SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SHARING FILES BASED ON USER PROFILE VISIBILITY

• US 20160105442A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Movida, Mark, Bose, Miko A., Snell, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,462,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for sharing files based on user profile visibility. These mechanisms and methods for sharing files based on user profile visibility can enable community network systems to provide functionality restricting access to files based on the profile to which the file is posted. In particular, a file posted to a profile of one member of a community may be made accessible to other members of the community that are permitted to access that profile.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:

providing a community network through a database system of a community network system, the community network accessible to users after being identified through the database system and the database system storing in a memory associated with or part of the database system a profile of each of the users, each of the profiles identifying which of the users have viewing privileges through the database system to the profile;

receiving, by the community network system via the database system, a first file posted to a profile of a set of first users that are a subset of the users;

in response to receiving the first file, associating the profile of each of the first users with a reference to the first file;

receiving, from a second one of the users, a request for files posted to the community network, the request including criterion for the files;

generating, by the community network system, a query in accordance with the request;

executing the query, by a processor of the community network system, to provide the second user access to the first file based on viewing privileges of the second user, including;

determining that the first file meets criterion of the query,

determining the profile of each of the first users having the reference to the first file, and

providing the second user access to the first file when the profile of at least one of the first users is accessible to the second user,

otherwise the community network system denying the second user from accessing the first file when the profile of all of the first users is inaccessible to the second user.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein executing the query to provide the second user access to the first file based on viewing privileges of the second user, further includes:

determining whether the profile of any one of the first users is accessible to the second user.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the profile of any one of the first users is accessible to the second user is performed at run-time in response to receiving, from the second one of the users, the request for files posted to the community network.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein each of the profiles identifies which of the users have viewing privileges through the database system of the profile by indicating one or more types of the users have viewing privileges through the database system of the profile.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more types of the users includes a different user role.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the request for the files is received from the second user via a custom application.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the custom application submits the request for the files through an application programming interface (API) of the database system.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the criterion for the files included in the request received from the second user includes properties of the files.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each of the users has an account with the community network system through the database system.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein, for each of the users, the profile of the user is associated with the account of the user.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first file is posted to the profile of the set of first users by a third one of the users.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein, for each of the first users, the first file is posted to the profile of the first user by the third user posting the first file to a webpage of the community network that is specific to the profile of the first user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the webpage of the community network that is specific to the profile of the first user displays a content feed having content posted to the profile of the first user.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the viewing privileges of the second user are the basis for providing the second user with access to the first file when the first file is posted to the profile of the set of first users and when an option to share the file based on viewing privileges has been enabled.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein associating the profile of each of the first users with a reference to the first file includes storing in the database system a link object having an identifier of the profile of the first user and an identifier of the file.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the link object further includes an indicator that the first file is to be shared based on viewing privileges of the requesting user to the profile of the set of first users.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the query is generated to include an identifier associated with the second user.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the identifier associated with the second user is utilized when executing the query to determine whether the profile of at least one of the first users is accessible to the second user.

19. A method, comprising:

providing a community network through a database system of a community network system, the community network accessible to users after being identified through the database system and the database system storing in a memory associated with or part of the database system a profile of each of the users, each of the profiles identifying which of the users have viewing privileges through the database system to the profile;

receiving, by the community network system via the database system, a first file posted to a profile of a set of first users that are a subset of the users;

in response to receiving the first file, associating the profile of each of the first users with a reference to the first file;

receiving, from a second one of the users, a request for files posted to the community network, the request including criterion for the files;

generating, by the community network system, a query in accordance with the request;

executing the query, by a processor of the community network system, to provide the second user access to the first file based on viewing privileges of the second user, including;

determining that the first file meets criterion of the query,

determining the profile of each of the first users having the reference to the first file, and

providing the second user access to the first file when the profile of at least one of the first users is accessible to the second user,

otherwise the community network system denying the second user from accessing the first file when the profile of all of the first users is inaccessible to the second user.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for;

providing a community network through a database system of a community network system, the community network accessible to users after being identified through the database system and the database system storing in a memory associated with or part of the database system a profile of each of the users, each of the profiles identifying which of the users have viewing privileges through the database system to the profile;

receiving, by the community network system via the database system, a first file posted to a profile of a set of first users that are a subset of the users;

in response to receiving the first file, associating the profile of each of the first users with a reference to the first file;

receiving, from a second one of the users, a request for files posted to the community network, the request including criterion for the files;

generating, by the community network system, a query in accordance with the request;

executing the query, by a processor of the community network system, to provide the second user access to the first file based on viewing privileges of the second user, including;

determining that the first file meets criterion of the query,

determining the profile of each of the first users having the reference to the first file, and

providing the second user access to the first file when the profile of at least one of the first users is accessible to the second user,

otherwise the community network system denying the second user from accessing the first file when the profile of all of the first users is inaccessible to the second user.