Message based network transmission for selection and auditing of internet services

• US 8,055,747 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mazur, Leszek, Paron, Dean P., Damour, Kevin T., Fishman, Neil Scott, DePue, Adam C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Emdadi; Keyvan
• Application Number:
  US11/464,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A computer communicates with a referral server according to a web service definition to select and audit performance of an internet service. The computer sends and receives messages requesting internet services available in a geographic region and the message includes an identifier where the computer is located. Other received messages indicating available services including, top-level-domains, currency, and languages available in the geographic region. For example, for domain name services, messages include top-level domains, and for other services, messages include currency, languages, etc. Messages include a list of providers available in the geographic region, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, or a provider URL. The computer sends other messages that audited selected provider performance including, a provider selected to provide an internet service, an indication of successful transaction, an indication of successful configuration, or an indication of failure.

Claims

1. A computer communicating with a referral server according to a web service definition to select and audit performance of an internet service, the computer comprising:

a digital processor coupled to digital memory;

at least one network connection;

in digital memory, digital processor executable instructions for sending and receiving messages on the at least one network connection to and from the referral server, the instructions comprising;

instructions for collecting technical requirements relating to a computing environment of the computer;

instructions for sending one or more messages to the referral server requesting information as to providers available in a geographic region of the computer and that meet the technical requirements of the computing environment and including an identifier where the computer is located;

instructions for receiving one or more messages from the referral server indicating available services including, currency, and languages available in the geographic region, and a list of plural providers available in the geographic region, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, a provider icon, a provider URL, or a provider currency;

wherein each provider in the list of plural providers is located in the list based on performance ranks that are determined by a formula that includes time discounting of data of performance which weights newer performance data more heavily than older performance data, and wherein the providers in the list with higher performance ranks are listed above providers with lower performance ranks;

instructions for obtaining a download code component of a selected one of the plural providers with which to purchase and configure the internet service for the computer from the selected provider; and

instructions for sending one or more messages to the referral server auditing performance of the selected available provider, the messages including an indication of successful transaction, or an indication of successful configuration.

2. The computer of claim 1, further comprising instructions for sending one or more messages to the referral server of an indication of failure to obtain service from the selected one of the providers in the geographic region comprising at least one of a provider failure, a network failure, or a failure information string.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the indication of successful configuration comprises an initial configuration success, an indication of going live, or a time from purchase to going live.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein one or more of the received messages include at least one of:

provider configuration URL, provider purchase URL, provider position on list, or provider supported TLDs.

5. The computer of claim 4, wherein the computer communicates with the selected provider via the provider configuration URL to auto-configure the service.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the identifier of where the computer is located is at least one of a country code, a language-country code, or a language-locale code.

7. The computer of claim 1, communicating with the selected provider according to a second web service defined by the referral server.

8. The computer of claim 7, communicating with the selected provider to purchase and configure the service via a component provided by the referral server.

9. The computer of claim 7, communicating with the selected provider via a component downloaded from the Internet via a link provided by the referral server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the received messages includes for each provider on the list, at least one of:

a provider configuration URL, a provider purchase URL, a provider position on list, a provider offer code, or a provider supported TLD.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of where the computer is located is a country code, a language-country code, or a language-locale code.

10. A computer performing a method comprising:

collecting technical requirements relating to a computing environment of the computer;

sending to a referral server, one or more messages requesting internet services available to the computer in a geographic region and including an identifier where the computer is located and information of the collected technical requirements;

receiving from the referral server, one or more messages indicating services that meet the collected technical requirements including, top-level-domains, currency, a language available in the geographic region, a list of plural providers of the services available to the computer in the geographic region, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, a provider icon, and a provider URL;

wherein the list of plural providers is sorted based on performance ranks of each provider in the list, the performance ranks are determined based on a formula that includes time discounting of data of performance from audit information which weights newer performance data from the audit information more heavily than older performance data, and wherein the providers in the list with higher performance ranks are listed above providers with lower performance ranks;

sending to the referral server, one or more messages indicating a selected one of the plural providers selected from the list of plural providers and a position in the list of plural providers that the selected one of the plural providers is listed in when selected;

obtaining a download code component of the selected one of the plural providers and operable to purchase and configure the internet service for the computer from the selected one of the plural providers; and

sending to the referral server, one or more messages auditing selected provider performance formed according to a web service definition, the one or more messages including an indication of successful transaction, an indication of successful configuration, an indication of going live, and an indication of failure;

wherein the indication of successful transaction indicates the selected one of the providers, a top level domain type, and a successful purchase;

wherein the indication of successful configuration indicates the selected one of the providers and an initial configuration success;

wherein the indication of going live indicates the selected one of the providers, a time span from a purchase to going live, and a success of going live;

wherein the indication of failure indicates the selected one of the providers, a failure type, and failure information, wherein the failure type comprises one of a provider failure, a network failure, or a failure information string;

wherein the success of going live is determined based on a query using at least a domain name by the computer and an IP address received in response to the query.

