SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION TRAFFIC

US 20070038729A1
Filed: 11/01/2006
Published: 02/15/2007
Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1. A method for directing communication, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an Internet user for a specific website;

relaying the request to an ISP DNS server to determine the Internet address for the website;

responding to the request by providing an Internet address when the requested Internet address for the website is located;

if an Internet address for the requested website is not located;

determining if the request is a request other than one associated with the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP);

if the request is not associated with HTTP, forwarding to the Internet user the response from the Internet infrastructure;

for all other requests;

directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network;

choosing at least one appropriate target through the search network and sending a request for information from that target; and

providing a result page to the Internet user, the result page being a culmination of information received from the at least one target.

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Abstract

An Internet traffic redirection architecture is disclosed that allows for directing of trash traffic to specified sites. The system or method allows a controller, such as an ISP, to benefit from mistyped Internet addresses so that participating partners of the ISP are presented to the customer when the requests a web site that is not found or does not exist. The system decreases lost traffic by means of capturing unresolved “trash” traffic on the Internet and redirecting said traffic to a search engine partner and/or other partners.

211 Citations

17 Claims

1. A method for directing communication, the method comprising:
- receiving a request from an Internet user for a specific website;
  
  relaying the request to an ISP DNS server to determine the Internet address for the website;
  
  responding to the request by providing an Internet address when the requested Internet address for the website is located;
  
  if an Internet address for the requested website is not located;
  
  determining if the request is a request other than one associated with the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP);
  
  if the request is not associated with HTTP, forwarding to the Internet user the response from the Internet infrastructure;
  
  for all other requests;
  
  directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network;
  
  choosing at least one appropriate target through the search network and sending a request for information from that target; and
  
  providing a result page to the Internet user, the result page being a culmination of information received from the at least one target.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- - 2. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network when the requested Internet address is not located comprises intercepting, by a DNS based proxy, the request at a name level to return a contrived IP address for a web server landing page in place of an unresolved domain name request.
  - 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the targets are predetermined partners and associated with the ISP DNS.
  - 4. The method of claim 1, wherein all steps occur within an Internet structure.
  - 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet user may opt-out of failed lookup redirection.
  - 6. The method of claim 1, which is a method of controlling communication traffic, wherein said method provides one or more of the following services:
    - DNS forwarding, URL filtering, DDOS attack detection, and SPAM source identification.
  - 7. The method of claim 1, which is a method of controlling access by a user to an undesirable website, wherein said method further comprises:
    - identifying an IP address, a URL, or both, corresponding to the undesirable website, wherein the IP address is provided by a DNS server connected to the Internet; and
      
      supplying to the user a different IP address than the IP address corresponding to the undesirable website, wherein the different IP address corresponds to a web page that provides the user content that is relevant to the query that resulted in return of the undesirable website IP address.
  - 8. The method of claim 7, which is a method of URL filtering.

9. A computer system for direction of communication traffic, said system comprising:
- a DNS server;
  
  a first device that;
  
  receives and analyzes communications from a computer user and the DNS server; and
  
  determines if a communication is associated with a protocol other than HTTP, wherein, if the communication is not associated with a protocol other than HTTP, communicating with a second device when an unresolved, unwanted, unused, improper, or incorrect is encountered; and
  
  a second device that creates a landing page for the computer user based on information supplied to it by the first device, wherein the information supplied by the first device is information indicating that the communication from the user was unresolved, unwanted, unused, improper, or incorrect.
- View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- - 10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first device is interposed, within the communication pathway, between the user and the DNS, and wherein the first device is capable of intercepting and analyzing communications between the user and the DNS.
  - 11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises two or more second devices.
  - 12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising a computer used by the computer user, said computer comprising an Internet browser application and a browser plug-in that communicates with the first device to supply information regarding the computer used by the computer user, the computer user, or both.
  - 13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first device and second device are not personal computers used by the computer user.
  - 14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the system is implemented at the ISP/DNS level of the Internet architecture, and not at the user level or the registry level.
  - 15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first device is a general services server that can implement one or more computer applications.
  - 16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first device and the DNS are the same device.
  - 17. The computer system of claim 9, which provides one or more of the following services:
    - DNS forwarding, URL filtering, DDOS attack detection, and SPAM source identification.

Specification

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Current Assignee
Bushnell Hawthorne, LLC
Original Assignee
Alan Sullivan, Mark Lewyn, Phillip Gross
Inventors
Gross, Phillip, Lewyn, Mark, Sullivan, Alan

Granted Patent

US 7,631,101 B2
Time in Patent Office

Days
Field of Search
US Class Current

709/219
CPC Class Codes

H04L 61/4511   using domain name system [DNS]

H04L 67/02   based on web technology, e....

H04L 67/63   Routing a service request d...

H04L 69/329   in the application layer [O...

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION TRAFFIC

First Claim

2 Assignments

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

211 Citations

17 Claims

Specification

Solutions

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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION TRAFFIC

First Claim

2 Assignments

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Subscription Required

0 Petitions

Subscription Required

Accused Products

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Abstract

211 Citations

17 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

Use Cases

Quick Links