Systems and methods for interacting with records via a publisher and an information feed

• US 9,063,632 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Beechuk, Scott D., Tamm, Steven, Kjellberg, Orjan, Krishnan, Arvind, Snyder, Benjamin, Ball, Luke A., Hale, Shannon, Nguyen, Khanh Kim P., Gradin, William, Mieritz, Anna Bonner, Maples, Beril Guvendik, Johnson, Gregg, Waite, Andrew, Perket, Scott Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/943,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 715751-753, 715756-758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for interacting with one or more records via a single user interface. The user interface includes a publisher and an information feed. A user may request to interact with a first record from the publisher. Information may be submitted through the publisher to interact with the first record to update the record. A feed item may be presented for inclusion in the information feed based on the update, where the feed item includes one or more actionable selections providing a reference to the first record. When a user selects one of the actionable selections, the user can perform additional interactions with the first record or perform a new interaction with a second record.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of interacting with one or more database records in an online social networking database system, the database system having formats for data, comprising:

providing, at a computing device, information to generate a user interface including a publisher configured to publish record information to a feed of a parent database record, the user interface configured to display the feed in association with the parent database record, the publisher configured to display first data fields formatted for receiving first information to update or create a first database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical association with the parent database record and being stored in the database system;

receiving, at the computing device, first information in one or more first data fields associated with the first database record to update or create the first database record from the publisher;

presenting a feed item regarding the update or creation of the first database record for inclusion in the feed in association with the parent database record in the user interface, the feed item including a selectable link providing a reference to the updated or created first database record;

receiving a user input selecting the selectable link; and

causing the publisher to display, in response to the user input, second data fields formatted for receiving second information to update the first database record or create a second database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical relationship with the second database record and being stored in the database system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first database record and the second database record is a customer relationship management (CRM) object, wherein the CRM object is one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task, a contact, a campaign, a contract, an event, a custom object, and a Visualforce page.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second information to create the second database record, wherein the publisher includes one or more publisher actions associated with the second database record, and wherein the second information is received in response to selection of at least one of the one or more publisher actions associated with the second database record.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving the user input selecting at least one of the selectable link, performing an operation having reference to the first database record using the second information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the operation includes at least one of creating a task, updating a task, creating an opportunity, updating an opportunity, creating a contact, updating a contact, creating a case, updating a case, creating an account, updating an account, creating an event, updating an event, logging a call, logging a task, logging a bug, creating an email, writing a note, creating a poll, closing a case, completing a task, closing a bug, sending an email, submitting an email for approval, posting to a portal, posting to a social network, adding a link, and adding a “

Thanks”

.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the database system based on the first information associated with the first database record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the publisher includes a custom action configured to update or create the first database record, and wherein receiving first information in one or more first data fields associated with the first database record to update or create the first database record includes:

receiving, at the computing device, a first user input selecting the custom action.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a user associated with the first information has permission to update or create the first database record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the user has permission includes:

identifying one or more user attributes of a profile of the user;

identifying one or more record attributes of the first record; and

comparing the one or more user attributes with the one or more record attributes to determine that the user has permission to update or create the first database record.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting another feed item regarding the update to the first database record based on the second information or creation of the second record for inclusion in the information feed of the parent database record in the user interface, wherein said another feed item includes another selectable link providing a reference to the updated first database record based on the second information or the created second database record.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the publisher includes:

one or more publisher actions;

a message body configured to provide a message content in the feed item;

a publisher space associated with the one or more publisher actions and configured to display the first data fields or the second data fields; and

a publisher component configured to transmit the message content with the first information or the second information to the database system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the computing device, user-defined dimensions of the publisher in the user interface; and

generating, by the computing device, a user-defined layout of the publisher in the user interface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed item regarding the update or creation of the first database record is included in at least one of:

a record feed having a parent-child relationship with the first database record, a record feed of the first database record, a news feed of a user associated with the user input, a news feed of an entity following the user, and a news feed of an entity subscribing to the first database record.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a feed item regarding the update to the first database record based on the second information or the creation of the second database record is included in at least one of:

a record feed having a parent-child relationship with the second database record, a record feed of the second database record, a news feed of a user associated with the user input, a news feed of an entity following the user, and a news feed of an entity subscribing to the second database record.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the publisher is configured to transmit the first information or the second information to update the database system via an application programming interface (API).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the API is configured for mobile display devices.

26. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user input is associated with a user that is different from a user associated with the update or creation of the first database record.

