DIRECT DOMAIN SOFTWARE AND FILE ACCESS COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20090313364A1
• 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 9,002,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• 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 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention allow for a portal website further comprising an online community, storage areas, additional software, email access, etc. accessible via a direct access domain or links which manipulate a domain name to allow a registrant to access a remote computer or server in a hosting provider'"'"'s data center.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

A. a Portal Website hosted on at least one hosting Computer or Server communicatively coupled to a Network and owned by a Hosting Provider, the Portal Website resolving from a Domain Name registered to a Registrant;

B. a Client communicatively coupled to a Network for connecting to, accessing and displaying the Portal Website;

C. a plurality of Portal Web Pages on the Portal Website having Links or other means for selecting at least one online Community or other online software or utilities, at least one Website Storage Area or other storage areas, at least one Portal 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;

D. means for generating, via input on the Portal Management Webpage, one or more Direct Access Domains comprising at least one sub-domain concatenated to the Domain Name, the Direct Access Domains allowing direct access to the Community Webpage or other online software or utilities, the Website Storage Area or other storage areas, the Portal Management Webpage or other control panels, at least one Email Webpage, any of the aforementioned or any combination thereof when the Direct Access Domain is entered into a Client Software on the Client; and

E. means for providing access to online software or utilities which may be added, or purchased and added, to the Portal Website via cloud computing or through the online Community.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the Portal Website is accessed via a Web Browser or other Client Software.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the online applications further comprise server-side web applications.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for utilizing Links in combination with the Direct Access Domain to access the online Community or other online software or utilities, the Website Storage Area or other storage areas, the Portal Management Webpage or other control panels, the at least one Email Webpage, any of the aforementioned or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the Portal Webpage is accessed via a Thin Client, wherein the Thin Client acts as a remote head for the hosting Computer or Server.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the Thin Client 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.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the Portal Webpage is accessed via a Thick Client, wherein the Thick Client acts as a remote head for the hosting Computer or Server.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the Thick Client is selected from the group consisting of a mini-laptop, a wireless laptop, a simple, inexpensive PC desktop, a thick client integrated into a mobile phone and a hybrid dumb client.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the Client is branded and co-marketed.

10. A system comprising:

A. at least one Website Storage Area for storing files online, hosted on at least one hosting Computer or Server communicatively coupled to a Network and owned by a Hosting Provider;

B. a Portal Website which contains the Website Storage Area, said Portal Website also hosted on the hosting Computer or Server and resolving from a Domain Name registered to a Registrant;

C. a Client communicatively coupled to the Network for connecting to, accessing and displaying the Portal Website;

D. a File Storage Management Webpage on the Portal Website accessible to the Registrant after successful authentication, the File Storage Management Webpage having Links or other means for selecting at least one file or document stored in the Website Storage Area;

E. means for generating, via input on the File Storage Management Webpage, one or more Direct Access Domains comprising at least one sub-domain concatenated to the Domain Name, each of the Direct Access Domains allowing direct access to each of the files or documents stored in the Website Storage Area; and

F. a Storage Area Network communicatively coupling the hosting Computer or Server with at least one Additional Computer, thereby providing unlimited Additional Storage Space assignable to the Registrant for the files or documents, as well as backups, application install packages, offline storage space, software or any combination thereof stored in the Website Storage Area.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the File Storage Management Webpage has the ability to store and access the files or documents within the Website Storage Area.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the File Storage Management Webpage has the ability to transmit and receive files between the Client and the Server.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the File Storage Management Webpage is displayed in a Web Browser with the ability to access, organize and download files to the Client as needed.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the File Storage Management Webpage is displayed in a Web Browser with the ability to access, organize and download files between the computers or servers within the Storage Area Network as needed.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

A. hosting a Portal Website, with or without at least one Website Storage Area, on at least one hosting Computer or Server communicatively coupled to a Network and owned by a Hosting provider, the Portal Website resolving from a Domain Name registered to a Registrant;

B. allowing a Client communicatively coupled to the Network, to connect to, access and display the Portal Website;

C. providing a plurality of Portal Web Pages on the Portal Website having Links or other means for selecting at least one online Community or other online software or utilities, any existing Website Storage Area or other storage areas, at least one Portal 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;

D. generating, via input on the Portal Management Webpage, one or more Direct Access Domains comprising at least one sub-domain concatenated to the Domain Name, the Direct Access Domains allowing direct access to the online Community or other online software or utilities, any existing Website Storage Area or other storage areas, the Portal Management Webpage or other control panels, at least one Email Webpage, or any combination thereof when the Direct Access Domain is entered into an Application on the Client; and

E. storage area networking the hosting Computer or Server with at least one Additional Computer, thereby providing unlimited Additional Storage Space assignable to the Registrant for files, backups, application install packages, offline storage space, software or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of generating, via user input into a File Storage Management Webpage on the Portal Management Webpage, one or more Direct Access Domains comprising at least one sub-domain concatenated to the Domain Name, which allow direct access to files or documents stored in any existing Website Storage Area.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising providing access to the online Community 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.