Claims
- 1. In a domain name registration system in which a registry maintains a current registration for a domain name, a method for effecting a succeeding registration of the domain name by backordering the domain name with the registry in advance of the current registration lapsing, the method comprising the steps of:
provisioning a backorder system to receive a request to backorder a domain name having a current registration maintained by a registry; storing the backorder request in a data source accessible by the registry; and implementing one or more registry commands establishing a preferred channel for receiving a request at the registry for a succeeding registration of the domain name following a lapse of the current registration, wherein:
the registry verifies the presence of the backorder request in response to receiving a select one or more of the registry commands; and responsive to a backorder being present, the registry grants the request for the succeeding registration if it comes from the backorder system, and denies the request for the succeeding registration if it does not come from the backorder system.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data source is maintained by the registry.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the data source is a database containing one or more backorder requests corresponding to one or more domain name registrations maintained by the registry.
- 4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of storing the backorder request in a data source maintained by the backorder system.
- 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of synchronizing the backorder system data source with the registry data source.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein, upon receiving a second request for a succeeding registration of the domain name, the backorder system processes the first request first and the second request second, and the registry grants the first request before the second request, so as to define a backorder queue encompassing the first request and second request.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first request is received by the backorder system before the second request.
- 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first request includes a first indication of value associated with the subsequent registration, the second request includes a second indication of value associated with the subsequent registration, and the first indication of value is greater than the second indication of value.
- 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more registry commands include a command to ripen the backorder, the ripen command being implemented by the backorder system to request the succeeding registration for the domain name corresponding to the stored backorder request.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more registry commands include a command to add a backorder whereby the backorder system communicates the backorder request to the registry.
- 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more registry commands include a qualified add command, the qualified add command being implemented by an interested entity, other than the backorder system, to request the subsequent registration of the domain name.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the one or more registry commands further include a status-check command, in response to which the registry verifies the existence of the backorder request.
- 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the status-check command is implemented in response to the registry receiving the qualified add command.
- 14. The method of claim 12 wherein, following the lapse of the current registration, if the status-check command verifies that no backorder request exists, the registry can grant a first received succeeding registration request of the interested entity.
- 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the backorder system receives the backorder request from a registrar.
- 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the backorder system receives the backorder request from a current registrant of the domain name.
- 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the backorder system receives the backorder request from a prospective registrant of the domain name.
- 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the registry is a thick registry.
- 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the provisioning step includes provisioning the backorder system as an internal component of the registry.
- 20. A method for establishing an orderly succession of registrations for a domain name maintained by a registry, the method comprising the steps of:
collecting one or more backorder requests with a backorder system, each backorder request identifying a desired domain name having a current registration maintained by a registry and requesting a succeeding registration of the desired domain name for an interested entity; communicating the one or more backorder requests to the registry in the order in which the backorder requests were received; in response to the registry purging a current registration for the desired domain name, requesting the succeeding registration of the desired domain name through the backorder system for the interested entity corresponding to a first-received of the one or more backorder requests.
- 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of implementing one or more registry commands by which the registry only enables the succeeding registration when requested by the backorder system for the interested entity corresponding to the first-received backorder request.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more registry commands include a command to ripen the backorder, the ripen command being available only to the backorder system for use in fulfilling the first received backorder request.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the one or more registry commands further include a command, available only to the backorder system, to delete a previously collected backorder request; and
the method further comprising the step of, responsive to the first-received backorder request being deleted or ripened, enabling the ripen command for fulfillment of a second-received backorder request.
- 24. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of implementing a registry command enabling a qualified addition of a new registration for the desired domain name, wherein:
the registry denies the qualified addition command during the current registration; the registry denies the qualified addition command after the current registration is purged if the one or more backorder requests have been communicated to the registry; and the registry approves the qualified addition command after the current registration is purged if no backorder request has been communicated to the registry.
- 25. The method of claim 20 wherein the backorder system can collect the one or more backorder requests from a registrar or registrant.
- 26. The method of claim 20 wherein the registry is a thick registry.
- 27. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of provisioning the backorder system as an internal component of the registry.
- 28. A method for orderly processing multiple requests for a succeeding registration of a desired domain name, the method comprising the steps of:
offering an interface to a backorder service to receive one or more requests for a succeeding registration of a domain name having a current registration maintained by a registry; communicating the one or more requests to the registry along with a suggested order for fulfilling the one or more requests upon a lapse in the current registration; implementing a first registry command for use by the backorder service to request the succeeding registration; implementing a second registry command for use by one or more other interested entities to request the succeeding registration; and rendering the first registry command effective, and the second registry command ineffective, for requesting the succeeding registration for the domain name corresponding to the one or more communicated backorder requests, whereby a successful succeeding registration request can only come from the backorder service when there are one or more backorder requests.
- 29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of enabling a second succeeding registration by the one or more other interested entities through the second registry command for a second domain that does not have a corresponding backorder request.
- 30. A system for processing a backorder for a registered domain name, comprising:
a backorder system that receives a request to backorder a domain name having a current registration; and a registry maintaining the current registration for the domain name; wherein the registry includes:
a data source storing an indication that the domain name has a corresponding backorder request; an application programming interface bifurcating a first registry command available to the backorder management system from a second registry command available to one or more entities other than the backorder management system, wherein the first and second registry commands provide domain name registration functionality; and a registration management system with access to the data source to detect the backorder indication, and, upon detecting the backorder indication, disabling the second registry command to block a successive registration by the one or more entities, and enabling the first registry command to allow the successive registration by the backorder management system.
- 31. The system of claim 30 wherein the first registry command is a ripen-backorder command to effect a registration for a backordered domain name.
- 32. The system of claim 30 wherein the second registry command is a modified add-registration command.
- 33. The system of claim 32 wherein the add-registration command is modified to require the registry to check the data source to detect the backorder indication.
- 34. The system of claim 30 wherein the register maintains the data source locally.
- 35. The method of claim 30 wherein the registry is chosen from a group consisting of a thick registry, a thin registry, and a registry offering combined registry-registrar functionality.
- 36. In a domain name registration system in which a registry implements one or more registry commands accessible by one or more registrars to manage current registrations for one or more domain names maintained by the registry, an improvement comprising:
a registry data source storing records indicating which of the domain names maintained by the registry have corresponding backorder requests; a backorder system administering collection and processing of the backorder requests and communicating with the registry to update the registry data source with a current status of the backorder requests; and customized registry commands requiring the registry to identify the domain names having corresponding backorder requests before the registry grants a registration, to preclude a subsequent registration of the identified domain names by a registrar, and to afford the backorder system the opportunity to effect the subsequent registrations.
- 37. The system of claim 36 wherein the customized registry commands include a ripen-backorder registry command available only to the backorder system to effect a subsequent registration of a domain name having a corresponding backorder, the subsequent registration following a lapse in a current registration for the domain name.
- 38. The system of claim 36 wherein the customized registry commands include a check-status command available to the registrar to determine a registration status for a specific domain name and a backorder status for the specific domain name.
- 39. The system of claim 38 wherein the customized registry commands further include a modified add-registration command accessible by the registrar, the modified add-registration command requiring implementation of the check-status command.
- 40. The system of claim 39 wherein the add-registration command fails in response to the check-status command identifying that the registration status or backorder status are valid.
- 41. The system of claim 36 wherein the registry data source is a database locally maintained by the registry.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/403,497, filed Aug. 13, 2002 , which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60403497 |
Aug 2002 |
US |