-based communication platform 105 over communication network 103, from a first client device 101A associated with an initiator group identification and associated with an initiator group identification and a target group identification. It can provide for receiving a shared communication channel creation query. The example computing system 100 may further provide for creating a shared communication channel shard (eg, database shard 113N) by the network application server 109 . The plurality of database shards 113A to 113N may include a shared communication channel shard. A shared communication channel shard includes a shared communication channel identification, a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification (e.g., group-based communication by the platform 105, the network application server 109, or both). The example computing system 100 can further provide for generating, by the network application server 109 , a shared communication channel accept request. A shared communication channel acceptance request may be associated with a shared communication channel identification. The exemplary computing system 100 further transmits a shared communication channel accept request by the group-based communication platform 105 over the communication network 103 to the second client device 101B associated with the target group identification. can be provided with The exemplary computing system 100 further provides for receiving a communication channel acceptance notification shared by the group-based communication platform 105 over the communication network 103 from one of the client devices 101A-101N. can do. The shared communication channel acceptance notification may include an electronic authorization to associate the shared communication channel identification with the target group identification. The exemplary computing system 100, by means of the network application server 109, identifies an initiator group, identifies a target group, identifies a shared communication channel, a first set of shared communication channel attributes, and sets of shared communication channel attributes. It may further provide updating the shard lookup table stored in the main database 111 based on the second set. The example computing system 100 causes, by the network application server 109, a first outside of a shared communication channel based on a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a shared communication channel shard and an initiator group identification. It is possible to further provide for generating a group-based shared communication channel interface shared in The example computing system 100 may, by the network application server 109, at a second outside of the shared communication channel based on a shared communication channel shard and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the target group identification. It may further provide to create a shared group based shared communication channel interface. The exemplary computing system 100 provides a group-based shared communication shared first outside of a shared communication channel by a group-based communication platform 105 over a communication network 103 to a first client device 101A. It may further provide transmitting channel interface. The exemplary computing system 100 provides a group-based shared communication shared second outside of a shared communication channel by a group-based communication platform 105 over a communication network 103 to a second client device 101B. It may further provide transmitting channel interface.

In some embodiments, plurality of database shards 113A-113N may include a first database shard 113A associated with an initiator group identification. The plurality of database shards may further include a second database shard 113B associated with target group identification. The shard lookup table stored in the main database 111 may include a first reference connection between the initiator group identification and the first database shard 113A. The shard lookup table may further include a second reference connection between the target group identification and the second database shard 113B. The example computing system 100 can further provide for identifying, by the network application server 109 , a first reference connection in a shard lookup table based on the initiator group identification. The example computing system 100 can further provide for identifying the second reference connection in the shard lookup table by the network application server 109 based on the target group identification. The exemplary computing system 100 may, by the network application server 109, identify a shared communication channel, a shared communication channel shard (eg, database shard 113N), a first reference connection, and a second reference connection. It may further provide generating a third reference connection of. The example computing system 100 may further provide for updating, by the network application server 109 , a shard lookup table stored in the main database 111 to include the third reference connection.

In some embodiments, the example computing system 100 may further provide for generating general messages, stored messages, or both based on messages received from client devices 101A-101N. there is. In one illustrative example, client device 101A and client device 101B may be associated with a first group identification and shared communication channel identification, while client device 101C (not shown) and client device ( 101D) (not shown) may be associated with a second group identification and shared communication channel identification. The group-based communication platform 105 transmits, in real time over a shared communication channel from the client device 101A, a first message (e.g., a personal message) associated with a first set of viewing privilege settings including a first personal viewing privilege setting. ) can be received. The group-based communication platform 105 transmits a first general message (based on a first message received in real time by the message server 107 and a first set of viewing privilege settings including a first personal viewing privilege setting). e.g. personal general messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may transmit, in real time by the message server 107, the first general message to other client devices associated with the first group identification (e.g., the first general message is the client device 101B), where the first general message is not sent to any client device associated with the second group identification (e.g., the first general message is not sent to client device 101C or client device 101D). not). In some cases, the first generic message may be visible to any client device associated with the first group identification in the first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface (e.g., the first generic message may be visible to the first externally shared communication channel interface). can be seen by the client device 101A and the client device 101B on a group-based shared communication channel interface shared in), where the first general message is a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface. It is not visible to any client device associated with the group identification (e.g., the first general message is not visible to client device 101C or client device 101D on the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface).

In some embodiments, the group-based communication platform 105 determines, by the network application server 109, a first message received and a first set of viewing privilege settings, including a first personal viewing privilege setting. A first stored message (eg, a personal stored message) may be created. The group-based communication platform 105 may store the first stored message in association with the first set of viewing privilege settings, by the network application server 109 in the first database shard 113A. The group-based communication platform 105 may index, by the network application server 109, the first stored message with a first distinct index associated with the first group identification, where the first distinct index is the first group identification. Accessible to any client device associated with the identification (e.g., the first distinct index is accessible to client device 101A and client device 101B), and the first distinct index is accessible to any client associated with the second group identification. It is not accessible to the device either (eg, the first distinct index is not accessible to client device 101C or client device 101D). In some cases, the first stored message is discoverable in a first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface by any client device associated with the first group identification (e.g., the first stored message is the client device 101A and a first externally shared group-based shared communication channel by client device 101B discoverable on an interface), wherein a first stored message is seconded by any client device associated with a second group identification on the interface. not discoverable on an externally shared group-based shared communication channel (e.g., a first stored message is not discoverable on a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface by client device 101C or client device 101D) not navigable).

In another illustrative example continuing from the previous illustrative example, the group-based communication platform 105 provides, in real time over a shared communication channel from the client device 101B, the viewing privilege settings including the first public viewing privilege setting. A second message (eg, a public message) associated with the second set may be received. The group-based communication platform 105 sends a second general message based on the second message received in real time by the message server 107 and the second set of viewing privilege settings including the first public viewing privilege setting. e.g. public general messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may transmit, in real time by the message server 107, a second general message to other client devices associated with a shared communication channel identification (e.g., the first general message is a client device (101B), sent to client device 101C, and client device 101D). In some cases, the second general message may be visible to any client device associated with the shared communication channel identification (eg, the second general message is client device 101A, client device 101B, client device 101C ), and visible to the client device 101D). For example, the second general message may be visible to any client device associated with the first group identification in the first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface (e.g., the second general message may be shared with the first externally). visible to the client device 101A and the client device 101B on the group-based shared communication channel interface), the second general message is a second group identification and a second group identification on the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface Visible to any associated client device (e.g., the second general message is not visible to client device 101C or client device 101D in the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface).

