BRANDED AND COMARKETED DOMAIN-BASED THIN CLIENT SYSTEM

• US 20090313321A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adelman, Warren, Parsons, Robert, Wagner, Eric, Chadwick, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention allow for a thin client which may be provided with a domain name in a partnership between a hosting provider, an ISP and/or a thin client retailer. The client may be used to access a remote computer or server in the hosting provider'"'"'s data center.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

A. a Thin Client system branded by a Hosting Provider and communicatively coupled to a Network;

B. means for remotely accessing, through cloud computing and via the branded Thin Client, at least one Computer or Server, hosted in a Data Center of the Hosting Provider and communicatively coupled to the Network;

C. a Portal Website, displayed via a Browser or other Client Software on the branded Thin Client, the Portal Website providing a gateway to at least one online Community or other online software or utilities, at least one Website Storage Area or other storage areas, at least one Management Webpage or other control panels accessible to the Registrant after successful authentication, at least one Email Webpage, any of the aforementioned or any combination thereof, the Portal Website resolving from a Domain Name registered to a Registrant and provided with the branded Thin Client; and

D. a Storage Area Network, accessible to the branded Thin Client and connecting the branded Thin Client with additional computers in the Storage Area Network, thereby expanding the storage space on the branded Thin Client to include unlimited Additional Storage Space assignable to the Registrant for files, backups, application install packages, offline storage space, software or any combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the branded Thin Client has display, remote desktop and wifi capability or any combination thereof, and is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a thin client connected to a TV for TV display, a thin client integrated into a mobile phone and a dumb client.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the branded Thin Client acts as nothing more than a remote head for a Computer or Server in the Data Center, and wherein the Client Software further comprises a Remote Desktop Program capable of accessing the Computer or Server in the Data Center.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein no dedicated hardware exists in the Data Center of the Hosting Provider.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the branded Thin Client automatically boots to the Browser or other Client Software displaying the Portal Website.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the Thin Client can boot to applications other than the Browser or other Client Software and is capable of displaying web pages in addition to pages related to the Portal Website.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the Thin Client boots only to the Browser and is not capable of displaying web pages other than pages related to the Portal Website.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for automatically installing, via a Hosting Control Center and as necessary, one or more patches, upgrades, backups, software or any combination thereof to keep the branded Thin Client, or the Computer or Server, including any related software or utilities up to date, wherein the Hosting Provider has access to, and the ability to log in to the Computer or Server to install the one or more patches, upgrades, backups and applications.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the online Community further comprises a plurality of online software and utilities which may be added, or purchased and added, to the Portal Website via cloud computing;

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the software or utilities added to the Portal Website further comprise server-side web applications.

11. A method comprising the steps of:

A. partnering a Hosting Provider, a broadband or other Internet Service Provider, a Thin Client Retailer or any combination thereof, wherein the broadband or Internet Service Provider has an installation infrastructure;

B. branding and co-marketing a Thin Client to reflect the partnership between the Hosting Provider, the broadband or Internet Service Provider, the Thin Client Retailer or any combination thereof,

C. providing a Registrant with the branded and co-marketed Thin Client in conjunction with registering a Domain Name to the Registrant;

D. allowing remote access to a Portal Website, displayed via a Browser or other Client Software on the branded and co-marketed Thin Client, the Portal Website providing a gateway to at least one online Community or other online software or utilities, at least one Website Storage Area or other storage areas, at least one Management Webpage or other control panels accessible to the Registrant after successful authentication, at least one Email Webpage, any of the aforementioned or any combination thereof, the Portal Website resolving from the Domain Name registered to the Registrant, wherein network service is provided and installed by the Broadband or Internet Service Provider; and

E. connecting the branded and co-marketed Thin Client to a Storage Area Network, connected to additional computers in the Storage Area Network, thereby creating Additional Storage Space on the branded and co-marketed Thin Client to include unlimited additional storage space for files, backups, application install packages, offline storage space, software or any combination thereof, with disk space assignable to the Registrant.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the branded and co-marketed Thin Client has display, remote desktop and wifi capability or any combination thereof, and is selected from the group consisting of a set top box, a thin client connected to a TV for TV display, a thin client integrated into a mobile phone and a dumb client.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the branded and co-marketed Thin Client acts as nothing more than a remote head for a Computer or Server in the Data Center, and wherein the Client Software further comprises a Remote Desktop Program capable of accessing the Computer or Server in the Data Center.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein no dedicated hardware exists in the Data Center of the Hosting Provider.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the branded and co-marketed Thin Client automatically boots to the Browser or other client software displaying the Portal Website.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the Thin Client can boot to applications other than the Browser or other Client Software and is capable of displaying web pages in addition to pages related to the Portal Website.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the Thin Client boots only to the Browser and is not capable of displaying web pages other than pages related to the Portal Website.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising means for automatically installing, via a Hosting Control Center and as necessary, one or more patches, upgrades, backups, software or any combination thereof to keep the branded and co-marketed Thin Client, or the Computer or Server, including any related software or utilities up to date, wherein the Hosting Provider has access to, and the ability to log in to the Computer or Server to install the one or more patches, upgrades, backups and applications.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the online Community further comprises a plurality of online software and utilities which may be added, or purchased and added, to the Portal Website via cloud computing.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the software or utilities added to the Portal Website further comprise server-side web applications.