Internet domain names with regional associations
First Claim
1. A system for providing a domain name lookup and redirection services to multiple users of a data communication network who are subscribed to said service, said system comprising a server located at a unique and predetermined address in said network, said server comprising:
- first means responsive to an inquiry received from one of said subscribed users, said inquiry effectively designating plural destinations in said network as potential targets for redirection of the respective inquiry, for operating in conformance to a predetermined set of criteria uniquely associated to said one subscribed user to determine an address in said network uniquely assigned to a single one of said plural destinations;
said inquiry containing a first addressing term uniquely designating the location of said server in said network, and a second addressing term constituting a name having a non-unique association to all of said plural destinations; and
second means activated by said first means for using said determined address to redirect said inquiry to only said single one of said plural destinations.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a system and method for providing redirection services, for public networks like the Internet, based upon requests containing both a functional term and a domain name uniquely associated with the address of an enterprise providing the service. An example would be an Internet request directed to “www.*.local.com”, where “*” represents a functional term associated with one or more potential final destinations and “www.local.com” is the domain name of the web site providing the redirection service. In a preferred embodiment, where the functional term is associated with plural possible destinations, redirection is based upon proximity of the selected destination to the requester. Thus, a request to “www.emeraldhills.local.com”, wherein “emeraldhills” is all or part of a business name used by several enterprises, is redirected to the enterprise closest to the request origin. The invention accommodates requests transmitted both by mobile and stationary requesters.
53 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for providing a domain name lookup and redirection services to multiple users of a data communication network who are subscribed to said service, said system comprising a server located at a unique and predetermined address in said network, said server comprising:
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first means responsive to an inquiry received from one of said subscribed users, said inquiry effectively designating plural destinations in said network as potential targets for redirection of the respective inquiry, for operating in conformance to a predetermined set of criteria uniquely associated to said one subscribed user to determine an address in said network uniquely assigned to a single one of said plural destinations;
said inquiry containing a first addressing term uniquely designating the location of said server in said network, and a second addressing term constituting a name having a non-unique association to all of said plural destinations; and
second means activated by said first means for using said determined address to redirect said inquiry to only said single one of said plural destinations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of providing a name-based redirection service to multiple users of a data communication network who are subscribed to said service, said method comprising:
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receiving inquiries from said subscribed users at a server providing said service;
each said inquiry containing a locator expression including a first term, for initially directing the respective inquiry to said server, and a second term useful for locating destinations in said network remote from said server;
said second term being susceptible of association with more than one said remote destination;
in response to said second term in each said inquiry, selecting a network address uniquely associated with a single said remote destination; and
redirecting the respective inquiry to the respectively selected network address. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. For a computer-based service to redirect inquiries through a data communication network, wherein a server providing said service receives inquiries from subscribers to said service and redirects each received inquiry to a single destination in said network, and wherein an inquiry currently undergoing processing is potentially associated with plural destinations in said network, a software-based system for effecting redirection of said inquiry currently undergoing processing;
- to a single one of said plural destinations;
said software-based system including;means responsive to information contained in said current inquiry to ascertain destinations potentially associated with said inquiry; and
means using predetermined selection criteria associated with the subscriber originating said current inquiry, for selecting a single one of said potential destinations, as the target for redirection of the respective inquiry. - View Dependent Claims (17)
- to a single one of said plural destinations;
Specification