Domain name system lookup allowing intelligent correction of searches and presentation of auxiliary information

• US 6,332,158 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1998
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acacia Research Group LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Chris Risley, Eduard Guzovsky, Richard Lamb
• Inventors: Lamb, Richard, Guzovsky, Eduard, Risley, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/207,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/229, 709/313, 709/328, 709/329
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A domain name server assists user'"'"'s in selecting desired domains in the Internet. A domain name query is sent from a resolver process, or equivalent process, when the user (or a process on the user'"'"'s computer) wishes to obtain information. If the domain name exists, the domain name server provides the corresponding machine address back to the user'"'"'s computer. However, when the domain name query uses a non-existent domain name then a machine address for a computer that executes a domain recommendation engine is returned instead of a machine address associated with the invalid domain. The domain recommendation engine assists the user (or process on the user'"'"'s computer) in locating a desired domain name. The domain name recommendation engine can take into account numerous factors that assist in determining the intended domain, including common misspellings, phonetic errors, sub-domain errors, past statistics on website accessing by the present user and prior users. Auxiliary information is provided to the user along with information to assist in locating the intended domain. The auxiliary information can include sponsorship information, referrals, advertisements, educational or other information. The auxiliary information can be in the form of image, audio, database of other types of information.

Claims

1. A method for handling invalid domain name lookup requests in the Internet, the method executing in a domain name server system responsive to a target domain name request by a user computer, wherein the user computer is coupled to a display screen, the method comprising the following steps executed in the domain name server system

receiving a target domain name lookup from a user computer;

searching a master lookup table to determine a machine address associated with the domain name;

determining that the target domain name does not exist within the lookup table;

transmitting a machine address to the user computer, wherein the machine address maps to a web server;

receiving a machine address request from the user computer based on the target domain name transmitted machine address to the user computer;

in response to the received machine address, sending information to the user computer to assist in that user'"'"'s selection of a most likely domain name that assumes a misspelling of the target domain name; and

displaying an advertisement on the user computer'"'"'s display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is a visual image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is audio.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is an animation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is video.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is a banner associated with a hyperlink to the subject of the banner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s computer includes a client-based spellchecker.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target domain name is a non-existent domain name.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target domain name is an existent but non-functioning domain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the domain lookup request is any one of the following types:

DNS, MX, TXT, PTR or CNAME.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising

transferring information to the user'"'"'s computer to cause the user'"'"'s computer to display one or more valid domain names similar in spelling to the non-existent domain name.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising

transferring information to the user'"'"'s computer to cause the user'"'"'s computer to display a list of valid domain names, wherein the valid domain names are hyperlinked to their corresponding page on the Internet.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising

transferring information to the user'"'"'s computer to cause the user'"'"'s computer to display the non-existent domain name having a portion of the non-existent domain name highlighted, wherein the highlighted portion distinguishes a non-existent domain name from the one or more valid domain names.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising

transferring information to the user'"'"'s computer to cause the user'"'"' computer to display auxiliary information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is an advertisement.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is sponsorship information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is a visual image.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is audio.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is an animation.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is video.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information is a banner associated with a hyperlink to the subject of the banner.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the target domain name is a disabled domain name.