17. One or more computing devices for interacting with one or more database records in an online social networking database system, the database system having formats for data, the one or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors operable to;

cause information to be provided to generate a user interface including a publisher configured to publish record information to a feed of a parent database record, the user interface configured to display the feed in association with the parent database record, the publisher configured to display first data fields formatted for receiving first information to update or create a first database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical association with the parent database record and being stored in the database system;

receive first information via one or more data fields associated with the first database record to update or create the first database record from the publisher;

cause a feed item to be presented regarding the update or creation of the first database record for inclusion in the feed in association with the parent database record in the user interface, the feed item including a selectable link providing a reference to the updated or created first database record;

receive a user input selecting the selectable link; and

cause the publisher to display, in response to the user input, second data fields formatted for of receiving second information to update the first database record or create a second database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical association with the second database record and being stored in the database system.

18. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein each of the first database record and the second database record is a customer relationship management (CRM) object, wherein the CRM object is one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task, a contact, a campaign, a contract, an event, a custom object, and a Visualforce page.

19. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the database system to be updated based on the first information associated with the first database record.

20. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein the publisher includes a custom action configured to update or create the first database record, and wherein the one or more processors configured to execute one or more instructions to receive first information in one or more first data fields associated with the first database record to update or create the first database record includes one or more instructions to:

receive a first user input selecting the custom action.

21. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause:

determining that a user associated with the first interaction information has permission to update or create the first database record.

22. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein the feed item regarding the update or creation of the first database record is included in at least one of:

a record feed having a parent-child relationship with the first database record, a record feed of the first database record, a news feed of a user associated with the user input, a news feed of an entity following the user, and a news feed of an entity subscribing to the first database record.

23. The one or more computing devices of claim 17, wherein the publisher is configured to transmit the first information or the second information to update the database system via an application programming interface (API).

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing device to cause a method to be performed for interacting with one or more database records in an online social networking database system, the database system having formats for data, the method comprising:

providing, at a computing device, information to generate a user interface including a publisher configured to publish record information to a feed of a parent database record, the user interface configured to display the feed in association with the parent database record, the publisher configured to display first data fields formatted for receiving first information to update or create a first database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical association with the parent database record and being stored in the database system;

receiving, at the computing device, first information in one or more first data fields associated with the first database record to update or create the first database record from the publisher;

presenting a feed item regarding the update or creation of the first database record for inclusion in the information feed in association with the parent database record in the user interface, the feed item including a selectable link providing a reference to the updated or created first database record;

receiving a user input selecting the selectable link; and

causing the publisher to display, in response to the user input, second data fields formatted for receiving second information to update the first database record or create a second database record according to the formats of the database system, the first database record having a hierarchical association with the second database record and being stored in the database system.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein each of the first database record and the second database record is a customer relationship management (CRM) object, wherein the CRM object is one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task, a contact, a campaign, a contract, an event, a custom object, and a Visualforce page.

27. A computer implemented method of interacting with one or more database records in an online social networking database system, the database system having formats for data, the method comprising:

providing, at one or more servers associated with the database system, interface data capable to cause the generation of a user interface at a user device, the user interface including a display of first data fields configured to update information to one or more feeds, the one or more feeds including a feed of a parent database record to a first database record, and the one or more feeds including filtering criteria for controlling a display of feed items in the one or more feeds;

receiving, at the one or more servers, a request to update information to the one or more feeds in response to a user interacting with the first data fields, wherein the updated information provides information in the first data fields to associate with the first database record to update the first database record or to associate with a second database record to create the second database record, wherein the second database record has a hierarchical relationship with the first database record;

sending an update to the database system based on the request to update information; and

causing, by the one or more servers, transmission of a feed item associated with the updated information to the one or more feeds so that the display of the feed item is provided in any of the one or more feeds permitted by the filtering criteria, wherein the feed item includes a selectable link providing a reference to one of the updated first database record and the created second database record, the selectable link configured to cause the user interface to display second data fields formatted for receiving information to update the first database record, to update the second database record, or to create a third database record, wherein the third database record is a child of the first or second database record.

28. The computer implemented method of claim 27, wherein the feed item is provided in a feed of a second user interface different from the first user interface.

29. A social networking database system capable of updating source information in a separate system separate from the social networking database system without having a user leave a user interface of the social networking database system, the database system configurable to:

providing interface data to generate a user interface at a user device to the social networking database, the user interface including a feed portion to provide a feed of information provided from the database system;

receiving linked information from the separate system and providing at least a first portion of the linked information as a further part of the interface data to cause to be included with the interface data to cause a display of at least a portion of the linked information in the display of the user interface as an object in the feed portion and providing information as a further part of the interface data to generate in the user interface input controls associated with the object that permit the user to modify the linked information of the object in the display;

receiving an update to the source information through a user interacting with the input controls without the user leaving the feed portion; and

sending the update to the received linked information based on the user interaction to the separate system without leaving the feed portion.

30. The social networking database system of claim 29, wherein the database system is e further configurable to:

cause transmission of a feed item regarding the update to the source information to be displayed in a feed portion of a second user.

31. The social networking database system of claim 29, wherein the data provided to generate the input controls includes information that generates in the user interface data fields formatted according to the separate system for receiving data to update the source information.