Domain name acquisition and management system and method

• US 8,015,244 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Web.com Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SnapNames.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bayles, Len Albert, Wiener, Ron, King, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US12/476,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/226
• 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 can accept an indication of a domain name or set of domain names from interested entity. The desired domain names are names that an interested entity desires to register through a domain name registration system or systems, such as that operated by a registry-accredited registrar. The system can closely monitor the domain name registry or registrar databases used to provide domain name resolution or registration over a distributed network, such as the Internet, and determine the expiration or availability of the name or names supplied by the interested entity. When a desired domain name appears to be available, the system can register or re-register the domain name through a domain registration service. If there is more than one interested entity for a domain name, the system can also facilitate an auction for the domain name.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for Internet domain name management comprising the steps of:

(a) provisioning a web application having a front end that receives requests from customers wanting to register selected domain names that are already registered to another entity;

(b) maintaining a customer database accessible to the web application for storing and retrieving information associated with each customer who makes a request to register a selected domain name via the web application, including identification of the selected domain name;

(c) obtaining computer access to domain name registration data stored in a database as part of the Internet shared registration system, and checking the domain name registration data to determine whether an extant registration of a selected domain name identified in the customer database has expired;

(d) if the selected domain name registration has expired, monitoring communications between the sponsoring registrar of the expired domain registration and the corresponding domain name registry, the monitoring including a procedure for detecting a delete command from the sponsoring registrar to delete the selected domain name from the corresponding registry; and

(e) if a delete command is detected in the monitored communications to delete one of the selected domain names identified in the customer database, re-allocating the selected domain name to the corresponding customer identified in the database who requested the registration, by automatically sending an electronic instruction to the sponsoring registrar who issued said delete command;

(f) wherein the instruction is sent to the registrar prior to deletion of the selected domain name from the corresponding registry, so that the domain name does not become available to the public for a new registration; and

if a delete command is detected in the monitored communications to delete one of the selected domain names identified in the customer database, checking the customer database to determine whether more than one customer has requested to register the selected domain name; and

if more than one customer has requested to register the selected domain name, instead of re-allocating the selected domain name, commencing an online auction of the selected domain name among the customers listed in the customer database who had previously requested to register the selected domain name.

2. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

estimating when the selected expired domain name is expected to delete from the corresponding registry; and

conducting the auction within the time remaining before the selected expired domain name deletes from the corresponding registry; and

re-allocating the domain name to a winner of the auction.