The group-based communication platform 105 sends, by the network application server 109, a second stored message (e.g., based on the second message received and the second set of viewing privilege settings including the first public viewing privilege setting). , publicly stored messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may store the first stored message in association with the first set of viewing privilege settings, by the network application server 109 in the first database shard 113A. The group-based communication platform 105 may index, by the network application server 109, the second stored message with a shared index associated with the first group identification and the second group identification, where the shared index is the first group identification. Accessible to any client device associated with the group identification or second group identification (e.g., the shared index accesses client device 101A, client device 101B, client device 101C, and client device 101D). possible). In some cases, the second stored message is discoverable by the first group identification or any client device associated with the second group identification (eg, the second stored message is client device 101A, client device 101B). , discoverable by client device 101C, and client device 101D). For example, the second stored message is discoverable in a group-based shared communication channel interface that is first externally shared by any client device associated with the first group identification (e.g., the second stored message is the client device 101A ) and a group-based shared communication channel shared first externally by client device 101B discoverable in the interface), the second stored message is second externally shared by any client device associated with the second group identification in the interface. Not discoverable on a shared group-based shared communication channel (e.g., the second stored message is discoverable on a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface by client device 101C or client device 101D) not).

Continuing from the previous illustrative examples or in another illustrative example, the group-based communication platform 105 sets viewing privileges, including setting second personal viewing privileges, in real time over a shared communication channel from client device 101C. may receive a third message (eg, a personal message) associated with a third set of . The group-based communication platform 105 sends a third general message (based on the third message received in real time by the message server 107, and a third set of viewing privilege settings including the second personal viewing privilege setting). e.g. personal general messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may transmit, in real time by the message server 107, a third general message to other client devices associated with the second group identification (e.g., the third general message is the client device 101D), where the third general message is not sent to any client device associated with the first group identification (e.g., the third general message is not sent to client device 101A or client device 101B). not). In some cases, the third general message may be visible to any client device associated with the second group identification in the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface (e.g., the third general message may be visible to the second externally shared communication channel interface) can be seen by the client device 101C and the client device 101D on a group-based shared communication channel interface shared in), where the third general message is a first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface. It is not visible to any client device associated with the group identification (e.g., the third general message is not visible to client device 101A or client device 101B in the first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface).

Group-based communication platform 105 sends, by network application server 109, a third stored message (e.g. , personally stored messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may store a third stored message in association with a third set of viewing privilege settings, by the network application server 109 in the second database shard 113B. The group-based communication platform 105 may index, by the network application server 109, the third stored message with a second distinct index associated with the second group identification, where the second distinct index is associated with the second group identification. Accessible to any client device associated with the identification (e.g., the second distinct index is accessible to client device 101C and client device 101D), and the second distinct index is accessible to any client associated with the first group identification. It is not accessible to the device either (eg, the second distinct index is not accessible to client device 101A or client device 101B). In some cases, the third stored message may be discoverable by any client device associated with the second group identification in a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface (e.g., the third stored message may be 2 externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface discoverable by client device 101C and client device 101D), where the third stored message is stored in a first externally-shared group-based shared communication channel interface. is not discoverable by any client device associated with the first group identification (e.g., the third stored message is not discoverable by client device 101A or client device 101B on the first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface) not navigable).

Continuing from the previous illustrative examples or in another illustrative example, the group-based communication platform 105 sets viewing privileges, including setting second public viewing privileges, in real time over a shared communication channel from client device 101D. may receive a fourth message (eg, a public message) associated with a fourth set of . The group-based communication platform 105 transmits a fourth general message based on a fourth message received in real time by the message server 107 and a fourth set of viewing privilege settings including a second public viewing privilege setting ( e.g. public general messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may transmit, in real time by the message server 107, a fourth general message to another client device associated with a shared communication channel identification (e.g., the fourth general message is a client device ( 101A), sent to client device 101B, and client device 101C). In some cases, the fourth general message may be visible to any client device associated with the shared communication channel identification (eg, the fourth general message is client device 101A, client device 101B, client device 101C ), and visible to the client device 101D). For example, the fourth general message may be visible to any client device associated with the first group identification on the first externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface (e.g., the fourth general message may be shared with the first externally shared communication channel interface). can be seen by the client device 101A and the client device 101B in the group-based shared communication channel interface), the fourth general message is a second group identification and a second group identification in the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface Visible to any associated client device (e.g., the fourth general message is not visible to client device 101C or client device 101D in the second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface).

The group-based communication platform 105 sends, by the network application server 109, a fourth stored message (eg , publicly stored messages). The group-based communication platform 105 may store a fourth stored message in association with the fourth set of viewing privilege settings, by the network application server 109 in the second database shard 113B. The group-based communication platform 105 may index, by the network application server 109, the fourth stored message with a shared index associated with the first group identification and the second group identification, where the shared index is the first group identification. Accessible to any client device associated with the group identification or second group identification (e.g., the shared index accesses client device 101A, client device 101B, client device 101C, and client device 101D). possible). In some cases, the fourth stored message is discoverable by any client device associated with the first group identification or the second group identification (eg, the fourth stored message is client device 101A, client device 101B). , discoverable by client device 101C, and client device 101D). For example, the fourth stored message is discoverable in a group-based shared communication channel interface that is first externally shared by any client device associated with the first group identification (e.g., the fourth stored message is the client device 101A ) and a group-based shared communication channel shared first externally by client device 101B discoverable in the interface), a fourth stored message is second externally shared by any client device associated with a second group identification in the interface. not discoverable in a shared group-based shared communication channel (e.g., the fourth stored message is discoverable in a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface by client device 101C or client device 101D) not).

The electronic information exchange mentioned above offers various technological advantages over existing systems. For example, it allows information retrieval and forwarding of data without the overburden of messages dispatched to the communication network 103. In addition, the robustness of the data provides the group-based communication platform 105 with the option to utilize either the message server 107 or the network application server 109, with the speed of delivery based on the configuration of the communication network 103. do. In addition, it allows external applications (developed for group-based communication platform 105) to use WebSocket or RPC APIs (these are Message Server 107 or Network Application Server 109), as discussed further below. can be used additionally)) to provide an option to emit messages.

Exemplary Apparatus for Implementing Embodiments of the Present Disclosure

Message server 107 may be implemented by one or more computing systems, such as device 200 shown in FIG. 2 . Apparatus 200 may include processor 202 , memory 204 , input/output circuitry 206 , communication circuitry 208 , and message amplifier circuitry 210 . Apparatus 200 may be configured to perform the operations described above with respect to FIG. 1 and below with respect to FIGS. 4-7 . Although these components 202-210 are described with respect to functional limitations, it should be understood that certain implementations necessarily involve the use of specific hardware. It should also be understood that some of these components 202-210 may include similar or common hardware. For example, both sets of circuits can leverage use of the same processor, network interface, storage medium, etc. to perform their associated functions, so that duplicate hardware is not required for each set of circuits. there is.

In some embodiments, the processor 202 (and/or a co-processor or any other processing circuitry that assists or is otherwise associated with the processor) connects the memory 204 via a bus to transfer information between components of the device. ) can communicate with. Memory 204 is non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, memory 204 may be an electronic storage device (eg, a computer-readable storage medium). Memory 204 may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc. for enabling a device to perform various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Processor 202 can be implemented in a number of different ways and can include, for example, one or more processing devices configured to perform independently. In some embodiments, processor 202 may include one or more processors configured side by side via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, and/or multithreading. The term "processing circuitry" may be understood to include single core processors, multi-core processors, multiple processors within a device, and/or remote or "cloud" processors.

