Method and system to modify geolocation activities based on logged query information

• US 7,072,963 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NeuStar IP Intelligence, Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quova Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, Mark, Herringshaw, Christopher, Muniz, Derald, Doctor, Brad, Karplus, Eli E., Hadjiyiannis, George, Bansal, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US10/685,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 709225-228, 370/258, 370/254, 370/352, 707/104, 707/105, 707/10, 706/206, 706/217, 706/218, 706/224, 701/213
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• 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 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and a system perform geolocation activities relating to a network address. A database of network addresses, and associated geographic locations, is maintained. A query, including a network address, is received against the database for a geographic location associated with the network address. Information, concerning the query received against the database, is logged. Geolocation activities relating to at least the network address are modified based on the logged information.

Claims

1. A method to perform geolocation activities relating to a network address, the method including:

maintaining a database of network addresses and associated geographic locations;

receiving a query, including a network address, against the database for a geographic location associated with the network address;

logging information concerning the query received against the database; and

modifying geolocation activities relating to at least the network address based on the logged information,

wherein the geolocation activities include;

collecting network information pertaining to at least the network address; and

estimating the geographic location associated with the network address, based on the collected network information, and

wherein the modifying of the geolocation activities includes;

prioritizing the geolocation activities relating to at least the network address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logging of information concerning the query includes logging the network address if a record identifying the geographic location associated with the network address is not located within the database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting of the network information pertaining to at least the network address includes collecting the geolocation information utilizing a plurality of data collection agents.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of data collection agents are geographically dispersed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting of the network information is performed utilizing a plurality of data collection processes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting of the network information is performed from a plurality of data sources.

7. The method of claim 1, including determining that the database does not indicate a geographic location as being associated with the network address, and wherein the modifying includes prioritizing the geolocation activities relating to the network address based on the determination that the database does not indicate the geographic location as being associated with the network address.

8. The method of claim 7, including maintaining a log of network addresses for which the database does not indicate respective geographic locations as being associated with the network addresses, and prioritizing the geolocation activities based on the log.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the log is a customer access log that indicates location misses, the method including obtaining information concerning location misses from the customer access log.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the prioritizing of the geolocation activities is with respect to a plurality of network addresses included in the log.

11. The method of claim 7, including receiving the query from a requester, and communicating a message to the requester indicating an absence of an association between the network address and the geographic location in the database.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is received from a customer website, responsive to a user accessing the customer website, the network address being the network address associated with a machine of the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is received via an Application Program Interface (API).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is received via a customer extranet.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating includes determining whether the network address falls within a consolidated domain of network addresses maintained within the database.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the consolidated domain of network addresses maintained within the database includes any one of a group of domains including an educational, business, service provider and government domain.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating includes identifying a network address block around the network address.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating includes running an exact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the network address.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the estimating includes running an exact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the identified network address block around the network address.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the exact geolocation process includes any one of a group of geolocation processes including a traceroute, a latency calculation, a hostname matching operation and a DNS process.

21. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating includes running an inexact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the network address.

22. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating includes forwarding the network address for manual resolution.

23. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimating is a tiered process, including a plurality of sequential automated mapping operations to associate the geographic location with the network address.

24. A system to perform geolocation activities relating to a network address, the system including:

a database of network addresses and associated geographic locations; and

a server to;

receive a query, including a network address, against the database for a geographic location associated with the network address;

log information concerning the query received against the database; and

modify geolocation activities relating to at least the network address based on the logged information,

wherein the server is to perform geolocation activities including;

collecting network information pertaining to at least the network address; and

estimating the geographic location associated with the network address, based on the collected network information, and

wherein the server is to modify the geolocation activities by;

prioritizing the geolocation activities relating to at least the network address.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is to log the network address if a record identifying the geographic location associated with the network address is not located within the database.

26. The system of claim 24, including a plurality of data collection agents to collect the geolocation information.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the plurality of data collection agents are geographically dispersed.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the collecting of the network information is perfonned utilizing a plurality of data collection processes.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the collecting of the network information is performed from a plurality of data sources.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is to determine that the database does not indicate the geographic location as being associated with the network address, and to prioritize the geolocation activities relating to the network address based on the determination that the database does not indicate the geographic location as being associated with the network address.

31. The system of claim 30, including a log of network addresses for which the database does not indicate respective geographic locations as being associated with the network addresses, the server to prioritize the geolocation activities based on the log.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the log is a customer access log that indicates location misses, the server to obtain information concerning location misses from the customer access log.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the server is to prioritize the geolocation activities with respect to a plurality of network addresses included in the log.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is to receive the query from a requester, and to communicate a message to the requester indicating an absence of an association between the network address and the geographic location in the database.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the query is received at the server from a customer website, responsive to a user accessing the customer website, the network address being the network address associated with a machine of the user.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the query is received via an Application Program Interface (API).

37. The system of claim 24, wherein the query is received via a customer extranet.

38. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is to determine whether the network address is likely to fall within a consolidated domain of network addresses maintained within the database.

39. The system of claim 24, wherein the consolidated domain of network addresses maintained within the database includes any one of a group of domains including an educational, business, service provider and government domain.

40. The system of claim 24, wherein the server is to identify a network address block around the network address.

41. The system of claim 24, wherein the estimating includes running an exact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the network address.

42. The system of claim 24, wherein the estimating includes running an exact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the identified network address block around the network address.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the exact geolocation process includes any one of a group of geolocation processes including a traceroute, a latency calculation, a hostname matching operation and a DNS process.

44. The system of claim 24, wherein the estimating includes running an inexact geolocation process to determine geolocation information for the network address.

45. The system of claim 24, wherein the estimating includes forwarding the network address for manual resolution.

46. The system of claim 24, wherein the estimating is a tiered process, including a plurality of sequential automated mapping operations to associate the geographic location with the network address.

47. A machine-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method to perform geolocation activities relating to a network address, the method including:

maintaining a database of network addresses and associated geographic locations;

receiving a query, including a network address, against the database for a geographic location associated with the network address;

logging information concerning the query received against the database; and

modifying geolocation activities relating to at least the network address based on the logged information,

wherein the geolocation activities include;

collecting network information pertaining to at least the network address; and

estimating the geographic location associated with the network address, based on the collected network information, and

wherein the modifying of the geolocation activities includes;

prioritizing the geolocation activities relatina to at least the network address.

48. A system to perform geolocation activities relating to a network address, the system including:

first means for storing network addresses and associated geographic locations; and

second means for;

receiving a query, including a network address, against the first means, the query being for a geographic location associated with the network address;

determining that the first means does not indicate a geographic location as being associated with the network address;

logging information concerning the query received against the first means; and

modifying geolocation activities relating to at least the network address based on the logged information,

wherein the second means is for performing aeolocation activities including;

collecting network information pertaining to at least the network address; and

estimating the geographic location associated with the network address, based on the collected network information, and

wherein the second means is for modifying the geolocation activities by;

prioritizing the geolocation activities relating to at least the network address.