Fictitious domain name method, system, product, and apparatus

• US 8,224,994 B1
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: ESDR Network Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Schneider, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Divecha, Kamal
• Application Number:
  US10/711,834
• Time in Patent Office: 2,840 Days
• Field of Search: 704/8, 704/9, 709/217, 709/220, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A Domain Name System (DNS) server of a conventional DNS includes a DNS query having a highest level domain (HLD), a root zone having at least one root resource record adapted to resolve said DNS query when it is determined that said HLD is a top level domain alias (TLDA).

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one Domain Name System (DNS) server comprising a processing device configured to receive a DNS query;

a resolver configured to be in operative communication with said at least one DNS server and to generate a resolved target of the DNS query; and

a root zone file including at least one resource record, wherein the at least one DNS server is configured to access said root zone file, and said at least one resource record is configured to resolve the DNS query;

wherein the DNS query includes a domain name having a highest level domain (HLD) and the domain name includes valid syntax with respect to the at least one DNS server wherein the processing device of the at least one DNS server is further configured to syntactically process the valid syntax without prior modification;

wherein the at least one DNS server is incapable of registering the domain name as part of the at least one DNS server in response to the HLD not corresponding to a known HLD within the at least one DNS server;

wherein the at least one DNS server is further configured to receive the DNS query including the domain name that the at least one DNS server is incapable of registering and to reference the resource record for information sufficient for resolution of the DNS query;

wherein said resource record includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address; and

wherein said HLD of said domain name is a top level domain alias (TLDA) that is not an HLD registered in the DNS server and said IP address corresponds to a network resource configured to determine which namespace provider of a plurality of namespace providers can process said domain name having said TLDA.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one DNS server is one of a single authoritative root server, alternative root server, and virtual inclusive root server.

3. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said resource record is a wildcard resource record.

4. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said network resource is configured to manage a virtual zero level domain (VZLD).

5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said VZLD is an internet infrastructure domain.

6. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said internet infrastructure domain is managed from an “

.arpa”

top level domain.

7. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said VZLD is a primary virtual zero level domain (PVZLD).

8. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 7, wherein said namespace provider is a naming authority to at least one secondary virtual zero level domain (SVZLD) and said network resource is configured to redirect said domain name to said at least one SVZLD.

9. A Domain Name System (DNS) comprising:

at least one DNS server comprising a processing device configured to receive a DNS query;

a resolver configured to communicate with the at least one DNS server wherein the resolver is configured to generate a resolved target of the DNS query;

at least one resource record accessible by at least one of the resolver and the at least one DNS server, the at least one resource record being configured to resolve the DNS query;

wherein the DNS query includes a domain name having a highest level domain (HLD);

wherein the domain name includes an encoding type;

wherein the encoding type is capable of being processed by the at least one DNS server without prior modification;

wherein the domain name is not and cannot be registered as part of the DNS because the HLD does not correspond to a predetermined list of HLDs registerable with the at least one DNS server;

wherein the resource record includes information sufficient for resolving the unregisterable domain name; and

,

wherein the at least one DNS server is configured to reference the resource record to resolve the domain name;

wherein the information of the resource record includes an IP address corresponding to a network resource configured to determine which namespace provider of a plurality of namespace providers can process the domain name having the HLD, where the HLD is a top level domain alias (TLDA) that is not a HLD registered in the DNS and that does not correspond to a predetermined list of HLDs registerable with the DNS.

10. The DNS of claim 9 wherein the resource record includes a wildcard resource record.

11. A method for resolving queries to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, the method comprising:

presenting an identifier to a resolver;

generating a DNS query from the identifier wherein the DNS query has an encoding type such that the DNS query is capable of being resolved without modifying the encoding type, wherein the DNS query includes a domain name having a Highest Level Domain (HLD) that is a Top Level Domain Alias (TLDA) that is not a HLD registered in the DNS server, wherein the domain name is incapable of registration by a DNS where the HLD does not correspond to a predetermined list of HLDs registerable with the DNS;

presenting the DNS query to a DNS server;

accessing a root zone file wherein the root zone file includes a resource record wherein the resource record includes information capable of resolving the DNS query even though the domain name cannot be registered by the DNS, wherein the resource record is a wildcard resource record and includes an IP address corresponding to a network resource;

redirecting the DNS query to the network resource corresponding to the IP address due to the HLD being a TLDA;

determining from the network resource a namespace provider capable of processing the domain name having the TLDA; and

resolving the DNS query based on the information of the resource record.