In some embodiments, processor 202 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 204 or otherwise accessible to processor 202 . In some embodiments, processor 202 may be configured to execute hard-coded functions. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or a combination thereof, the processor 202, while configured accordingly, is an entity capable of performing operations in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., , physically implemented in the circuit). Alternatively, as another example, when processor 202 is implemented as an execution of software instructions, the instructions, in particular, when executed, configure processor 202 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein. can do.

In some embodiments, device 200 may then communicate with processor 202 to provide output to a user and, in some embodiments, input/output circuitry 206 that may receive an indication of user input. ) may be included. Input/output circuitry 206 may include a user interface, may include a display, and may include a group-based shared communication channel interface shared outside of a shared communication channel (e.g., a first outside-shared group-based A shared communication channel interface, a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface), a web user interface, a mobile application, a client device, a kiosk, and the like. In some embodiments, input/output circuitry 206 may also include a keyboard, mouse, joystick, touchscreen, touch areas, soft keys, microphone, speaker, or other input/output mechanisms. The processor and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor may provide access to one or more user interface elements via computer program instructions (eg, software and/or firmware) stored on a memory accessible to the processor (eg, memory 204, etc.). It may be configured to control one or more functions.

Communication circuitry 208 is implemented in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software configured to receive and/or transmit data to/from the network and/or any other device, circuit, or module that communicates with apparatus 200. It can be any means, such as a device or circuit that becomes. In this regard, communication circuitry 208 may include, for example, a network interface to enable communication with a wired or wireless communication network. For example, communication circuitry 208 may include one or more network interface cards, antennas, buses, switches, routers, modems, and supporting hardware and/or software suitable for enabling communication over a network. can include Additionally or alternatively, communications circuitry 208 may include circuitry for interacting with the antenna/antennas to cause transmission of signals via the antenna/antennas or to process reception of signals received via the antenna/antennas. there is.

Message amplifier circuitry 210 is configured to copy and amplify (e.g., one or more circuits or devices) electronic messages and associated metadata received from one or more client devices to other client devices based on the database shard(s). to transmit; to broadcast; to multicast; to unicast). Message amplifier circuit 210 may utilize processing circuitry such as processor 202 to perform these actions. However, in some embodiments, the message amplifier circuit 210 may be a separate processor, a specially configured Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or an application specific semiconductor device to perform the functions described herein. Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC). The message amplifier circuit 210 may be implemented using hardware components of an apparatus configured by either hardware or software to implement these planned functions.

Also note that all or part of the information discussed herein may be based on data received, generated, and/or maintained by one or more components of apparatus 200. In some embodiments, one or more external systems (such as remote cloud computing and/or data storage systems) may also be leveraged to provide at least some of the functionality discussed herein.

Network application server 109 may be implemented by one or more computing systems, such as device 300 shown in FIG. 3 . Apparatus 300 includes processor 301, memory 303, input/output circuitry 305, communication circuitry 307, database circuitry 309, interface generation circuitry 311, and lookup table generation circuitry 313. can include Apparatus 300 may be configured to perform the operations described above with respect to FIG. 1 and below with respect to FIGS. 4-7 . Although these components 301 - 313 are described with respect to functional limitations, it should be understood that particular implementations necessarily involve the use of particular hardware. It should also be understood that some of these components 301-313 may include similar or common hardware. For example, both sets of circuits can leverage use of the same processor, network interface, storage medium, etc. to perform their associated functions, so that duplicate hardware is not required for each set of circuits. there is.

In some embodiments, the processor 301 (and/or a co-processor or any other processing circuitry that assists or is otherwise associated with the processor) connects the memory 303 via a bus to transfer information between components of the device. ) can communicate with. Memory 303 is non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, memory 303 may be an electronic storage device (eg, a computer-readable storage medium). Memory 303 may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc. for enabling device 300 to perform various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Processor 301 can be implemented in a number of different ways and can include, for example, one or more processing devices configured to perform independently. In some embodiments, processor 301 may include one or more processors configured side by side via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, and/or multithreading.

In some embodiments, processor 301 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 303 or otherwise accessible to processor 301 . In some embodiments, processor 301 may be configured to execute hard-coded functions. As such, processor 301, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or a combination thereof, is an entity capable of performing operations in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure while configured accordingly (e.g., , physically implemented in the circuit). Alternatively, as another example, when processor 301 is implemented as an execution of software instructions, the instructions, in particular, when executed, configure processor 301 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein. can do.

In some embodiments, device 300 may then communicate with processor 301 to provide output to a user and, in some embodiments, input/output circuitry 305 that may receive an indication of user input. ) may be included. The input/output circuitry 305 may include a user interface, may include a display, and may include a group-based shared communication channel interface shared outside of a shared communication channel (e.g., a first outside-shared group-based A shared communication channel interface, a second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interface), a web user interface, a mobile application, a client device, a kiosk, and the like. In some embodiments, input/output circuitry 305 may also include a keyboard, mouse, joystick, touchscreen, touch areas, soft keys, microphone, speaker, or other input/output mechanisms.

Communication circuitry 307 is implemented in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software configured to receive and/or transmit data to/from a network and/or any other device, circuit, or module that communicates with apparatus 300. It can be any means, such as a device or circuit that becomes. In this regard, communication circuitry 307 may include, for example, a network interface to enable communication with a wired or wireless communication network. For example, communication circuitry 307 may include one or more network interface cards, antennas, buses, switches, routers, modems, and supporting hardware and/or software suitable for enabling communication over a network. can include Additionally or alternatively, communications circuitry 307 may include circuitry for interacting with the antenna/antennas to cause transmission of signals via the antenna/antennas or to process reception of signals received via the antenna/antennas. there is.

In some embodiments, communication circuitry 307, communication circuitry 208, or both create a shared communication channel associated with an initiator group identification and a target group identification, from a first client device associated with an initiator group identification. Can be configured to receive queries. The communication circuitry 307 , the communication circuitry 208 , or both may be further configured to transmit a shared communication channel accept request to a second client device associated with the target group identification. Communication circuitry 307 , communication circuitry 208 , or both may be further configured to receive a shared communication channel acceptance notification. The communication circuitry 307, the communication circuitry 208, or both may be further configured to transmit, to the first client device, a group-based shared communication channel interface shared first outside of the shared communication channel. . The communication circuitry 307, the communication circuitry 208, or both may be further configured to transmit, to the second client device, a shared group-based shared communication channel interface a second outside of the shared communication channel. . The communication circuitry 307, the communication circuitry 208, or both may be further configured to receive a message associated with the set of viewing privilege settings, over the shared communication channel, from a third client device associated with the initiator group identification. can The communication circuitry 307, the communication circuitry 208, or both are further to receive, over a shared communication channel, a second message associated with a second set of viewing privilege settings from a fourth client device associated with the target group identification. may consist of The communication circuitry 307, the communication circuitry 208, or both may be further configured to receive a message associated with the set of viewing privilege settings, over the shared communication channel, from a third client device associated with the initiator group identification. can

Database circuitry 309 includes hardware configured to manage one or more network databases, including database shards 113A through 113N and main database 111 . Database circuitry 309 may utilize processing circuitry such as processor 301 to perform these actions. The database circuit 309 may send data to the interface generation circuit 311 and the lookup table generation circuit 313 . In some embodiments, the transmitted data may be associated with one or more database shards 113A-113N.

