System, method and computer program product for providing a team object in association with an object

• US 9,201,907 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Tsai, Benjamin, Tang, Michael, Casalaina, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, LAN DAI T
• Application Number:
  US13/445,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/243, 709/244
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for providing a team object in association with an object. These mechanisms and methods for providing a team object in association with an object can allow for centralized management of a team in association with an object. For example, members of the team may be automatically identified (e.g. without manual intervention) for receiving notifications in association with an object.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including computer code adapted to be executed by a computer to perform a method comprising:

storing, by a system having hardware and software shared over a network by multiple customers of the system, an object for one of the customers, wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, by the system from a user associated with the customer, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the customer by being a user of the customer and being provided access to the system via a subscription of the customer with the system, and a second member that is not associated with the customer and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the customer, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team; and

creating, by the system, a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including in the system a reference between the team object and the object;

identifying, by the system, a modification made to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying, by the system, the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object, by the system, the at least two members of the team; and

notifying, by the system, the identified at least two members of the team of the modification made to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least two members of the team are notified based on the at least two members being identified from the team object.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the team object is created by defining the team requested to be added to the object.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the team object defines the team by defining the at least one member of the team.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the team object defines the team by assigning a role to each member of the team.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the role defines notification settings for the member.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the notification settings indicate actions associated with the object of which the member is to be notified.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the notification is sent based on the notification settings.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the team object is created from a predefined team object, the predefined team object including a template of members and roles assigned to each of the members.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer program product is operable such that changes made to the predefined team object are automatically propagated to the created team object.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the team object is created based on predefined assignment rules indicating for the object a predefined member to be automatically included in the team object.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the modification includes an electronic message added to the object.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the object is of a particular type, such that the object stores data of the particular type.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein based on the association between the team object and the object, a selectable entry is provided on a user interface of the system, and when the selectable entry is selected by one of the members of the team, a report is provided to the member listing at least in part the object.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the report lists each object having an associated team object that includes the identifier of the member.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor of a system for;

storing, by the system having hardware and software shared over a network by multiple customers of the system, an object for one of the customers, wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, by the system from a user associated with the customer, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the customer by being a user of the customer and being provided access to the system via a subscription of the customer with the system, and a second member that is not associated with the customer and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the customer, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team; and

creating, by the system, a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including in the system a reference between the team object and the object;

identifying, by the system, a modification made to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying, by the system, the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object, by the system, the at least two members of the team; and

notifying, by the system, the identified at least two members of the team of the modification made to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least two members of the team are notified based on the at least two members being identified from the team object.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is coupled to memory via a bus.

17. A method, comprising:

storing, by a system having hardware and software shared over a network by multiple customers of the system, an object for one of the customers, wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, by the system from a user associated with the customer, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the customer by being a user of the customer and being provided access to the system via a subscription of the customer with the system, and a second member that is not associated with the customer and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the customer, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team; and

creating, by the system, a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including in the system a reference between the team object and the object;

identifying, by the system, a modification made to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying, by the system, the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object, by the system, the at least two members of the team; and

notifying, by the system, the identified at least two members of the team of the modification made to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least two members of the team are notified based on the at least two members being identified from the team object.