Systems and methods for cross domain service component interaction

• US 9,241,017 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Beechuk, Scott D., Kjellberg, Orjan N., Krishnan, Arvind
• Primary Examiner(s): RIEGLER, PATRICK F
• Application Number:
  US13/935,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for interacting with components across different domains in a single user interface in an online social network. The user interface includes a first component and a second component, where the first component exposes content from a first database system at a first network domain and the second component exposes content from a second database system at a second network domain. A first interaction with the first component is received at a computing device, followed by a reference being provided in the second component, where the reference includes information related to the first interaction. A second interaction with the second component regarding the reference can be received at the computing device. Interactions between the components hosted on different database systems can occur through an application programming interface (API).

Claims

1. A method for interacting with components across different domains in a single user interface providing access to an enterprise social networking system implemented using a database system comprising a customer relationship management (CRM) database, the method comprising:

providing, from a server associated with the database system to a computing device, data to generate a user interface comprising a first component and a second component, the first component configured to expose content from a first network domain, the second component configured to expose content from a second network domain, the second network domain being different from the first network domain, the second component comprising a presentation of a CRM record feed dedicated to an identifiable CRM record stored in the CRM database, the CRM record feed configured to share, with one or more users following the identifiable CRM record, updates associated with the identifiable CRM record, the second component further comprising a publisher configured to receive and publish data to the CRM record feed;

receiving, at the server from the computing device, an indication of a first interaction with the first component;

causing, by the server, responsive to receiving the indication of the first interaction, a reference to populate a field of the publisher of the second component, the reference comprising first data related to the first interaction with the first component;

receiving, at the server from the computing device, an indication of a second interaction with the second component regarding the reference; and

causing, by the server, responsive to receiving the indication of the second interaction, the publisher to publish a feed item to the CRM record feed, the feed item comprising or identifying the reference.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the server, a data object stored in the database system and associated with a first identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving, by the server, the data object associated with the first identifier; and

identifying, by the server, a second identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reference is used to retrieve the data object with the second identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein retrieving the data object associated with the first identifier comprises rendering the data object into an attachment file, the attachment file associated with the reference provided in the second component.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the server from the computing device, a network transmission to one or more entities including the data object with the second identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the field of the publisher is configured to be populated without refreshing the user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network domain is outside of a multi-tenant database environment and the second network domain is within the multi-tenant database environment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating, by the server, the database system with the feed item published to the CRM record feed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component comprises a searchable database of a plurality of articles.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the first interaction with the first component includes at least one of:

a request to attach a data object, embed a data object, view a data object, download a data object, upload a data object, record a data object, search for a data object, and email a data object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference is used to communicate through an application programming interface (API).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first interaction and the second interaction are received at the server from the computing device through the API.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network domain is controlled by a data service provider, and the first network domain is controlled by an entity different from the data service provider.

15. A database system for interacting with components across different domains in a single user interface providing access to an enterprise social networking system implemented using the database system, the database system comprising a customer relationship management (CRM) database, the database system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more instructions to:

provide data to generate a user interface comprising a first component and a second component, the first component configured to expose content from a first network domain, the second component configured to expose content from a second network domain, the second network domain being different from the first network domain, the second component comprising a presentation of a CRM record feed dedicated to an identifiable CRM record stored in the CRM database, the CRM record feed configured to share, with one or more users following the identifiable CRM record, updates associated with the identifiable CRM record, the second component further comprising a publisher configured to receive and publish data to the CRM record feed;

process an indication of a first interaction with the first component;

provide, responsive to receiving the indication of the first interaction, a reference to populate a field of the publisher of the second component, the reference comprising first data related to the first interaction with the first component;

process an indication of a second interaction with the second component regarding the reference; and

cause, responsive to receiving the indication of the second interaction, the publisher to publish a feed item to the CRM record feed, the feed item comprising or identifying the reference.

16. The database system of claim 15, the database system further configurable to:

identify a data object stored in the database system and associated with a first identifier.

17. The database system of claim 16, the database system further configurable to:

retrieve the data object associated with the first identifier.

18. A computer program product comprising program code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to be executed by at least one processor, the program code comprising instructions executable to cause a method to be performed for interacting with components across different domains in a single user interface providing access to an enterprise social networking system implemented using a database system comprising a customer relationship management (CRM) database, the method comprising:

providing, from a server associated with the database system to a computing device, data to generate a user interface comprising a first component and a second component, the first component configured to expose content from a first network domain, the second component configured to expose content from a second network domain, the second network domain being different from the first network domain, the second component comprising a presentation of a CRM record feed dedicated to an identifiable CRM record stored in the CRM database, the CRM record feed configured to share, with one or more users following the identifiable CRM record, updates associated with the identifiable CRM record, the second component further comprising a publisher configured to receive and publish data to the CRM record feed;

receiving, at the server from the computing device, an indication of a first interaction with the first component;

causing, by the server, responsive to receiving the indication of the first interaction, a reference to populate a field of the publisher of the second component, the reference comprising first data related to the first interaction with the first component;

receiving, at the server from the computing device, an indication of a second interaction with the second component regarding the reference; and

causing, by the server, responsive to receiving the indication of the second interaction, the publisher to publish a feed item to the CRM record feed, the feed item comprising or identifying the reference.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, by the server, a data object stored in the database system and associated with a first identifier;

retrieving, by the server, the data object associated with the first identifier;

identifying, by the server, a second identifier; and

receiving, at the server from the computing device, a network transmission to one or more entities including the data object with the second identifier.