In some embodiments, database circuitry 309 may include a discrete processor, a specially configured Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In some implementations, the lookup table generation circuit 313 and the interface generation circuit 311 described below may be subcircuits belonging to the database circuit 309 . Database circuitry 309 may be implemented using hardware components of an apparatus configured either by hardware or software to implement the functions described herein.

In some embodiments, database circuitry 309 may be configured to receive a shared communication channel creation query from communication circuitry 307 . Database circuitry 309 may be further configured to create shared communication channel shards. A plurality of database shards may include a shared communication channel shard. A shared communication channel shard may be assigned a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a shared communication channel identification, an initiator group identification, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with a target group identification. Database circuitry 309 may be further configured to generate shared communication channel accept requests. A shared communication channel acceptance request may be associated with a shared communication channel identification. The database circuitry 309 may be further configured to transmit a shared communication channel accept request to the communication circuitry 307 for transmission to a second client device associated with the target group identification. The database circuitry 309 may be further configured to receive a shared communication channel acceptance notification from the communication circuitry 307 . The shared communication channel acceptance notification may include an electronic authorization to associate the shared communication channel identification with the target group identification.

In some embodiments, database circuitry 309 may be further configured to receive a message associated with a set of viewing privilege settings from communication circuitry 307 . Database circuitry 309 may be further configured to generate a store message based on the received message and the set of viewing privilege settings. The database circuitry 309 may be further configured to store a store message in association with the set of view privilege settings in the first database shard. In embodiments where the set of view privilege settings includes a personal view privilege setting, database circuitry 309 may be further configured to index the store message with a separate index associated with the initiator group identification, where the separate index is not accessible to any client device associated with the initiator group identity, and the separate index is not accessible to any client device associated with the target group identity. In embodiments where the set of viewing privilege settings includes a public viewing privilege setting, database circuitry 309 may be further configured to index the store message with a shared index associated with an initiator group identification and a target group identification; The index shared here is accessible to the first client device and the second client device.

The lookup table creation circuitry 313 includes hardware configured to create and update a shard lookup table store in the main database 111 . Lookup table generation circuitry 313 may utilize processing circuitry such as processor 301 to perform these actions. However, in some embodiments, the lookup table generation circuit 313 may be a separate processor, a specially configured Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or an application specific semiconductor (API) for performing the functions described herein. Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The look-up table generation circuit 313 may be implemented using hardware components of an apparatus configured by either hardware or software to implement these planned functions.

In some embodiments, the lookup table generation circuitry 313 is configured to identify an initiator group, identify a target group, identify a shared communication channel, a first set of shared communication channel attributes, and a second set of shared communication channel attributes. It may be configured to update the shard reference table based on The lookup table creation circuitry 313 may be further configured to identify the first reference connection in the shard lookup table based on the initiator group identification. The lookup table creation circuitry 313 may be further configured to identify the second reference connection in the shard lookup table based on the target group identification. The lookup table creation circuitry 313 may be further configured to create a third reference connection between the shared communication channel identification, the shared communication channel shard, the first reference connection, and the second reference connection. The lookup table generation circuitry 313 may be further configured to update the shard lookup table to include the third reference connection.

Interface generation circuitry 311 includes hardware configured to create communication channel interfaces for client devices 101A-101N. Interface generation circuitry 311 may utilize processing circuitry such as processor 301 to perform these actions. However, in some embodiments, the interface generation circuit 311 may be a separate processor, a specially configured Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or an application specific semiconductor (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC). The interface generation circuit 311 may be implemented using hardware components of a device configured by either hardware or software to implement these planned functions.

In some embodiments, the interface generation circuitry 311 is based on a group shared outside of the first shared communication channel based on the shared communication channel shard and a first set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the initiator group identification. It can be configured to create a shared communication channel interface. Interface creation circuitry 311 generates a shared group-based shared communication channel interface second outside of the shared communication channel based on the shared communication channel shard and a second set of shared communication channel attributes associated with the target group identification. It may be further configured to do so. The interface generation circuitry 311 may be further configured to transmit a group-based shared communication channel interface shared first outside of the shared communication channel to the communication circuitry 307 for transmission to the first client device. there is. The interface generation circuitry 311 may be further configured to transmit the shared group-based shared communication channel interface a second outside of the shared communication channel to the communication circuitry 307 for transmission to the second client device. there is. In some embodiments, the first and second externally shared group-based shared communication channel interfaces generated and transmitted by interface generation circuitry 311 may provide a “one-way view” as described herein. there is.

In some embodiments, the communication circuitry 307 of the device 300 can be configured to transmit a first message associated with the first set of viewing privilege settings to the communication circuitry 208 of the device 200 . Message amplifier circuitry 210 may be configured to receive a first message associated with a first set of viewing privilege settings from communication circuitry 208 . The message amplifier circuit 210 may be further configured to generate a first general message based on the received first message and the first set of viewing privilege settings. The message amplifier circuit 210 may be further configured to transmit a first general message to a first plurality of client devices over the shared communication channel based on the first set of viewing privilege settings. In some embodiments where the first set of viewing privilege settings includes a first personal viewing privilege setting, the message amplifier circuit 210 directs the first general message over the shared communication channel to the first plurality associated with the initiator group identification. of client devices, where the first generic message is not sent by the message amplifier circuit 210 to any client device associated with the target group identification. In some embodiments where the first set of viewing privilege settings includes a first public viewing privilege setting, the message amplifier circuit 210 directs the first general message over the shared communication channel to one or more clients associated with the initiator group identification. devices and one or more client devices associated with the target group identification.

In some embodiments, the communication circuitry 307 of the device 300 can be configured to transmit a second message associated with the second set of viewing privilege settings to the communication circuitry 208 of the device 200 . Message amplifier circuitry 210 may be further configured to receive a second message associated with a second set of viewing privilege settings from the communication circuitry. Message amplifier circuitry 210 may be further configured to generate a second general message based on the received second message and the second set of viewing privilege settings. The message amplifier circuit 210 may be further configured to transmit a second general message to a second plurality of client devices over the shared communication channel based on the second set of viewing privilege settings. In some embodiments where the second set of viewing privilege settings includes a second personal viewing privilege setting, the message amplifier circuit 210 may send the second general message over the shared communication channel to a second plurality of viewing privilege settings associated with the target group identification. It may be further configured to transmit to client devices, where the second general message is not transmitted by message amplifier circuitry 210 to any client device associated with the initiator group identification. In some embodiments where the second set of viewing privilege settings includes a second public viewing privilege setting, the message amplifier circuit 210 may send the second general message over the shared communication channel to one or more clients associated with the initiator group identification. devices and one or more client devices associated with the target group identification.

Also note that all or part of the information discussed herein may be based on data received, generated, and/or maintained by one or more components of apparatus 300. In some embodiments, one or more external systems (such as remote cloud computing and/or data storage systems) may also be leveraged to provide at least some of the functionality discussed herein.