13. The method of clam 10 further comprising communicating with the provider selected to provide the internet service according to a second web service definition, the communications comprising:

one or more message purchasing the internet service; and

one or more message auto-configuring the internet service.

14. A computer readable storage medium having thereon computer executable instructions comprising:

instructions for collecting technical requirements relating to a computing environment of a computer executing the instructions;

instructions for causing the computer to send to a referral server, one or more messages requesting internet services available in a geographic market and including an identifier where the computer is located, wherein the identifier of where the computer is located comprises a country code, a language-country code, or a language-locale code;

instructions for causing the computer to receive from the referral server, one or more messages indicating available services including, currency, language, a list of available providers, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, and a provider URL;

wherein each provider in the list of available providers is located in the list based on performance ranks that are determined by a formula that includes time discounting of data of performance which weights newer performance data more heavily than older performance data, and wherein the providers in the list with higher performance ranks are listed above providers with lower performance ranks;

instructions for causing the computer to send to the referral server, one or more messages indicating a selected one of the plural providers selected from the list of available providers and a list position the selected one of the plural providers was located in when selected;

instructions for obtaining a download code component of the selected one of the plural providers for purchasing and configuring the internet service for the computer from the selected provider;

instructions for causing the computer to send to the referral server, one or more messages about provider performance formed according to a web service definition, the one or more messages including;

an indication of successful transaction comprising an indicator of the selected one of the providers, a top level domain type, and a purchase successful indicator;

an indication of successful configuration comprising the indicator of the selected one of the providers and an initial configuration successful indication;

an indication of going live comprising the indicator of the selected one of the providers, an indicator of a time span from a purchase to going live, and a going live successful indicator; and

an indication of post-configuration failure to obtain service from the selected one of the providers in the geographic market comprising the indicator of the selected one of the providers, an indicator of a failure type, and failure information, wherein the failure type comprises one of a provider failure or a network failure;

wherein the instructions for causing the computer to send an indication of going live are configured to determine the going live successful indicator based on a query using at least a domain name by the computer and an IP address received in response to the query.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise purchase and configure instructions downloaded from the referral server and executed to send and receive one or more messages with the provider selected to provide the internet service.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the messages sent to and received from the referral server are formed according to the web service definition.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14 further comprising instructions for communicating with the provider selected to provide the internet service according to a second web service definition provided by the referral server.

18. A computer performing a method comprising:

collecting technical requirements relating to a computing environment of the computer;

sending to a referral server, one or more messages requesting internet services available to the computer in a geographic region and including an identifier where the computer is located and information of the collected technical requirements;

receiving from the referral server, one or more messages indicating services that meet the collected technical requirements including, top-level-domains, currency, a language available in the geographic region, a list of plural providers of the services available to the computer in the geographic region, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, a provider icon, and a provider URL;

wherein the list of plural providers is sorted based on performance ranks of each provider in the list, the performance ranks are determined based on a formula that includes time discounting of data of performance from audit information which weights newer performance data from the audit information more heavily than older performance data, and wherein the providers in the list with higher performance ranks are listed above providers with lower performance ranks;

obtaining a download code component of a selected one of the plural providers and operable to purchase and configure the internet service for the computer from the selected provider; and

sending to the referral server, one or more messages auditing selected provider performance including an indication of successful transaction, an indication of successful configuration, and an indication of failure.

19. A computer readable storage device having thereon computer executable instructions comprising:

instructions for collecting technical requirements relating to a computing environment of a computer executing the instructions;

instructions for causing the computer to send to a referral server, one or more messages requesting internet services available in a geographic market and including an identifier where the computer is located;

instructions for causing the computer to receive from the referral server, one or more messages indicating available services including, currency, language, a list of available providers, and for each provider in the list, a provider name, a description of provider services, and a provider URL;

wherein each provider in the list of available providers is located in the list based on performance ranks that are determined by a formula that includes time discounting of data of performance which weights newer performance data more heavily than older performance data, and wherein the providers in the list with higher performance ranks are listed above providers with lower performance ranks;

instructions for obtaining a download code component of a selected one of the plural providers for purchasing and configuring the internet service for the computer from the selected provider; and

instructions for causing the computer to send to the referral server, one or more messages about provider performance including an indication of successful transaction, an indication of successful configuration, and an indication of post-configuration failure.