Notifying users of available searched domain names

• US 10,296,506 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kamdar, Tapan, Beadnall, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwa, Shyue Jiunn
• Application Number:
  US14/591,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20160196300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/302 Administrative registration, e.g. for domain names at internet corporation for assigned names and numbers [ICANN]

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention provide for one or more server computers communicatively coupled to a network and configured to: receive a search for a domain name; query a domain name registration record to determine an availability status of the domain name; if the domain name is unavailable, store the domain name in association with the user data record and a search date; determine whether a change in the availability status has occurred; and if so, determine whether the duration of time since the search date has passed; and if not, transmit to the contact a notice of the change in the availability status.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a server comprising a computing device coupled to a network and including at least one processor executing instructions within a memory which, when executed, cause the system to:

responsive to a determination that an availability status of a domain name, determined from a domain name registration record, is unavailable;

identify a user identifier associated with a user operating a client coupled to the network from which a domain name registration request was received, the domain name registration request comprising a token;

access a domain name registration log to determine a plurality of optimal default values associated with the user identifier and comprising;

an average time, for a plurality of domain name registrations associated with the user identifier, between the user requesting a registered domain name, and the user registering the registered domain name;

at least one second level domain (SLD), within the plurality of domain name registrations, including the token or at least one synonym of the token; and

a top level domain (TLD) that appears most frequently within the plurality of domain name registrations;

store the domain name in association with the user data record and a search date;

determine whether a change in an availability status for the domain name has occurred;

responsive to a determination that the change in the availability status has occurred, determine whether a duration of time since the search date has passed, the duration of time being automatically determined from the average time; and

responsive to a determination that the duration of time since the search date has not passed, transmit, to a user contact associated with the user identifier, a notice of the change in the availability status.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the domain name registration request is aggregated with a plurality of searches into a domain name search log comprising a plurality of domain name search records, each of the plurality of domain name search records comprising:

the user identifier;

a domain name or keyword searched; and

a date of the search.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user contact comprises:

an email address;

a number for a text or phone message;

a social media account access data;

or

a control panel access data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

render, transmit and display, on the client communicatively coupled to the network, a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive at least one parameter of the notice comprising;

the duration of time;

an amount and format of the notice;

a TLD preference;

an SLD name preference; and

generate and transmit, through the network, the notice based on the at least one parameter.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the system to calculate and set an optimal default value for the at least one parameter from at least one domain name search and at least one domain name registration.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the duration of time is calculated by identifying an average or a longest time period between a domain name search and a domain name registration.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the amount and format of the notice are determined by:

at least one domain name searched or registered by the user;

a token distance between a plurality of searched or registered domain names;

at least one related or synonymous keyword in the plurality of searched or registered domain names;

a TLD or an SLD in the plurality of searched or registered domain names;

or

a valuation or aftermarket price for each of the plurality of searched or registered domain names.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the SLD comprises at least one keyword or a synonym of the at least one keyword in the search.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the domain name request comprises:

a search string comprising a full domain name;

or

at least one keyword.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the domain name becomes available and the notice is triggered by:

being dropped;

expiring;

or

being listed on a domain name aftermarket.

11. A method, comprising the steps of:

responsive to a determination that an availability status of a domain name, determined from a domain name registration record, is unavailable;

identifying, by a server comprising a computing device coupled to a network and including at least one processor executing instructions within a memory, a user identifier associated with a user operating a client coupled to the network from which a domain name registration request was received, the domain name registration request comprising a token;

accessing, by the server, a domain name registration log to determine a plurality of optimal default values associated with the user identifier and comprising;

an average time, for a plurality of domain name registrations associated with the user identifier, between the user requesting a registered domain name, and the user registering the registered domain name;

at least one second level domain (SLD), within the plurality of domain name registrations, including the token or at least one synonym of the token; and

a top level domain (TLD) that appears most frequently within the plurality of domain name registrations;

storing, by the server, in a database communicatively coupled to the network, the domain name in association with a user data record and a search date;

determining, by the server, whether a change in an availability status for the domain name has occurred;

responsive to a determination that the change in the availability status has occurred, determining, by the server, whether a duration of time since the search date has passed, the duration of time being automatically determined from the average time; and

responsive to a determination that the duration of time since the search date has not passed, transmitting, by the server, to a user contact associated with the user identifier, a notice of the change in the availability status.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the domain name registration request is aggregated with a plurality of searches into a domain name search log comprising a plurality of domain name search records, each of the plurality of domain name search records comprising:

the user identifier;

a domain name or keyword searched; and

a date of the search.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user contact comprises:

an email address;

a number for a text or phone message;

a social media account access data;

or

a control panel access data.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

rendering, transmitting and displaying, by the server, on the client communicatively coupled to the network, a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive at least one parameter of the notice comprising;

the duration of time;

an amount and format of the notice;

a TLD preference;

an SLD name preference; and

generating and transmitting, by the server through the network, the notice based on the at least one parameter.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of calculating and setting, by the server, an optimal default value for the at least one parameter from at least one domain name search and at least one domain name registration.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the duration of time is calculated by identifying an average or a longest time period between a domain name search and a domain name registration.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the amount and format of the notice are determined by:

at least one domain name searched or registered by the user;

a token distance between a plurality of searched or registered domain names;

at least one related or synonymous keyword in the plurality of searched or registered domain names;

a TLD or an SLD in the plurality of searched or registered domain names;

or

a valuation or aftermarket price for each of the plurality of searched or registered domain names.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SLD comprises at least one keyword or a synonym of the at least one keyword in the search.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the domain name request comprises:

a search string comprising a full domain name;

or

at least one keyword.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the domain name becomes available and the notice is triggered by:

being dropped;

expiring;

or

being listed on a domain name aftermarket.