The term “circuitry” should be broadly understood to include hardware and, in some embodiments, software for making up the hardware. Thus, for components of an apparatus, the term “circuitry” as used herein should be understood to include specific hardware configured to perform functions associated with the specific circuitry as described herein. For example, in some embodiments, “circuitry” may include processing circuitry, storage media, network interfaces, input/output devices, and the like. In some embodiments, other elements of device 200 may provide or supplement the functionality of a particular circuit. For example, processor 202 may provide processing functions, memory 204 may provide storage functions, communication circuitry 208 may provide network interface functions, and the like. Similarly, other elements of device 300 may provide or supplement the functionality of a particular circuit. For example, processor 301 may provide a processing function, memory 303 may provide a storage function, communication circuitry 307 may provide a network interface function, and the like.

As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions and/or other types of code may be loaded onto circuitry of a computer, processor, or other programmable device to create a machine, thereby executing the code on the computer, processor, or other programmable device. Other programmable circuitry may enable creating means for implementing various functions, including those described herein.

As described above, and as will be appreciated based on this disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured as methods, mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like. Accordingly, embodiments may include entirely hardware or any combination of software and hardware. Further, embodiments may take the form of a computer program product on at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions (eg, computer software) embodied in the storage medium. Any suitable computer readable storage medium may be utilized including non-transitory hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Exemplary Data Flows for Creating Externally Shared Communication Channels

4, 5, 6, and 7 show one or more client devices in creating a communication channel shared externally based on whether an initiator and a target of a shared communication channel creation query are group managers. 101A to 101N) and the various interactions between the group-based communication platform 105.

The term “administrator” refers to a subscriber of a communication channel who has the authority to manage the communication channel and make decisions on behalf of other subscribers regarding various maintenance tasks. For example, a group manager may have the authority to establish a communication channel as either "Public" or "Private". As another example, when receiving a request to create an externally shared communication channel, only a group manager has the authority to accept the request on behalf of the group. In some embodiments, the system uses a flag on data associated with a user to indicate whether the user is a member of a group.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , process 400 is an exemplary process for creating an externally shared communication channel when a non-administrator in group A submits a request to create a shared communication channel targeted to a non-administrator in group B. exemplify

Process 400 begins at step 402, where a non-administrator of group A submits a request to create an externally shared communication channel. The system automatically creates an invitation for non-administrators in group A, and shares the invitation with non-administrators in group B in step 404 . Here, an individual is an electronic indication of a request to create an externally shared communication channel. For example, the invitation may take the form of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) linking to a web page containing details of the request. In some embodiments, a URL link may expire after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the URL link was sent. For example, a user can set a URL to expire 24 hours after sending.

Non-administrators of group B receive an invitation in step 406 . At step 408, the non-administrator of group B makes an initial decision whether or not to add a channel. If the non-administrator of group B decides not to add the channel, the non-administrator of group A receives an electronic indication at step 410 that the request has been denied.

If the non-manager of group B decides to add the channel, the system automatically sends a request to create an externally shared communication channel to the manager of group A and the manager of group B, respectively, in steps 412 and 414. forward to If the manager of group A does not approve the request at step 416, the non-administrators of group A and group B receive electronic indications at step 420 that the request has been denied. Similarly, if the manager of group B does not approve the request at step 418, the non-administrators of group A and group B receive electronic indications at step 420 that the request has been denied.

When both the manager of group A and the manager of group B approve the request, the system proceeds in step 422 to creation of an externally shared communication channel.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , process 500 illustrates an exemplary process for creating an externally shared communication channel when a non-administrator of group A submits a request to create a shared communication channel targeted to an manager of group B. foreshadow

Process 500 begins at step 501, where a non-administrator of group A submits a request to create an externally shared communication channel. The system automatically creates invitations for non-managers of group A, and shares the invitations with the administrators of group B in step 503 .

Upon sharing the invitation with the manager of group B, the system automatically generates a request for approval at step 505 . Subsequently, the manager of group B determines whether to approve the request to create a communication channel shared externally in step 507). If the manager of group B does not approve the request, the non-administrator of group A receives an electronic indication at step 509 that the request has been denied.

If the manager of group B approves the request, the system automatically forwards the request to the manager of group A at step 511 . If the manager of group A does not approve the request at step 513, both the manager and non-administrator of group B receive electronic indications at step 515 that the request has been denied.

If the manager of group A approves the request in step 513, the system proceeds in step 517 to create an externally shared communication channel.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , process 600 illustrates an exemplary process for creating an externally shared communication channel when an administrator of group A submits a request to create a shared communication channel targeted to non-administrators of group B. foreshadow

Process 600 begins at step 602, where an administrator of group A submits a request to create an externally shared communication channel. The system automatically creates an invitation to the manager of group A, and shares the invitation with non-administrators of group B in step 604 .

Non-administrators of group B receive an invitation in step 606 . At step 608, the non-administrator of group B makes an initial decision as to whether or not to add a channel. If the non-administrator of group B decides not to add the channel, the manager of group A receives an electronic indication at step 610 that the request has been denied.

If the non-manager of group B decides to add the channel, the system automatically sends a request to create an externally shared communication channel to the manager of group A and the manager of group B, respectively, in steps 612 and 614. forward to If the manager of group A does not approve the request at step 616, the non-administrators of group B receive an electronic indication at step 620 that the request has been denied. Similarly, if the manager of group B does not approve the request at step 618, the non-administrator of group B receives an electronic indication at step 620 that the request has been denied.

When both the manager of group A and the manager of group B approve the request, the system proceeds in step 622 to creation of an externally shared communication channel.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , process 700 illustrates an exemplary process for creating an externally shared communication channel when an administrator of group A submits a request to create a shared communication channel targeted to an administrator of group B. do.

Process 700 begins at step 701, where an administrator of group A submits a request to create an externally shared communication channel. The system automatically creates an invitation to the manager of group A, and shares the invitation with the manager of group B in step 703 .

Upon sharing the invitation with the manager of group B, the system automatically generates a request for approval at step 705 . Subsequently, the administrator of group B determines whether to approve the request to create a communication channel shared externally in step 707). If the manager of group B does not approve the request, the manager of group A receives an electronic indication at step 709 that the request has been denied.

If the manager of group B approves the request, the system automatically forwards the request to the manager of group A at step 711 . If the manager of group A does not approve the request in step 713, the manager of group B receives an electronic indication in step 715 that the request has been denied. If the administrator of group A approves the request, the system proceeds in step 717 to creation of an externally shared communication channel.

Exemplary Implementation for Externally Shared Communication Channels

8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D illustrate various elements of example communication channel interfaces in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 8A , an exemplary communication channel interface 800A is shown. The communication channel interface 800A includes a username box 802 to indicate the current user account associated with the communication channel interface 800A.

The communication channel interface 800A may also include a channel list panel, which may include an externally shared communication channel list subpanel 804 . The externally shared communication channel list subpanel 804 allows the user to quickly and easily navigate through all externally shared communication channels to which the user has subscribed. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, user Tony has subscribed to externally shared communication channels C1, C2, C3, and C4, which are indicated by overlapping square symbols to the right of each channel name. Each group can set its preference for the name of an externally shared communication channel in the externally shared communication channel list subpanel 804 .

