US 8,543,732 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for multiplexing internet domain names

OwnerWilliam Kenneth Ryaninventor

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Abstract

The current disclosure describes an edge application (user agent) that supports name multiplexing and allows users the convenience of the ‘name*number.com’ format while allowing registration of the real domain name as exemplified by ‘ml-name-number.com’ which parallels the approach standardized for Internationalized Domain Names. Multiplexed domain names allow a virtually unlimited number of domain names under any Internet top level domain. The current improvement requires no new central associated directories, multi-tiered or sub-directories. It does not require modification of the DNS to allow additional characters such as the asterisk. It uses the DNS exactly as it is configured today.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In an Internet directory server having a memory for Internet names to facilitate computers communicating with other computers using TCP/IP, which allows nationals to register different original conventional domain names using Letter Digit Hyphen ASCII (LDH ASCII) characters resulting a plurality of different registered domain names in the memory of an Internet directory server, each registered domain name having a single top level domain name, a second level domain name and having an Internet protocol address (IP), an improvement characterized by:

an added one or more signal character or function character(s) which are ASCII characters not found in the LDH ASCII character set in a plurality of the same second level domain names seen by a user designating those domain names as being multiple registrations of the same domain names, the added one or more signal character(s) being a translation of characters within a central domain name system in the memory of the Internet directory server, the domain names containing the signal character or function character(s) being in addition to, different from each other and not replacing the original conventional registered domain name(s), which original conventional registered domain name(s) retain their original numerical IP address,
wherein the one or more added signal characters seen by the user and not found in the LDH ASCII character set in the second level domain name is the added character(s) generated using an edge application and comprises a translation of one or more LDH ASCII character(s) in a format not conventionally found in a second level domain name, the added one or more signal character(s) being a translation of characters within a central domain name system, the edge application program residing in the memory of a user's computer.

An Internet directory server or resolver having a memory for Internet names to facilitate computers communicating with other computers using TCP/IP, which allows nationals to register different conventional domain names resulting in a plurality of different registered domain names in the memory of the Internet directory server or resolver, each different conventional domain name having an Internet Protocol (IP) address and belonging to a single top level domain, the Internet directory server or resolver containing a collection of different domain names, wherein an improvement comprises:

each of the collection of different domain names having a plurality of identical names associated therewith, each identical name distinguished from all other identical names by added characters selected from the Letter Digit Hyphen ASCII (LDH ASCII) character set, the added characters selected from LDH ASCII characters in a prescribed format not conventionally found in domain names, and an edge application program for translating the one or more added characters into one or more non-LDH ASCII characters not found in the LDH ASCII character set for display on a user's computer, and an edge application program for translating one or more non-LDH ASCII characters into the one or more added characters for use in a server or resolver memory , and for translating one or more non LDH ASCII characters into the one or more LDH ASCII characters for use in a server or resolver memory the domain names containing the added LDH ASCII characters in the Internet directory server or resolver memory being in addition to and not replacing the different conventional domain names which different conventional registered domain names retain their original numerical IP address, and the one or more non-LDH ASCII characters acting as a signal character or function character indicating a multiple use of the same domain names.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/223,613Filed 9 Sep 2005 · continuation
Priority: 22 Jun 1999
Published: US 2006/0036767 A116 Feb 2006
Granted: 24 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 61/3015
Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames: name registration, generation or assignment
H04L 61/00
Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
H04L 61/30
Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming: managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames
H04L 61/3025
Name registration, generation or assignment: domain name generation or assignment

Family

Application09/337,315Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Jun 1999
PCT/US02/14131Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 May 2002
US 6,412,014 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 25 Jun 2002
Application10/780,359Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Feb 2004
US 2006/0036767 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Feb 2006
Application10/780,359Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2004/0162916 A1Published application
US 8,543,732 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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