Bigram suggestions

• US 8,768,935 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Raemy, Vincent, Russo, Vincenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent F
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIS, AMANDA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US13/269,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management

Abstract

A method for generating a bigram database may include receiving domain names, tokenizing the domain names, generating token bigrams from the tokenized domain names, filtering the token bigrams, ranking the token bigrams, and storing the filtered and ranked token bigrams in a bigram database. A method for suggesting alternative domain names may include receiving a requested domain name, tokenizing the requested domain name to divide the requested domain name into a series of tokens, retrieving token bigrams for tokens of the requested domain name, generating alternative domain name suggestions based on the token bigrams and the requested domain name, ranking the alternative domain name suggestions, and outputting at least one of the alternative domain name suggestions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a bigram database, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of domain names;

tokenizing, by a processor, the plurality of domain names;

generating, by the processor, a plurality of token bigrams from the tokenized domain names;

filtering, by the processor, the plurality of token bigrams by token type, wherein the token type includes at least one of;

(1) a forward bigram which replaces a token at the end of a tokenized domain name or (2) a backward bigram which replaces a token at the beginning of a tokenized domain name;

ranking, by the processor, the plurality of token bigrams, wherein forward bigrams are ranked higher than other token bigrams of the plurality of token bigrams; and

storing, in a memory, the filtered and ranked token bigrams in a bigram database.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of domain names are received from a database, the database including a list of currently registered domain names.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the database further includes a list of previously registered domain names.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tokenizing comprises:

dividing each domain name of the plurality of domain names into tokens, the tokens being sets of consecutive strings of characters;

limiting the tokens to character strings that form words.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the filtering comprises at least one of:

(1) filtering the plurality of token bigrams by length;

or (2) filtering the plurality of token bigrams by frequency of occurrence.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ranking comprises:

ordering the plurality of token bigrams based on a frequency of occurrence of the token bigrams; and

weighting the plurality of token bigrams based on the order of the plurality of token bigrams.

7. A computer-implemented method for suggesting alternative domain names, the method comprising:

receiving a requested domain name;

tokenizing, by a processor, the requested domain name to divide the requested domain name into a series of tokens;

retrieving, by the processor, token bigrams for tokens of the requested domain name;

generating, by the processor, a plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on the token bigrams and the requested domain name;

ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions, wherein the alternative domain name suggestions that include at least one of (1) a backward bigram replacing a token at the beginning of the requested domain name or (2) a forward bigram replacing a token at the end of the requested domain name are ranked higher than other alternative domain name suggestions; and

outputting at least one of the at least one alternative domain name suggestion.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein generating the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions further comprises:

for at least one token in the tokenized requested domain name, generating an alternative domain name suggestion by replacing the token with a corresponding token bigram.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein generating the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions further comprises:

ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on weights of the token bigrams replacing the tokens in the tokenized requested domain name.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ranking further comprises ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on a topical uniformity of tokens within each of the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

verifying the availability of the domain name of each of the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions before outputting the plurality of alternative domain name suggestion; and

for each of the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions, if the domain name is not available, removing the domain name from the alternative domain name suggestions.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the token bigrams are retrieved from a bigram database generated by:

receiving a plurality of domain names from a domain name database;

tokenizing, by the processor, the plurality of domain names;

generating, by the processor, a plurality of token bigrams from the tokenized domain names;

filtering, by the processor, the plurality of token bigrams by token type, wherein the token type includes at least one of a forward bigram or a backward bigram;

ranking, by the processor, the plurality of token bigrams; and

storing, in a memory, the filtered and ranked token bigrams in the bigram database.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the requested domain name is added to the domain name database.

14. A system for suggesting alternative domain names, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory connected to the processor, the memory storing instructions to direct the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a requested domain name;

tokenizing the requested domain name to divide the requested domain name into a series of tokens;

retrieving token bigrams for tokens of the requested domain name;

generating a plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on the token bigrams and the requested domain name;

ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions, wherein the alternative domain name suggestions that include at least one of (1) a backward bigram replacing a token at the beginning of the requested domain name or (2) a forward bigram replacing a token at the end of the requested domain name are ranked higher than other alternative domain name suggestions; and

outputting at least one of the at least one alternative domain name suggestion.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a user terminal, the requested domain name being received from the user terminal; and

a display that outputs the at least one of the at least one alternative domain name suggestion.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein:

the generating at least one alternative domain name suggestion comprises;

for at least one token in the tokenized requested domain name, generating an alternative domain name suggestion by replacing the token with a corresponding token bigram; and

generating a plurality of alternative domain name suggestions; and

the operations further include ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on weights of the token bigrams replacing the tokens in the tokenized requested domain name.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the token bigrams are retrieved from a bigram database generated by:

receiving a plurality of domain names from a domain name database;

tokenizing the plurality of domain names;

generating a plurality of token bigrams from the tokenized domain names;

filtering the plurality of token bigrams by token type, wherein the token type includes at least one of a forward bigram or a backward bigram;

ranking the plurality of token bigrams; and

storing the filtered and ranked token bigrams in the bigram database.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for suggesting alternative domain names, the instructions causing one or more computer processors to perform operations according to a method, the method comprising:

receiving a requested domain name;

tokenizing the requested domain name to divide the requested domain name into a series of tokens;

retrieving token bigrams for tokens of the requested domain name;

generating a plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on the token bigrams and the requested domain name;

ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions, wherein the alternative domain name suggestions that include at least one of (1) a backward bigram replacing a token at the beginning of the requested domain name or (2) a forward bigram replacing a token at the end of the requested domain name are ranked higher than other alternative domain name suggestions; and

outputting at least one of the at least one alternative domain name suggestion.

19. The storage medium according to claim 18, wherein:

the generating at least one alternative domain name suggestion comprises;

for at least one token in the tokenized requested domain name, generating an alternative domain name suggestion by replacing the token with a corresponding token bigram; and

generating a plurality of alternative domain name suggestions; and

the method further includes ranking the plurality of alternative domain name suggestions based on weights of the token bigrams replacing the tokens in the tokenized requested domain name.

20. The storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the token bigrams are retrieved from a bigram database generated by:

receiving a plurality of domain names from a domain name database;

tokenizing the plurality of domain names;

generating a plurality of token bigrams from the tokenized domain names;

filtering the plurality of token bigrams by token type, wherein the token type includes at least one of a forward bigram or a backward bigram;

ranking the plurality of token bigrams; and

storing the filtered and ranked token bigrams in the bigram database.