Use of a domain name server to direct web communications to an intermediation platform

• US 7,600,011 B1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Urbanek, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US10/982,318
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A Domain Name Server (DNS) directs web communications to an intermediation platform. The DNS comprises data storage containing (i) host data that correlates each of a plurality of domain names with a respective host server network address and (ii) whitelist data that correlates at least a given domain name with an intermediation platform network address; a communication interface for receiving correlation requests and for transmitting correlation responses, wherein, when the DNS receives a correlation request that seeks a network address correlated with the given domain name, the DNS determines by reference to the whitelist data that the given domain name is correlated with the intermediation platform network address, and the DNS responsively returns a correlation response providing the intermediation platform network address as the network address correlated with the given domain name.

Claims

1. A domain name server comprising:

data storage containing (i) host data that correlates each of a plurality of domain names with a respective host server network address, including correlating a given domain name with a given host server network address that is associated with a given host server and (ii) whitelist data that correlates at least the given domain name with an intermediation platform network address that is associated with an intermediation platform; and

a communication interface for receiving correlation requests and for transmitting correlation responses,

wherein when the domain name server receives a correlation request that seeks a network address correlated with the given domain name, the domain name server determines by reference to the whitelist data that the given domain name is correlated with the intermediation platform network address, and responsively returns a correlation response comprising (a) the intermediation platform network address as the network address correlated with the given domain name when the correlation request has a source address not equal to the intermediation platform network address and (b) the given host server network address as the network address correlated with the given domain name when the correlation request has a source address equal to the intermediation platform network address.

2. The domain name server of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one processor; and

program instructions stored in the data storage and executable by the at least one processor to (i) receive the correlation request, (ii) determine by reference to the whitelist data that the given domain name is correlated with the intermediation platform network address, and (iii) responsively return the correlation response.

3. The domain name server of claim 1, wherein the intermediation platform network address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and wherein each respective host server network address comprises an IP address.

4. The domain name server of claim 1, situated on a network operated by a wireless carrier.

5. A method comprising:

receiving at a domain name server a first correlation request that specifies a first domain name and seeks a network address correlated with the first domain name, wherein the domain name server maintains (i) host data that correlates the first domain name with a network address of a host server having the first domain name and (ii) whitelist data that correlates the first domain name with a first network address, wherein the first network address is a network address of a first intermediation platform;

making a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first network address; and

in response to making the first determination, generating and outputting from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first network address and (b) the network address of the host server having the first domain name as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first network address.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first network address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

receiving the first correlation request comprises receiving the first correlation request from a first network gateway; and

outputting the first correlation response comprises sending the first correlation response to the first network gateway.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first network gateway is a wireless access gateway or a voice command gateway.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving at the domain name server a second correlation request that specifies a second domain name and seeks a network address correlated with the second domain name, wherein the host data correlates the second domain name with the network address of a host server having the second domain name, and wherein the whitelist data correlates the second domain name with a second network address, wherein the second network address is a network address of a second intermediation platform;

making a second determination by reference to the whitelist data that the second domain name is correlated with the second network address; and

in response to making the second determination, generating and outputting from the domain name server, in response to the second correlation request, a second correlation response comprising (a) the second network address as the network address correlated with the second domain name when the second correlation request has a source address not equal to the second network address and (b) the network address of the host server having the second domain name as the network address correlated with the second domain name when the second correlation request has a source address equal to the second network address.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the second domain name is the same as the first domain name;

the second intermediation platform is the same as the first intermediation platform; and

the second network address is the same as the first network address.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the second domain name is different from the first domain name;

the second intermediation platform is the same as the first intermediation platform; and

the second network address is the same as the first network address.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

receiving the second correlation request comprises receiving the second correlation request from a second network gateway; and

outputting the second correlation response comprises sending the second correlation response to the second network gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second network gateway is a wireless access gateway or a voice command gateway.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving at a network entity a first web request directed to the first domain name;

sending from the network entity to the domain name server the first correlation request;

receiving at the network entity from the domain name server the first correlation response;

reading the first network address from the first correlation response; and

sending the first web request from the network entity to the first network address.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

