Embedded Third-Party Objects in Communication Platform Interfaces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication platforms require users to leave the platform to access and interact with third-party objects, leading to inefficient and frustrating user experiences due to the need for multiple interface toggling.

Innovation Solution

Integrate third-party objects and communication platform functionalities directly within a single user interface, allowing users to access and interact with both without leaving the platform, using mechanisms like iframes and embeddable browsers to partition and independently interact with both platforms' data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users access third-party objects through external platforms, then they can interact with third-party functionality, but they must leave the communication platform causing inefficient user experience

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess to third-party functionalityVSAvoiduser interaction efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the third-party platform interface with the communication platform interface by embedding the third-party content within iframes that are displayed inside the communication platform's user interface. This allows users to access third-party objects and functionality without leaving the communication platform, eliminating the need to toggle between multiple interfaces and improving user interaction efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple interfaces are used for communication and third-party access, then functionality is available, but processing resources are consumed by multiple interface transitions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform functionalityVSAvoidprocessing resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple platform interfaces into a single unified interface by embedding third-party content within iframes. This eliminates the need to load and transition between separate interface instances, reducing processing resource consumption while maintaining access to both communication platform functionality and third-party objects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If third-party objects are accessed externally, then platform independence is maintained, but user experience is degraded due to interface switching

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform independenceVSAvoidtime for interface transitions
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the third-party platform interface into the communication platform interface using iframes, allowing users to access third-party objects without leaving the communication platform. This eliminates interface transition time and provides a seamless user experience while maintaining the independence of both platforms through the iframe embedding mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4256773B1Integrating a third-party platform into a communication platform
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 SALESFORCE INC
  • EP4256773B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4256773B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4256773B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Integrating a third-party platform into a communication platform to enable a user to interact with a third-party object from within the communication platform is described. In an example, an actuation mechanism can be associated with a reference to an object, associated with a third-party platform, presented via a user interface of the group-based communication platform. Based at least in part on detecting an input associated with the user interface, the object can be retrieved from the third-party platform. In an example, the object can be presented via the user interface, wherein one or more messages associated with the group-based communication platform are presented via a first section of the user interface and the object is presented via a second section of the user interface, and wherein the first section and the second section are presented simultaneously and are independently interactable.