Territorial determination of remote computer location in a wide area network for conditional delivery of digitized products

• US 6,151,631 A
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 11/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Liquid Audio Inc
• Inventors: Ansell, Steven T., Cherenson, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/173,369
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/225, 709/229, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Digital products are delivered to a client computer through a wide area network such as the Internet only upon determination that the client computer is located in a geopolitical territory, such as a country or state, for which delivery of the digital product is authorized. A server computer estimates the geopolitical location of the client computer from the client computer'"'"'s network address through contact information in a network address allocation database. Alternatively, the server computer estimates the geopolitical location of the client computer from the client computer'"'"'s custom name, e.g., domain name. The domain name itself can specify a country within which the client computer is located. Such can be conventional or can be parse according to ad hoc patterns developed by large, international organizations identified by a root domain name. In addition, contact information for the domain name can be retrieved and geopolitical territory information parsed from the contact information. A super-classification of the domain name can indicate a geopolitical territory. Records associating geopolitical territories with network address ranges are stored in such a manner that maximizes resolution within a cache of such records, perhaps at the expense of reduce efficiency but so as to maximum currency and accuracy.

Claims

1. A method for delivering a requested digital product to a client computer, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

parsing classification information which represents a classification from the custom name;

determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories comprises:

estimating, from the classification, the likelihood that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory if the likelihood is at least a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the classification information is selected from a group consisting of ".mil," ".gov," and ".arpa";

and

further wherein the first geographical territory is the United States.

4. A method for delivering a requested digital product to a client computer, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

selecting a pattern according to a root of the custom name;

determining whether the custom name matches the pattern; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the custom name according to the pattern; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

5. A method for delivering a requested digital product to a client computer, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

retrieving owner information regarding an owner of the custom name; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the owner information; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

6. A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to deliver a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

parsing classification information which represents a classification from the custom name;

determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories comprises:

estimating, from the classification, the likelihood that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory if the likelihood is at least a predetermined threshold.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the classification information is selected from a group consisting of ".mil," ".gov," and ".arpa";

and

further wherein the first geographical territory is the United States.

9. A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to deliver a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

selecting a pattern according to a root of the custom name;

determining whether the custom name matches the pattern; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the custom name according to the pattern; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

10. A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to deliver a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

retrieving owner information regarding an owner of the custom name; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the owner information; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

11. A computer system which delivers a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

parsing classification information which represents a classification from the custom name;

determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein determining that the classification is used primarily within a first of the geographical territories comprises:

estimating, from the classification, the likelihood that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory; and

determining that the client computer is located within the first geographical territory if the likelihood is at least a predetermined threshold.

13. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the classification information is selected from a group consisting of ".mil," ".gov," and ".arpa";

and

further wherein the first geographical territory is the United States.

14. A computer system which delivers a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

selecting a pattern according to a root of the custom name;

determining whether the custom name matches the pattern; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the custom name according to the pattern; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.

15. A computer system which delivers a requested digital product to a client computer by:

(a) receiving a request to send the requested digital product to the client computer;

(b) determining that a territorial restriction limits availability of the digital product to one or more allowed territories;

(c) determining within which of one or more geographical territories the client computer is located by;

determining a network address of the client computer;

determining that a custom name is associated with the network address;

retrieving owner information regarding an owner of the custom name; and

parsing data specifying one of the geographical territories from the owner information; and

(d) sending the requested digital product to the client computer upon a condition in which the one of the geographical territories in which the client computer is located is also one of the allowed territories.