caching at the network entity a copy of the first network address, the copy being thereby associated at the network entity with the first domain name;

receiving at the network entity a second web request directed to the first domain name;

using the first domain name to retrieve the cached copy of the first network address; and

sending the second web request from the network entity to the first network address.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the network entity is a wireless access gateway or a voice command gateway.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the first web request at the first intermediation platform;

performing at least one intermediation action with respect to the first web request; and

sending the first web request from the first intermediation platform to the host server having the first domain name.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein performing at least one intermediation action comprises seeking payment from a first web client that sent the first web request to the network entity.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein performing at least one intermediation action comprises supplementing the first web request with at least one data value.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein performing at least one intermediation action comprises removing at least one data value from the first web request.

21. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving at the domain name server at least one update to the whitelist data.

22. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a processor to carry out the following steps:

receiving at a domain name server a first correlation request that specifies a first domain name and seeks a network address correlated with the first domain name, wherein the domain name server maintains (i) host data that correlates the first domain name with a network address of a host server having the first domain name and (ii) whitelist data that correlates the first domain name with a first network address, wherein the first network address is a network address of a first intermediation platform;

making a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first network address; and

in response to making the first determination, generating and outputting from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first network address and (b) the network address of the host server having the first domain name as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first network address.

23. A system comprising a domain name server, the domain name server comprising:

a domain-name-server processor,

a domain-name-server communication interface configured to receive correlation requests and to transmit correlation responses, and

domain-name-server data storage comprising;

host data correlating each of a plurality of domain names with a respective host server network address, including correlating a first domain name with a first host server network address that is associated with a first host server,

whitelist data correlating the first domain name with a first intermediation platform network address that is associated with a first intermediation platform; and

domain-name-server program instructions executable by the domain-name-server processor to;

receive at the domain name server a first correlation request seeking a network address correlated with the first domain name,

make a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first intermediation platform network address, and

in response to making the first determination, return from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first intermediation platform network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first intermediation platform network address and (b) the first host server network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first intermediation platform network address.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the first intermediation platform and the domain name server is situated on a network operated by a wireless carrier.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising a network gateway and a second intermediation platform, wherein:

the whitelist data correlates a second domain name with a second intermediation platform network address that is associated with the second intermediation platform, and wherein the host data correlates the second domain name with a second host server network address that is associated with a second host server, and

the domain-name-server program instructions further comprise instructions to;

receive at the domain name server from the network gateway a second correlation request seeking a network address correlated with the second domain name,

make a second determination by reference to the whitelist data that the second domain name is correlated with the second intermediation platform network address, and

in response to making the second determination, return from the domain name server to the network gateway, in response to the second correlation request, a second correlation response comprising (a) the second intermediation platform network address as the network address correlated with the second domain name when the second correlation request has a source address not equal to the second intermediation platform network address and (b) the second host server network address as the network address correlated with the second domain name when the second correlation request has a source address equal to the second intermediation platform network address.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising a network entity comprising a network-entity communication interface, a network-entity processor, and network-entity data storage comprising network-entity program instructions executable by the network-entity processor to:

receive at the network entity a first web request directed to the first domain name;

send the first correlation request from the network entity to the domain name server;

receive the first correlation response at the network entity from the domain name server;

read the first intermediation platform network address from the first correlation response; and

send the first web request from the network entity to the first intermediation platform network address.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the network-entity program instructions further comprise instructions to:

cache at the network entity a copy of the first intermediation platform network address, the copy being thereby associated at the network entity with the first domain name;

receive at the network entity a second web request directed to the first domain name;

use the first domain name to retrieve the cached copy of the first intermediation platform network address; and

send the second web request from the network entity to the first intermediation platform network address.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first intermediation platform comprises a first-intermediation-platform communication interface, a first-intermediation-platform processor, and first-intermediation-platform data storage comprising first-intermediation-platform program instructions executable by the first-intermediation-platform processor to:

receive at the first intermediation platform the first web request;

perform at least one intermediation action with respect to the first web request; and

send the first web request from the first intermediation platform to the first host server.