Domain name acquisition and management system and method

• US 7,490,124 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Web.com Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SnapNames.com, Inc.
• Inventors: King, Raymond, Bayles, Len Albert, Wiener, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US11/413,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/207, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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 preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for transfer fulfillment or reassignment of an expired internet domain name registration to a new registrant before the registration is purged from the registry. In one example, the method calls for first identifying a registered domain name of interest, for example through expressions of interest by users of a web site; or receiving backorders from interested entities for a new registration of the domain name. Second, auctioning the expiring domain name among the interested entities. And finally, before the registration is purged from the registry, reallocating the domain name registration to the winner of the auction so that the domain name registration is not deleted by the registry.

Claims

1. A method of internet domain name management comprising the steps of:

establishing a contractual relationship with a domain name registrar to obtain priority in re-allocation of a domain name registration sponsored by the registrar after expiration of a current registration;

establishing a web site interface for interaction with entities, the web site enabling an interested entity to identify a domain name of interest, wherein the identified domain name is registered in a selected registry and the registration of the identified domain name is sponsored by the said domain name registrar;

enabling the interested entity to request a re-allocation of the domain name after expiration of the current registration;

recording in a database identification of the registered domain name of interest; and

after the registration of the domain name expires, but prior to purge of the domain name registration from the corresponding registry, accessing the database to identify the interested entity and re-allocating the domain name to the interested entity, whereby the interested entity becomes a new registrant of the domain name and the domain name registration is not purged from the registry;

wherein the re-allocating step includes updating the identity of the registrant of the domain name in the records of the sponsoring registrar to reflect the interested entity as the new registrant.

2. The method of internet domain name management according to claim 1 wherein:

the web site interface enables receiving multiple backorders from multiple different interested entities, each one of them seeking to acguire a new registration of the same domain name of interest;

auctioning the domain name among the multiple interested entities who entered backorders for the domain name; and

wherein said re-allocating the domain name to the interested entity comprises reallocating the domain name registration to the winner of the auction.

3. The method of internet domain name management according to claim 2 wherein the auction is conducted after expiration of the current registration but prior to the sponsoring domain name registrar sending a delete command to the said registry.