The channel list panel of the communication channels interface 800A may further include an internally shared communication channel list subpanel 806, which lists all internally shared communication channels to which the user has subscribed. In contrast to those listed in Externally Shared Communication Channels List subpanel 804, all channels in Internally Shared Communications Channels List subpanel 806 are shared with other users within the same group or organization.

The externally shared communication channel list subpanel 804 or the internally shared communication channel list subpanel 806 can be a private channel or a public channel. The state of the channel may be indicated by an icon to the left of the channel name. For example, as shown in Internal Shared Communications Channel List subpanel 806 of FIG. 8A, channels C5 and C6 each have a pound sign next to their names, indicating that they are public channels; Channels C7 and C8 each have a lock symbol next to their names, indicating that they are private channels.

The communication channel interface 800A further includes a channel title box 810 and a direct message panel 808. The direct message panel 808 lists all members sharing the same channel as the user. For example, as shown in the direct message panel 808 of FIG. 9A, the user can send a direct message to Beth or Carl who share the same channel C1 as the user. In conjunction with the direct message panel 808, the communication channel interface 800A may further include a flexpanel 816 capable of displaying information such as a directory of members of a group. Member directories can be browseable, searchable, and filterable via the flexpanel 816.

In some embodiments, display of a member directory may be determined based on retention settings. Retention settings may further determine which applications are installed on the channel, which features are enabled for the channel, and other preferences regarding users who are allowed to control the channel.

Additionally, the communication channel interface 800A includes a channel messaging panel 812 that displays text, images, and other historical data associated with the communication channel. In some embodiments, historical data may include changes to membership, such as when a user joins or leaves a channel, when an application is installed or removed from a channel.

In some embodiments, the viewing privilege settings of some content within the channel messaging panel 812 (ie, who can view such content) may be user-specific and hidden from public view. For example, when a user interacts privately with an application or bot using commands, those activities may be hidden from public view. Users may also choose to make those activities viewable by the public.

In some embodiments, viewing privilege settings may be specific to a team and/or applications installed on the team. For example, when Tony from organization X wants to use a command, the command menu will only show commands from applications installed on organization X.

A user can contribute to a communication channel using the channel entry box 814, which will be displayed in the channel messaging panel 812. The channel input box 814 may provide an autocomplete function, which automatically recognizes the user name, channel name, and other information as user types in the channel input box 814. In some embodiments, the autocomplete bot can also recognize the names of applications and other bots to further interact with the channel. The channel entry box 814 also provides message entry alerts when the user is within an externally shared communication channel, so that any information he or she has contributed to will be visible to the user by members of other groups or organizations. You can be warned that there may be. Referring now to FIG. 8B , an exemplary user icon 800B is shown. The user icon 800B may include a user avatar 801 and a group icon 803 . A user avatar 801 may represent a user's identity, and a group icon 803 may represent a group to which the user is associated. In some embodiments, user avatar 801 may have dimensions of 72 px by 72 px with 4px rounded corners. The group icon 803 may have dimensions of 22 px x 22 px with 4 px rounded corners, 1 px inner border, and 3 px outer border.

Referring now to FIG. 8C , an exemplary communication channel interface 800C is shown. The communication channel interface 800C may include a group member profile card 818, which may further include a group member's profile picture 820, a group identification box 822, and function buttons 824. there is. The group identification box 822 may include information such as the name of a group to which group members are associated. Function buttons 824 may allow a user to perform various functions, such as sending a direct message to a group member.

Referring now to FIG. 8D , user interface 800D illustrates an example interface for direct messaging with group members. User interface 800D may include a member name box 810', which indicates the name of the group member the user is directly messaging. The communication panel 812' shows the history of direct messaging between the user and group members. User interface 800D may further include a direct message profile panel 826 , which may include a user information section 828 and a related information section 830 . The direct message profile panel 826 allows the user to quickly and easily recognize basic information about group members with whom the user is directly messaging.

Exemplary Application Programming Interface (API) Design for Implementing Embodiments of the Disclosure

In some embodiments, systems structured according to embodiments of the present disclosure may provide application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable configurability of applications and bots over an externally shared communication channel.

Existing systems suffer from technical limitations. For example, some existing systems fail to roll up member teams within externally shared communication channels, while others fail to emit events to users whose group-based communication channels are not stored on the same shard.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide technical improvements over existing systems. As described above, a shared communication channel shard may be created to store data related to an externally shared communication channel. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an event subscription table (eg, “event_subscriptions_types”) may be stored in a shared communication channel shard. The event subscription table stores information about whether to emit events to members in an externally shared communication channel. To address the technical difficulties identified above, the event subscription table can be updated to include a “resource_id” column and a “resource_type” column. The “resource_id” column stores the identification of the resource (eg, event), and the “resource_type” column stores the type of resource (eg, whether the event is subscribed by teams whose group-based communication channels are stored on different shards). identify By utilizing these two columns, embodiments of the present disclosure address the issues of where and how to store consolidated event registration information for applications installed on a group-based communication channel. Continuing from the “Tony vs. Frank” example, the externally shared communication channel utilizes the “resource_type” column and the “resource_id” column to provide information about whether organization X and/or organization Y are subscribed to a specific resource ( That is, events) can be stored.

The programming code below provides for altering the "event_subscriptions_types" table to include the "resource_type" and "resource_id" columns:

ALTER TABLE event_subscriptions_types ADD COLUMN resource_type varchar(25) NOT NULL AFTER team_id

ALTER TABLE event_subscriptions_types ADD COLUMN resource_id bigint(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL AFTER resource_type

ALTER TABLE event_subscriptions_types ADD COLUMN ext_team_id bigint(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL AFTER team_id

ALTER TABLE event_subscriptions_types DROP PRIMARY KEY, ADD PRIMARY KEY event_subscription_id, team_id, event_type, resource_type, resource_id)

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the “channel_id” column and the “event_subscription_id” column may be added to the “event_subscriptions_types” table. The “channel_id” column identifies a group-based communication channel, and “event_subscription_id” identifies events to which each group-based communication channel is subscribed. Continuing from the "Tony vs. Frank" example, the "channel_id" column and the "event_subscription_id" column store information about which events each organization X and organization Y have subscribed to.

Additionally, some embodiments of the present disclosure may also create a new table in a shared communication channel shard, such as “event_subscriptions_ext_shared”, to store event subscription information for each team individually. The programming code below provides for the creation of the “event_subscriptions_ext_shared” table.

CREATE TABLE 'event_subscriptions_ext_shared' (

'subscription_team_id' bigint(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL,

'channel_id' bigint(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL,

'api_app_id' bigint(20) UNSIGNED NOT NULL,

'event_type' varchar(255) NOT NULL

PRIMARY KEY ('subscription_t_team_id', 'channel_id', 'event_type')

) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;

Additional implementation details

Although exemplary processing systems are described in FIGS. 2 and 3 , implementations of the subject matter and functional operations described herein may occur in other types of digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents. , firmware, or hardware, or in combinations of one or more of these.

