Method and system for identifying and automatically registering domain names

• US 9,531,581 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adkins, James N. III, Edebohls, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Musa, Abdelnabi O
• Application Number:
  US11/963,729
• Time in Patent Office: 3,294 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/246, 709/243, 709/244, 709/247
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/302 Administrative registration, e.g. for domain names at internet corporation for assigned names and numbers [ICANN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3025 Domain name generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A domain name registration service is described that identifies a domain name source, identifies domain name candidates from the domain name source, and automatically registers any available candidates as domain names. A domain name source may be any source of information from which a set of alphanumeric (and possibly non-ASCII) characters can be acquired. Once candidate domain names have been registered by the domain name service, they may be used by the registrant or offered to third parties. Since such uses may generate revenue for the registrant, such uses may be referred to as “monetization” of the automatically registered domain names.

Claims

1. A configured computer system comprising:

a domain name data store configured to store domain names and registration information for domain names; and

one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the domain name data store, the one or more computing devices configured to execute computer-executable instructions to at least;

automatically retrieve information from one or more network resources;

programmatically identify a domain name source for candidates for domain name registration using the information that is automatically retrieved;

analyze data from the programmatically identified domain name source for a statistically improbable phrase or an atomic term;

identify a candidate for domain name registration from the statistically improbable phrase or the atomic term;

detect that a value representing a significance of the candidate for domain name registration satisfies a threshold indicating that the candidate for domain name registration is desirable;

determine that the candidate desirable for domain name registration is available for registration;

automatically register, as a domain name, the candidate that is desirable and available for registration; and

store the domain name and registration information for the domain name in the domain name data store.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to offer the domain name that is automatically registered to a third party.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to transfer ownership of the domain name that is automatically registered to the third party.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to submit the domain name candidate to a human for review.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

identify another candidate for automatic registration as a domain name;

determine that the other candidate for domain name registration is undesirable; and

filter out the other candidate for domain name registration in response to determining that the other candidate for domain name registration is undesirable.

6. A computer-implemented method for automatically registering unique identifiers of network resources, the method comprising:

as implemented in one or more computer systems configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

programmatically identifying a source of information from which a set of characters can be acquired from information retrieved from a network resource in communication with the one or more configured computer systems;

analyzing the programmatically identified source of information for a statistically improbable phrase or an atomic term;

identifying a unique identifier candidate from the statistically improbable phrase or the atomic term;

detecting that a value representing a significance of the unique identifier candidate satisfies a threshold indicating that the unique identifier candidate is desirable;

determining that the unique identifier candidate is available for registration; and

automatically registering the unique identifier candidate as a unique identifier in response to said detecting and said determining.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the unique identifier is a domain name and the unique identifier candidate is a domain name candidate.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein determining that the domain name candidate is available for registration comprises conducting a search of registration information maintained by one or more domain name registrars.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the search is conducted with respect to one or more top level domains.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising offering the domain name that is automatically registered to a third party.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising monetizing the domain name that is automatically registered.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising storing the unique identifier in a data store along with registration information for the unique identifier.

13. A system, implemented in one or more configured computer systems, for automatically registering domain names, the system comprising:

a data store configured to store specific computer-executable instructions; and

one or more computing devices in communication with the data store, the one or more computing devices configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least;

identify a domain name source from information automatically retrieved from one or more network resources;

analyze data from the domain name source for a statistically improbable phrase or an atomic term;

identify a domain name candidate from the statistically improbable phrase or the atomic term;

calculate a value representing a significance of the domain name candidate;

determine that the value satisfies a threshold indicating that the domain name candidate is desirable; and

automatically register the domain name candidate as a domain name.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices implement a domain name registrar.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the domain name source includes data provided by a network resource of the one or more network resources.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the domain name source includes data provided to a network resource of the one or more network resources.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to monetize the domain name.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

determine that the domain name candidate is available for registration; and

in response to determining that the value satisfies a threshold and determining that the domain name candidate is available for registration, automatically register the domain name candidate as the domain name.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to monitor performance of the domain name that is automatically registered.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the performance of the domain name is associated with traffic to a network resource identified by the domain name.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the domain name registration service is further configured to identify the candidate for automatic registration as a domain name based at least partly on ranking information.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the domain name source comprises at least one of a document, an image, a Web page, or a blog.

23. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having computer executable components for automatically registering domain names using one or more computing devices, the computer executable components comprising:

a domain name source component configured to programmatically identify a domain name source using information automatically collected by a network crawler from one or more network resources, the network crawler implemented by the domain name source component, the domain name source likely to generate candidates that are of interest;

a candidate identifier component configured to;

analyze the programmatically identified domain name source for a statistically improbable phrases or an atomic term;

identify a candidate for automatic registration as a domain name from the statistically improbable phrase or the atomic term; and

detect that a value representing a significance of the candidate satisfies a threshold indicating that the candidate is desirable; and

a domain name registration component configured to;

determine that the candidate identified by the candidate identifier component is available for registration; and

automatically register the candidate as a domain name in response to determining that the candidate is available for registration and the candidate identifier component detecting that the value satisfies the threshold.

24. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, further comprising a user interface component configured to enable a third party to submit an offer to purchase the domain name that is automatically registered.

25. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, wherein the domain name registration component is configured to automatically register the candidate as a domain name if the candidate has not already been registered as a domain name.

26. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, wherein the domain name registration component is further configured to cancel registration of the domain name based at least in part on performance of the domain name.