Computer implemented methods and apparatus for communicating feed information to one or more recipients

• US 8,984,051 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsen, Joseph M., Dunn, Zachary J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABU ROUMI, MAHRAN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/440,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable media for communicating feed information to one or more recipients. In some implementations, an instruction to communicate an information update to one or more identified first recipients is received. In some instances, an additional recipient indicator is identified and an identification of one or more second recipients based on the additional recipient indicator is generated. In some instances, the one or more second recipients are provided access to the information update.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for communicating feed information to one or more recipients, the method comprising:

receiving, via a user interface for accessing a social networking system, an identification of one or more first recipients to whom to communicate an information update configured to be published to an information feed of the social networking system, the information feed capable of being displayed on a display device;

receiving, via the user interface, a first indicator in addition to the identification of the one or more first recipients;

identifying the first indicator as a request to communicate the information update to one or more recipients in addition to the one or more first recipients;

automatically causing identification of one or more second recipients responsive to identifying the first indicator, the identification of the one or more second recipients based on the one or more first recipients, the identification of the one or more second recipients comprising;

determining that an entity satisfies a relevance measure associated with the first indicator, the determination based on performance of one or more operations and application of weighting information in relation to the one or more operations to indicate a degree of relevance between the entity and a first recipient, and

selecting the entity to be included in the one or more second recipients;

identifying a second indicator as a request to not communicate the information update to one or more potential recipients;

automatically causing identification of one or more potential third recipients based on the second indicator, the one or more potential third recipients being excluded from having access to the information update; and

providing the information update for access by the one or more second recipients.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more second recipients include one or more of:

a user, a group, and a record.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more second recipients are defined by the one or more first recipients.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more second recipients are defined by a user.

5. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the one or more second recipients.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein providing the information update for access includes:

storing the information update in a storage medium in association with the one or more second recipients.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein providing the information update for access includes:

sending an email to a computing device associated with the one or more second recipients.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein providing the information update for access includes:

presenting the information update in the information feed for access by the one or more second recipients.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the operations include:

determining whether the one or more first recipients follows the entity, determining whether the entity follows the one or more first recipients, determining whether the entity and the one or more first recipients are included in a group, determining a relationship between the one or more first recipients and the entity in an organization, determining whether profile information of the one or more first recipients includes information associated with the entity, and determining whether historical information of the one or more first recipients is associated with the entity.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the information update is stored in a multitenant database accessible to a plurality of tenants via an on-demand computing services environment.

11. One or more computing devices for communicating feed information to one or more recipients, the one or more computing devices comprising:

at least one storage medium storing instructions;

at least one processor capable of executing the instructions to cause the one or more computing devices to;

receive, via a user interface for accessing a social networking system, an identification of one or more first recipients to whom to communicate an information update configured to be published to an information feed of the social networking system, the information feed capable of being displayed on a display device;

receive, via the user interface, a first indicator in addition to the identification of the one or more first recipients;

identify the first indicator as a request to communicate the information update to one or more recipients in addition to the one or more first recipients;

automatically cause identification of one or more second recipients responsive to identifying the first indicator, the identification of the one or more second recipients based on the one or more first recipients, the identification of the one or more second recipients comprising;

determining that an entity satisfies a relevance measure associated with the first indicator, the determination based on performance of one or more operations and application of weighting information in relation to the one or more operations to indicate a degree of relevance between the entity and a first recipient, and

selecting the entity to be included in the one or more second recipients;

identify a second indicator as a request to not communicate the information update to one or more potential recipients;

automatically cause identification of one or more potential third recipients based on the second indicator, the one or more potential third recipients being excluded from having access to the information update; and

provide the information update for access by the one or more second recipients.

12. The one or more computing devices of claim 11, wherein the operations include:

determine whether the one or more first recipients follows the entity, determine whether the entity follows the one or more first recipients, determine whether the entity and the one or more first recipients are included in a group, determine a relationship between the one or more first recipients and the entity in an organization, determine whether profile information of the one or more first recipients includes information associated with the entity, and determine whether historical information of the one or more first recipients is associated with the entity.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing device to cause a method to be performed for communicating information to one or more recipients, the method comprising:

receiving, via a user interface for accessing a social networking system, an identification of one or more first recipients to whom to communicate an information update configured to be published to an information feed of the social networking system, the information feed capable of being displayed on a display device;

receiving, via the user interface, a first indicator in addition to the identification of the one or more first recipients;

identifying the first indicator as a request to communicate the information update to one or more recipients in addition to the one or more first recipients;

automatically causing identification of one or more second recipients responsive to identifying the first indicator, the identification of the one or more second recipients based on the one or more first recipients, the identification of the one or more second recipients comprising;

determining that an entity satisfies a relevance measure associated with the first indicator, the determination based on performance of one or more operations and application of weighting information in relation to the one or more operations to indicate a degree of relevance between the entity and a first recipient, and

selecting the entity to be included in the one or more second recipients;

identifying a second indicator as a request to not communicate the information update to one or more potential recipients;

automatically causing identification of one or more potential third recipients based on the second indicator, the one or more potential third recipients being excluded from having access to the information update; and

providing the information update for access by the one or more second recipients.