Verifying a correspondence address for a registrant

• US 9,785,663 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Nitin
• Primary Examiner(s): GEBRESENBET, DINKU W
• Application Number:
  US14/541,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention provide for one or more server computers communicatively coupled to a network and configured to: generate a code to verify a correspondence address; store the code in association with a domain name; retrieve a correspondence address within a domain name record for the domain name; generate a correspondence to be sent to the correspondence address including the code and a URL for accessing a user interface for entering the code; determine whether the code has been entered into the user interface; and if so, update the domain name record to include a status reflecting a verification of the correspondence address and a date of the verification.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

executing, by a server hardware computing device coupled to a network and comprising at least one processor executing specific computer-executable instructions within a memory, at least one database command storing, in association with in a database communicatively coupled to the network;

a user account identifier for a domain name account;

a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or Quick Response (QR) code;

a postal correspondence address; and

a domain name within at least one domain name record;

responsive to the server hardware computing device decoding a trigger, automatically generating, by the server hardware computing device, a postal correspondence to be sent to the postal correspondence address,

the postal correspondence displaying;

the PIN or the QR code; and

a uniform resource locator for accessing a graphical user interface (GUI) including a GUI control for entering the PIN or for receiving a scan of the QR code; and

responsive to receiving a transmission from the GUI encoding a user input of the PIN or the scanned QR code, executing, by the server hardware computing device, a second database command updating the at least one domain name record to include;

a status reflecting a verification of the postal correspondence address; and

a date of the verification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the postal correspondence comprises a postcard automatically sent in response to the trigger.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the trigger comprises an alert that a tracked correspondence is undeliverable or has been returned or forwarded; and

the postcard is sent in response to the alert.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the trigger comprises an update to a monitored data; and

the postcard is sent in response to the update to the monitored data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the trigger comprises a regular interval relative to the date of verification; and

the postcard is sent at the end of the regular interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the code comprises:

the PIN entered into the user interface to confirm receipt of the postal correspondence;

or

the QR code scanned into the GUI to confirm receipt of the postal correspondence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one domain name record includes:

a WHOIS record;

a DNS record;

or

a domain name zone file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the WHOIS record, the DNS record or the domain name zone file comprise a contact data for a registrar hosting the account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step, responsive to a determination that the PIN or the QR code has not been received, of updating the at least one domain name record to include a pending status on the verification.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step, responsive to a determination that the PIN or the QR code has not been received, of suspending the domain name account until the PIN or the QR code is received.

11. A system, comprising:

a database coupled to a network and storing, in association;

a user account identifier for a domain name account;

a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or Quick Response (QR) code;

a postal correspondence address; and

a domain name within at least one domain name record;

a server hardware computing device coupled to a network comprising at least one processor executing specific computer-executable instructions within a memory and configured to;

responsive to decoding a trigger, automatically generate a postal correspondence to be sent to the postal correspondence address, the postal correspondence displaying;

the PIN or the QR code; and

a uniform resource locator for accessing a graphical user interface (GUI) including a GUI control for entering the PIN or for receiving a scan of the OR code;

and responsive to receiving transmission from the GUI encoding a user input of the PIN or the scanned QR code executing a second database command updating the at least one domain name record to include;

a status reflecting a verification of the postal correspondence address; and

a date of the verification.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the postal correspondence comprises a postcard automatically sent in response to the trigger.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the trigger comprises an alert that a tracked correspondence is undeliverable or has been returned or forwarded; and

the postcard is sent in response to the alert.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the trigger comprises an update to a monitored data; and

the postcard is sent in response to the update to the monitored data.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the trigger comprises a regular interval relative to the date of verification; and

the postcard is sent at the end of the regular interval.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the code comprises:

the PIN entered into the GUI to confirm receipt of the postal correspondence;

or

the QR code scanned into the GUI to confirm receipt of the postal correspondence.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one domain name record includes:

a WHOIS record;

a DNS record;

or

a domain name zone file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the WHOIS record, the DNS record or the domain name zone file comprise a contact data for a registrar hosting the account.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the server hardware computing device is further configured to:

update the at least one domain name record to include a pending status on the verification, responsive to a determination that the PIN or the QR code has not been received.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the server hardware computing device is further configured to:

suspend the domain name account until the PIN or the QR code is received, responsive to a determination that the PIN or the QR code has not been received.