Embodiments of the subject matter and operations described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of these. can be implemented Embodiments of the subject matter described herein are one or more computer programs, i.e. one of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer readable storage medium for execution by, or for controlling the operation of, an information/data processing apparatus. It can be implemented as the above modules. Alternatively, or in addition, the program instructions may be an artificially generated propagated signal, such as a mechanically generated electrical signal, generated to encode information/data for transmission to a suitable receiver device for execution by the information/data processing device. , can be encoded onto an optical or electromagnetic signal. A computer readable storage medium may be or be included in a computer readable storage device, a computer readable storage medium, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of these. Moreover, while a computer readable storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer readable storage medium may be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. A computer-readable storage medium can also be or be included in one or more separate physical components or media (eg, multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices).

The operations described herein may be implemented as operations performed by an information/data processing apparatus on information/data stored on one or more computer readable storage devices or received from other sources.

The term "data processing apparatus" refers to all kinds of apparatus, devices for processing data, including, by way of example, a programmable processor, computer, system-on-chip, or any number of the foregoing or combinations thereof. , and machines. The device may include a special purpose logic circuit, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The device may also include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, such as firmware, protocol stacks, database management systems, operating systems, cross-platform runtime environments, virtual machines, or one or more of these. It can contain the code that makes up the combination. The device and execution environment may realize a variety of different computing model infrastructures such as web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also referred to herein as a program, software, software application, script, or code) may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, which may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be part of a file holding other programs or information/data (e.g. one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to that program, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g. , files that store one or more modules, subprograms, or portions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input information/data and generating output. Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and information/data from read only memory, random access memory, or both. In some cases, a computer may include a processor for performing actions in accordance with the instructions and one or more memory devices for storing the instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, or receiving information/data from or receiving information/data from them. will be operably coupled to deliver or both. However, a computer need not have such devices. Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and information/data include, by way of example, semiconductor mobile devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, eg internal hard disks, eg internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented by or included in special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described herein may include a display device, such as a cathode ray (CRT) device, for displaying information/data to a user that enables the user to provide input to a computer. tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, and a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball. Other types of devices can be used to provide interaction with the user as well; For example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; Input from the user may be received in any form including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Also, the computer can transmit documents to and receive documents from a device used by a user; It may interact with the user, for example by sending web pages to the web browser on the user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.

Embodiments of the subject matter described herein may include a back-end component, such as an information/data server, or may include a middleware component, such as an application server, or may include a front-end component, such as a user, with an implementation of the subject matter described herein. It may be implemented in a computing system that includes a web browser or a client device having a graphical user interface that enables interaction, or includes any combination of one or more such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital information/data communication, such as a computer network. Examples of communication networks are local area networks ("LAN") and wide area networks ("WAN"), inter-networks (eg, Internet), and peer-to-peer networks (eg, ad hoc peer-to-peer). peer networks).

A computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by means of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In some embodiments, a server sends information/data (eg, an HTML page) to a client device (eg, for purposes of displaying the information/data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the client device). Information/data generated at the client device (eg, results of user interactions) may be received from the client device at the server.

Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on any embodiments or the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as a description of features specific to particular embodiments. do. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, while features may be described as acting in certain combinations and thus even initially asserted, one or more features from the asserted combination may in some cases be excised from the combination, and the asserted combination may be a subcombination. Or it may be about a variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while actions are depicted in a particular order in the figures, this does not require, unless stated otherwise, that such acts be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order in order to achieve desirable results; or that all illustrated operations must be performed. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and that the described program components and systems are generally integrated together in a single software product or It should be understood that it may be packaged into multiple software products.

As such, specific embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Further, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or sequential order in order to achieve desirable results, unless otherwise stated. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

conclusion

Although various embodiments in accordance with the principles disclosed herein have been shown and described above, modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein are representative only and are not intended to be limiting. Many variations, combinations, and modifications are possible and within the scope of the disclosure. Alternate embodiments resulting from combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of the embodiments are also within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description given above, but is defined by the claims that follow, which scope includes all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Each and every claim is incorporated into the specification as further disclosure, and the claims are an embodiment(s) of the disclosure. Moreover, any advantages and features described above may be directed to particular embodiments, but application of such claimed claims to achieve any or all of the above advantages or to any of the above features It will not be limited to processes and structures having one or all.

In addition, section headings used herein refer to 37 C.F.R. It is provided for compliance with proposals under §1.77 or otherwise to provide organizational signals. These headings are not intended to limit or characterize the disclosure presented in any claims that may be issued from this disclosure. For example, a description of a technology in the "Background" is not to be construed as an admission that certain technology is prior art to any of the disclosures herein. None of this is "inventive subject matter" which should be regarded as a limiting character of the disclosure set forth in the claimed claims. Moreover, any reference to “disclosure” or “embodiments” in the singular in this disclosure should not be used to assert that there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure. Many embodiments of this disclosure may be described in accordance with the limitations of a number of claims asserted from this disclosure, which claims thus define the disclosure, and their equivalents protected thereby. In all cases, the scope of the claims is to be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure, but should not be limited by the headings set forth herein.

Also, the techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated as separate or separate in the various embodiments may be combined with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. may be combined or incorporated. Other devices or components shown or discussed as being coupled or in communication with each other may be indirectly coupled, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise, through some intermediate device or component. Other examples of alterations, substitutions, and variations are discernible to those skilled in the art and can be made without departing from the scope disclosed herein.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art with the benefit of these embodiments having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings. Although the drawings show only certain components of the apparatus and systems described herein, it is understood that various other components may be used with the group-based communication platform disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. For example, various elements or components may be combined, rearranged, or integrated in other systems, or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. Moreover, the steps in any method described above may not necessarily occur in the order depicted in the accompanying drawings, and in some cases, one or more of the depicted steps may occur substantially simultaneously; or Additional steps may be involved. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (36)

