DOMAIN NAME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20070214284A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Web.com Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SnapNames.com, Inc.
• Inventors: King, Raymond, Bayles, Len, Wiener, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

A method for identifying a registered domain name as auctionable is provided. The registered domain names may be pulled from a database of desired domain names, such as a collection of domain names that one or more interested entities have requested to register using a domain name registration system. Requesting a domain name may be probative of demand for the domain name. Accordingly a domain name receiving a threshold level of interest may be tagged as auctionable. For example, a domain name may be tagged as auctionable when a total number of interested entities is at least equal to a minimum threshold of interested entities. Tagged domain names may be acquired by an escrow agent when a current registration expires and auctioned among interested entities. In addition, the owner of a tagged domain name may be notified to see whether the domain name can be auctioned before expiration.

Claims

1. A system for domain name management and acquisition operating within a domain name registration system wherein a registry administers allocation of a domain name, a registrar issues a request to the registry for a registration of the domain name for an interested entity, and registration information is stored in a public database, the registration information including an expiration date for the registration, the system for domain name management and acquisition comprising:

a front end for receiving an indication of a desired domain name from the interested entity;

a processing and distribution engine operable to receive the indication of the domain name from the front end, to determine the expiration date by querying the public database, and to direct the acquisition array to communicate with the registry proximate to the determined expiration date to register the desired domain name for the interested entity; and

an acquisition array associated with a qualified registrar so as to communicate with the registry via a secure communication channel available to the registrar.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the front end comprises a computer program or a portion thereof operable in a web server environment for receiving the indication of the desired domain name via a network.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an acquisition routine employed by the acquisition array and operable:

(a) to query the registry repeatedly at a predefined frequency to determine a current registrability status of the domain name; and

(b) to issue a command to the registry to register the domain name if the registrability status indicates the domain name is currently registrable.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the front end is a Web server, and further comprising a Web page hosted by the Web server, the Web page presenting a graphical user interface to receive the indication of the domain name from the interested entity.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the front end is an e-mail server.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the front end is a telephone call center.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the acquisition array is an array of computers.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the acquisition array is a computer with multiple communication ports.

9. A system for domain name management comprising:

(a) a domain name registry for administering the allocation of domain names within a specific domain;

(b) a domain name registrar authorized to communicate directly with the registry for maintaining and updating registration information for domain names hosted by the registrar;

(c) a third-party agent representing an interested entity, the third-party agent in communication with the registrar and or the registry for monitoring of the registration information maintained by the registrar and the registry; and

including means for;

taking a predetermined action as soon as practicable after a predetermined event reflected by a change in the monitored registration information.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:

the predetermined event is an expiration of a registration for a specific domain name; and

the predetermined action is registering the specific domain name for the interested entity.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein:

the predetermined event is an purge of a registration for a specific domain name; and

the predetermined action is registering the specific domain name for the interested entity.

12. A system for domain name management comprising:

(a) a domain name registry for administering the allocation of a plurality of domain names within a specific domain;

(b) a registrar to communicate with the registry and change registration information for the plurality of domain names, the registration information being maintained by the registrar and the registry;

(c) a third-party agent representing an interested entity, the third-party agent monitoring a communication between the registrar and the registry to make a change to the registration information; and

including means for taking a predetermined action as soon as practicable after a predetermined event reflected by the change to the registration information.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the predetermined event is a deletion of a registration for a specific domain name; and

the predetermined action is registering the specific domain name for the interested entity.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the predetermined action is notifying the interested entity of the change to the registration information.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the registrar notifies the third-party agent of the communication between the registrar and the registry.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the registry notifies the third-party agent of the communication between the registrar and the registry.