# US 11,310,065 B2 · Methods and apparatuses for determining a user status avatar for rendering within a group-based communication interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,310,065 B2 - Document ID: US11310065B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/129,102 - Filed: 2020-12-21 - Published: 2021-06-03 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-31 - Assignees: Slack Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Slack Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Roland Schemers; James McPhail; Lydia Han; San Oo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310065B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - H04L 12/1818: {Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties} - H04L 12/1827: {Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation} - H04L 12/1831: {Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status} - H04L 51/043: using or handling presence information - H04L 67/54: Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products for programmatically determining a user status avatar that is configured for transmitting as renderable within a group-based communication interface of a group-based communication system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for rendering a user status avatar within a group-based communication system, the method comprising the steps of: determining the user status avatar from a plurality of user status avatars for a user of the group-based communication system, wherein the group-based communication system comprises a plurality of group-based communication channels providing a communications environment to display communications posted by channel members of each respective group-based communication channel, wherein the user status avatar is associated with a current availability of the user; rendering the user status avatar in the group-based communication system; and displaying additional information relating to the user status avatar in response to another user hovering over the user status avatar, the additional information reflecting external engagement data relating to the user availability. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the user status avatar is associated with a user status data object comprising an external resource user identifier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a set of avatar rendering settings, wherein the user status avatar is rendered within the group-based communication system based on the avatar rendering settings. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a user status data object from an external resource, wherein the user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The computer-readable media of claim 4, wherein the external resource is one of a calendar service or an email service. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving a user activity data log from a repository of the group-based communication system, wherein the user activity data log documents user engagement with the group-based communication system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving an encrypted validated user status data object from a validated external resource, wherein the encrypted validated user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability in encrypted form. ### Claim 8 A method for rendering a user status avatar within a group-based communication system, the method comprising the steps of: determining the user status avatar from a plurality of user status avatars for a user of the group-based communication system, wherein the group-based communication system comprises a plurality of group-based communication channels providing a communications environment to display communications posted by channel members of each respective group-based communication channel, wherein the user status avatar is associated with a current availability of the user; rendering the user status avatar in the group-based communication system; and displaying additional information relating to the user status avatar in response to another user hovering over the user status avatar, the additional information reflecting external engagement data relating to the user availability. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the user status avatar is associated with a user status data object comprising an external resource user identifier. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving a set of avatar rendering settings, wherein the user status avatar is rendered within the group-based communication system based on the avatar rendering settings. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving a user status data object from an external resource, wherein the user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the external resource is one of a calendar service or an email service. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of retrieving a user activity data log from a repository of the group-based communication system, wherein the user activity data log documents user engagement with the group-based communication system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving an encrypted validated user status data object from a validated external resource, wherein the encrypted validated user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability in encrypted form. ### Claim 15 A system for rendering a user status avatar within a group-based communication system, the system comprising: a processor programmed to perform a method for rendering the user status avatar within the group-based communication system, the method comprising the steps of: determining the user status avatar from a plurality of user status avatars for a user of the group-based communication system, wherein the group-based communication system comprises a plurality of group-based communication channels providing a communications environment to display communications posted by channel members of each respective group-based communication channel, wherein the user status avatar is associated with a current availability of the user; rendering the user status avatar in the group-based communication system; and displaying additional information relating to the user status avatar in response to another user hovering over the user status avatar, the additional information reflecting external engagement data relating to the user availability. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to perform the step of receiving a set of avatar rendering settings, wherein the user status avatar is rendered within the group-based communication system based on the avatar rendering settings. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to perform the step of receiving a user status data object from an external resource, wherein the user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the external resource is one of a calendar service or an email service. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to perform the step of retrieving a user activity data log from a repository of the group-based communication system, wherein the user activity data log documents user engagement with the group-based communication system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to perform the step of receiving an encrypted validated user status data object from a validated external resource, wherein the encrypted validated user status data object comprises the external engagement data relating to user availability in encrypted form.