As a computer implemented method,
Receiving an instruction to create a first communication channel associated with a first channel identification on a group-based communication platform, wherein the first communication channel is associated with a first organization and includes a first group identification corresponding to the first organization. only one or more associated first users are permitted to access first channel data associated with the first communication channel;
receiving, from a first client device associated with a user of the one or more first users, an instruction to create a second communication channel associated with a second channel identification on the group-based communication platform;
sending a request to a second client device of a second organization to authorize an association of the second communication channel with the second organization;
in response to receiving authorization of the request from the second client device of the second organization, associating the second organization with the second communication channel, the second communication channel comprising the first organization and the second communication channel; associated with at least two other organizations different from the first organization, wherein one or more second users of the at least two other organizations associated with the second organization are associated with a second group identification corresponding to the second organization; Associated with a third organization, one or more third users of the at least two other organizations are associated with a third group identification corresponding to the third organization, the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users are permitted to access second channel data associated with the second communication channel;
receiving a message from a third client device associated with one of the one or more first users, the one or more second users, or the one or more third users, the message being associated with the second channel identification; -; and
associating the message with the second channel data based at least in part on a determination that the message is associated with the second channel identification - based at least in part on associating the message with the second channel data; wherein the message is viewable by the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users via a channel-based user interface associated with the group-based communication platform. computer implemented method. According to claim 1,
wherein the message is presented in association with the second communication channel via the channel-based user interface. According to claim 2,
wherein the channel-based user interface includes an indication that the second communication channel is associated with at least one external entity. According to claim 2,
The second communication channel is associated with a messaging pane comprising one or more messages posted by at least one of the one or more first users, the one or more second users, or the one or more third users. and wherein the message is presented via the messaging panel. According to claim 1,
the request comprises a first request, the authorization comprises a first authorization;
At least prior to associating the third organization with the second communication channel:
sending a second request to a fourth client device of the third organization to authorize association of the second communication channel with the third organization; and
receiving a second authorization of the second request from the fourth client device of the third organization; and
associating the third organization with the second communication channel based at least in part on receiving the second authorization. According to claim 1,
the one or more first users are associated with a first set of permissions associated with the first organization;
the one or more second users are associated with a second set of permissions associated with the second organization;
wherein the one or more third users are associated with a third set of permissions associated with the third organization. According to claim 1,
The first group identification, the second group identification, and the third group identification are usable by the group-based communication platform to facilitate access control of individual messages or to determine a context for the individual messages. A computer implemented method that does at least one of: According to claim 1,
receiving another message from a fourth client device associated with one of the one or more first users, the another message associated with the first channel identification; and
based at least in part on a determination that the other message is associated with the first channel identification, transmitting the message to each client device associated with the first group identification, the message being sent to the channel associated with the group-based communication platform. viewable by the one or more first users via a base user interface and not viewable by the one or more second users or the one or more third users. According to claim 1,
wherein the one or more second users and the one or more third users are not permitted to access the first channel data associated with the first communication channel. As a system,
one or more processors;
one or more computer readable media storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
Receiving an instruction to create a first communication channel associated with a first channel identification on a group-based communication platform, the first communication channel being associated with a first organization and comprising: a first group identification corresponding to the first organization; only one or more associated first users are permitted to access first channel data associated with the first communication channel;
receiving, from a first client device associated with a user of the one or more first users, an instruction to create a second communication channel associated with a second channel identification on the group-based communication platform;
sending a request to a second client device of a second organization to authorize an association of the second communication channel with the second organization;
in response to receiving authorization of the request from the second client device of the second organization, associating the second organization with the second communication channel, the second communication channel comprising the first organization and the second communication channel; associated with at least two other organizations different from the first organization, wherein one or more second users of the at least two other organizations associated with the second organization are associated with a second group identification corresponding to the second organization; Associated with a third organization, one or more third users of the at least two other organizations are associated with a third group identification corresponding to the third organization, the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users are permitted to access second channel data associated with the second communication channel;
Receiving a message from a third client device associated with one of the one or more first users, the one or more second users, or the one or more third users, the message being associated with the second channel identification. -; and
associating the message with the second channel data based at least in part on a determination that the message is associated with the second channel identification - based at least in part on associating the message with the second channel data; the message is viewable by the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users via a channel-based user interface associated with the group-based communication platform; A system that makes them do things. According to claim 10,
These actions are
The first set of controls associated with the second communication channel to the first organization, the second set of controls associated with the second communication channel to the second organization, and the second communication channel to the third organization. further comprising determining a third set of controls associated with;
the first set of controls is different from the second set of controls, the third set of controls is different from at least one of the first set of controls or the second set of controls, and
and wherein at least one of the first set of controls, the second set of controls, or the third set of controls includes at least one of access controls or viewing privilege settings. According to claim 10,
These actions are
A first set of attributes associated with the second communication channel to the first organization, a second set of attributes associated with the second communication channel to the second organization, and the second communication channel to the third organization. Further comprising determining a third set of attributes associated with
wherein the first set of attributes is different from the second set of attributes, and wherein the third set of attributes is different from at least one of the first set of attributes or the second set of attributes. According to claim 12,
At least one of the first set of attributes, the second set of attributes, or the third set of attributes may be a name of the second communication channel, a purpose of the second communication channel, or a subject associated with the second communication channel. A system comprising at least one of According to claim 10,
The first instance of the channel-based user interface associated with the first organization is at least one of a second instance of the channel-based user interface associated with the second organization or a third instance of the channel-based user interface associated with the third organization. different from the system. According to claim 10,
wherein the instance of the channel-based user interface presented via the first client device includes an indication of the first communication channel and an indication of the second communication channel, and wherein the message is presented in association with the indication of the second communication channel. , system. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
Receiving an instruction to create a first communication channel associated with a first channel identification on a group-based communication platform, the first communication channel being associated with a first organization and comprising: a first group identification corresponding to the first organization; only one or more associated first users are permitted to access first channel data associated with the first communication channel;
receiving, from a first client device associated with a user of the one or more first users, an instruction to create a second communication channel associated with a second channel identification on the group-based communication platform;
sending a request to a second client device of a second organization to authorize an association of the second communication channel with the second organization;
in response to receiving authorization of the request from the second client device of the second organization, associating the second organization with the second communication channel, the second communication channel comprising the first organization and the second communication channel; associated with at least two other organizations different from the first organization, wherein one or more second users of the at least two other organizations associated with the second organization are associated with a second group identification corresponding to the second organization; Associated with a third organization, one or more third users of the at least two other organizations are associated with a third group identification corresponding to the third organization, the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users are permitted to access second channel data associated with the second communication channel;
Receiving a message from a third client device associated with one of the one or more first users, the one or more second users, or the one or more third users, the message being associated with the second channel identification. -; and
associating the message with the second channel data based at least in part on a determination that the message is associated with the second channel identification - based at least in part on associating the message with the second channel data; the message is viewable by the one or more first users, the one or more second users, and the one or more third users via a channel-based user interface associated with the group-based communication platform; One or more non-transitory computer readable media that cause According to claim 16,
The channel-based user interface, when presented via the first client device, includes the first communication channel and the second communication channel, the channel-based user interface being directed to the one or more second users or the one One or more non-transitory computer-readable media, when presented via a fourth client device associated with one of the above third users, including the second communication channel and excluding the first communication channel. According to claim 17,
wherein the channel-based user interface includes an indication that the second communication channel is associated with at least one external entity. According to claim 16,
These actions are
The first set of controls associated with the second communication channel to the first organization, the second set of controls associated with the second communication channel to the second organization, and the second communication channel to the third organization. further comprising determining a third set of controls associated with;
the first set of controls is different from the second set of controls, the third set of controls is different from at least one of the first set of controls or the second set of controls, and
wherein at least one of the first set of controls, the second set of controls, or the third set of controls includes at least one of access controls or viewing privilege settings. According to claim 16,
the request comprises a first request, the authorization comprises a first authorization;
The above actions are:
At least prior to associating the third organization with the second communication channel:
sending a second request to a fourth client device of the third organization to authorize association of the second communication channel with the third organization; and
receiving a second authorization of the second request from the fourth client device of the third organization; and
and associating the third organization with the second communication channel based at least in part on receiving the second authorization. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete