Methods and apparatus for an integrated incubation environment

• US 9,654,522 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Satyanarayanan, Rajaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Sison, June
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/874,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method includes providing a first party and a second party access to an integrated incubation environment (e.g., a multi-tenant system) residing on a server; storing, on the server, information relating to a collaborative project, wherein a first portion of the information is received from the first party, and a second portion of the information is received from the second party; and presenting the information to the first party and the second party over a network using at least one social network component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating upon request, at a server, an integrated incubation environment, wherein the integrated incubation environment is implemented as a multi-tenant database system connected to the server, wherein the multi-tenant database system creates and supports at least one virtual application based on data from a common database shared among multiple tenants, wherein each of the multiple tenants has access to a distinct and separate set of the data from the common database, wherein a subset of the data and services provided from the server to one of the multiple tenants is securely isolated from a second subset of the data and services provided to a remainder of the multiple tenants, and wherein the multiple tenants comprises a subset and a remainder;

providing, by the server over a network, a first party and a second party access to the integrated incubation environment connected to the server, the integrated incubation environment capable of storing information related to a collaborative project of the first party and the second party;

receiving, by the server, a first portion of information related to the collaborative project from the first party to be stored in the integrated incubation environment;

receiving, by the server, a second portion of information related to the collaborative project from the second party to be stored in the integrated incubation environment;

storing, on the server, the information relating to the collaborative project; and

providing, by the server over the network, the information to the first party and the second party through a social media network component, by executing the at least one virtual application supported by the multi-tenant database system, the at least one virtual application configured to;

extract relevant keywords associated with the collaborative project;

configure a social media monitoring tool using relevant keywords for external social networks, wherein the social media monitoring tool is configured to monitor and analyze activity on the social media network component;

receive social media analytics from the social media monitoring tool, wherein the social media analytics are associated with the relevant keywords;

associate the social media analytics with the collaborative project;

render the social media analytics; and

generate a collaboration panel based on rendered social media analytics, wherein the collaboration panel is hosted by the multi-tenant database system;

wherein the social media network component is configured to render a graphical user interface comprising the collaboration panel populated with a status update feed that displays a user-selectable post that includes the information and other details associated with the collaborative project, and wherein the social media analytics comprise the user-selectable post.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the information is received from a first party comprising an innovation collaborator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second portion of the information is received from a second party comprising a third-party stakeholder.

4. The method of claim 1, further including receiving a third portion of the information from at least one external social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is presented to the first party and the second party via HTTP.

6. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to:

generate upon request, at a server, an integrated incubation environment, wherein the integrated incubation environment is implemented as a multi-tenant database system and is connected to the server, wherein the multi-tenant database system creates and supports at least one virtual application based on data from a common database shared among multiple tenants, wherein each of the multiple tenants has access to a distinct and separate set of the data from the common database, wherein a subset of the data and services provided from the server to one of the multiple tenants is securely isolated from a second subset of the data and services provided to a remainder of the multiple tenants, and wherein the multiple tenants comprises a subset and a remainder;

provide access, by the server over a network, to a first party and a second party to the integrated incubation environment connected to the server, the integrated incubation environment capable of storing information related to a collaborative project of the first party and the second party;

receive, by the server, a first portion of information related to the collaborative project from the first party to be stored in the integrated incubation environment;

receive, by the server, a second portion of information related to the collaborative project from the second party to be stored in the integrated incubation environment;

store, on the server, the information relating to the collaborative project; and

provide, by the server over the network, the information to the first party and the second party through a social media network component, by executing the at least one virtual application supported by the multi-tenant database system, the at least one virtual application configured to;

extract relevant keywords associated with the collaborative project;

configure a social media monitoring tool using relevant keywords for external social networks, wherein the social media monitoring tool is configured to monitor and analyze activity on the social media network component;

receive social media analytics from the social media monitoring tool, wherein the social media analytics are associated with the relevant keywords;

associate the social media analytics with the collaborative project;

render the social media analytics; and

generate a collaboration panel based on the rendered social media analytics, wherein the collaboration panel is hosted by the multi-tenant database system;

wherein the social media network component is configured to render a graphical user interface comprising the collaboration panel populated with a status update feed that displays a user-selectable post that includes the information and other details associated with the collaborative project, and wherein the social media analytics comprise the user-selectable post.

7. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processing system to receive a third portion of the information from at least one external social network.

8. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the information is presented to the first party and the second party via HTTP.

9. An integrated incubation environment implemented as a multi-tenant database system that creates and supports at least one virtual application based on data from a common database shared among multiple tenants, the integrated incubation environment comprising one or more processors in communication with one or more memories, to provide:

a server configured to;

securely communicate with a first party and a second party over a network;

generate, upon request, the integrated incubation environment, wherein the integrated incubation environment is connected to the server; and

to provide, over a network, the first party and the second party access to the integrated incubation environment connected to the server, wherein each of the multiple tenants has access to a distinct and separate set of the data from the common database, wherein a subset of the data and services provided from the server to one of the multiple tenants is securely isolated from a second subset of the data and services provided to a remainder of the multiple tenants, and wherein the multiple tenants comprises a subset and a remainder;

a memory of the integrated incubation environment, for storing information relating to a collaborative project, wherein a first portion of the information is received from the first party, and a second portion of the information is received from the second party; and

a social media network component configured to provide the information to the first party and the second party over the network, by executing the at least one virtual application supported by the multi-tenant database system, the at least one virtual application configured to;

extract relevant keywords associated with the collaborative project;

configured a social media monitoring tool using relevant keywords for external social networks, wherein the social media monitoring tool is configured to monitor and analyze activity on the social media network component;

receive social media analytics from the social media monitoring tool, wherein the social media analytics are associated with the relevant keywords;

associate the social media analytics with the collaborative project;

render the social media analytics; and

generate a collaboration panel based on the rendered social media analytics, wherein the collaboration panel is hosted by the multi-tenant database system;

wherein the social media network component is further configured to render a user interface comprising the collaboration panel populated with a status update feed that displays a user-selectable post that includes the information and other details associated with the collaborative project, and wherein the social media analytics comprise the user-selectable post.

10. The integrated incubation environment of claim 9, wherein the first party is an innovation collaborator.

11. The integrated incubation environment of claim 10, wherein the second party is a third-party stakeholder.

12. The integrated incubation environment of claim 9, wherein the information includes a third portion received from at least one external social network.

13. The integrated incubation environment of claim 9, wherein the server further comprises a hidden Markov model training subsystem configured to produce a model related to the collaborative project.

14. The integrated incubation environment of claim 13, wherein the server further includes at least one runtime component configured to produce a graphical depiction of the information based on the model.