Method and apparatus for URL forwarding

• US 7,340,533 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Web.com Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Register.com Incorporated (Web.com Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burstein, Adam D., Murtza, Shamoun, Cohen, Daniel Hillel
• Primary Examiner(s): LAFORGIA, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/454,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 709/242
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A domain name is associated with the IP address of a first, URL forwarding web server within the domain name system (DNS) so that a request for a website or other resource associated with the domain name is presented to the URL forwarding web server. The URL forwarding web server accesses a file stored on a file server and determining from the contents of the file the IP address to which the domain name should resolve. The file associated with that domain name may contain information that initiates display of static or dynamic content from the URL forwarding web server. Alternately, the file may contain instructions to associate the requested domain name with the IP address of a second, destination web server that has the requested content or resource. Most preferably, the URL forwarding web server performs this access to the file server directly, without executing a script or other interface program supplementary to the URL forwarding web server. For example, the URL forwarding web server may include a module that receives a domain name, accesses the file from the file server and evaluates the contents of the file. When the file includes an IP address to which the domain name should resolve, preferred implementations of the module recognize the presence of the IP address within the file and return the IP address of the destination web server to the browser through which the user made the request.

Claims

1. A method of processing URLs, comprising:

receiving requests for first and second URLs at a first URL forwarding web server, the first URL forwarding web server returning first and second messages responsive to the first and second URL requests, the first-and second URL requests each resolving to a first IP address of a first web server according to a domain name system;

storing a plurality of files corresponding to a plurality of URLs in a file server accessible by the first URL forwarding web server, each of the plurality of files storing URL forwarding information for each corresponding URL, the URL forwarding information associating the plurality of URLs with a plurality of IP addresses so that the file server returns destination IP addresses different from IP addresses to which each corresponding URL resolves according to the domain name system;

respectively selecting first and second files from the plurality of files in the file server in response to the first URL forwarding web server receiving the first and second URL requests, the first file storing a first destination IP address of a first destination server and the second file storing a second destination IP address of a second destination server, the first URL forwarding web server returning the first destination IP address as at least a part of the first message in response to the first URL request and returning the second destination IP address as at least a part of the second message in response to the second URL request;

respectively serving responses to the first and second URL requests from the first and second destination servers; and

receiving, at a second web server associated with the file server, a request to alter the first destination IP address within the first file to a third destination IP address for a third destination server different from the first destination server, the first and the third destination IP addresses different from the IP address to which the first URL resolves according to the domain name system, the first URL forwarding web server returning the third destination IP address in response to the first URL request after the request to alter is executed, wherein the request to alter is executed after authenticating a user'"'"'s right to alter contents of the first file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a domain name server within the domain name system associates the first URL with the first IP address for the first URL forwarding web server after the request to alter is completed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first file includes advertising information specifying whether advertising is to be added to the response to the first URL request, the first URL forwarding web server causing advertising to be added to the response to the first URL request according to the advertising information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the advertising is provided in a frame of a framed web page.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein advertising is selectively added or not added according to the advertising information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain management interface generates a display within a browser through which a user initiates URL forwarding for a URL in a process including validation of a user'"'"'s credit card.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second web server is a registrar web server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first file includes advertising information specifying whether advertising is to be added to the response to the first URL request, the first destination server adding advertising to the response according to the advertising information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the files stored in the file server are addressed by individual ones of the plurality of URLs and wherein the domain name system identifies the first IP address of the first URL forwarding web server for each of the plurality of URLs stored in the file server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first URL request seeks content designated by the first URL and the first file identifies the first destination server as hosting the content sought by the first URL request.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second web server operates with a browser and receives an indication of an active domain name designated by a user within the browser, wherein the second web server initiates a URL forwarding setup process in response to a user selecting URL forwarding through a hyperlink and wherein the second web server initiates a URL forwarding modification process to alter the first destination IP address in response to user input through the browser.

12. A method of processing resource locators, comprising:

receiving first and second URL requests at a first URL forwarding server, the first URL forwarding server returning first and second messages responsive to the first and second URL requests, the first-and second URL requests each resolving to a first IP address of a first server according to a domain name system;

storing a plurality of files corresponding to a plurality of URLs in a data server accessible by the first URL forwarding server, each of the files storing URL forwarding information for a corresponding URL, the URL forwarding information associating the plurality of URLs with a plurality of IP addresses so that the file server returns destination IP addresses different from IP addresses to which each corresponding URL resolves according to the domain name system;

respectively selecting first and second files from the plurality of files in the file server in response to the first URL forwarding server receiving the first and second URL requests, the first file storing a first destination IP address of a first destination server and the second file storing a second destination IP address of a second destination server different from the first destination IP address, the first URL forwarding web server returning the first destination IP address as at least a part of the first message in response to the first URL request and returning the second destination IP address as at least a part of the second message in response to the second URL request;

respectively serving responses to the first and second URL requests from the first and second destination servers;

receiving, at a second server associated with the data server, a request to alter the first destination IP address within the first file to a third destination IP address for a third destination server different from the first destination server, the first and the third destination IP addresses different from the IP address to which the first URL resolves according to the domain name system, the first URL forwarding server returning the third destination IP address in response to the first URL request after the request to alter is executed; and

disabling URL forwarding for the first URL upon expiration of a URL forwarding function for the first URL.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the disabling is accomplished by overwriting the first file with a zero length file.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the disabling is accomplished in response from a user to a message generated in response to the second server.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a domain name server within the domain name system associates the first URL with the first IP address for the first URL forwarding web server after the request to alter is completed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first file includes advertising information specifying whether advertising is to be added to the response to the first URL request, the first URL forwarding web server causing advertising to be added to the response to the first URL request according to the advertising information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the advertising is provided in a frame of a framed web page.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein advertising is selectively added or not added according to the advertising information.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the files stored in the data server are addressed by individual ones of the plurality of URLs and wherein the domain name system identifies the first IP address of the first URL forwarding server for each of the plurality of URLs stored in the file server.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the second server operates with a browser and receives an indication of a designated domain name designated by a user within the browser, wherein the second server initiates a URL forwarding setup process for the designated domain name in response to a user selecting URL forwarding through a hyperlink and wherein the second web server initiates a URL forwarding modification process to alter the first destination IP address in response to user input through a browser.