Patent Publication Number: US-7917389-B2

Title: Relevant email ads for domain name advertiser

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is related to the following patent applications concurrently filed herewith, all assigned to The Go Daddy Group, Inc: 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/907,809, “PARKED WEBPAGE DOMAIN NAME SUGGESTIONS.” 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/907,810, “RELEVANT ONLINE ADS FOR DOMAIN NAME ADVERTISER.” 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates in general to email advertisement and in particular to customization of email ads for a domain name registrar. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networks arranged to allow the easy and robust exchange of information between users of computers. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have access to computers connected to the Internet via Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Content providers place multimedia information, i.e. text, graphics, sounds, and other forms of data, at specific locations on the Internet referred to as websites. The combination of all the websites and their corresponding webpages on the Internet is generally known as the World Wide Web (WWW) or simply web. 
     Websites may be created using HyperText Markup Language (HTML). The HTML tags define how the webpages for the website are to be displayed. Users of the Internet may access content providers&#39; websites using software known as a Web browser, such as MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER or NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR. After the browser has located the desired webpage, it requests and receives information from the webpage, typically in the form of an HTML document, and then displays the webpage content for the user. The user may then view other webpages at the same website or move to an entirely different website using the browser. 
     Browsers are able to locate specific websites because each website, resource and computer on the Internet has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. Presently, there are two standards for IP addresses. The older IP address standard, often called IP Version 4 (IPv4), is a 32-bit binary number, which is typically shown in dotted decimal notation, where four 8-bit bytes are separated by a dot from each other, e.g. 64.202.167.32. The notation is used to improve human readability. The newer IP address standard, often called IP Version 6 (IPv6) or Next Generation Internet Protocol (IPng), is a 128-bit binary number. The standard human readable notation for IPv6 addresses presents the address as eight 16-bit hexadecimal words, each separated by a colon, for example 2EDC:BA98:0332:0000:CF8A:000C:2154:7313. 
     However, IP addresses, even in a human readable notation, are difficult to remember and use by people. Uniform Resource Locators (URL) are much easier to remember and may be used to point to any website, directory or file on the Internet. A browser is able to access a website on the Internet through the use of a URL. The URL may include a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request combined with the website&#39;s Internet address, also known as the website&#39;s domain name. An example of a URL with an HTTP request and domain name is: http://godaddy.com. In this example, the “http” identifies the URL as an HTTP request and the “godaddy.com” is the domain name. 
     Individuals, companies, and other entities that provide content on the web generally want to use their name or one of their trademarks as part of their domain name. Thus, domain names are generally company trademarks, personal names or short phrases concatenated with a top level domain name (TLD) extension (e.g. .com, .net, org, .biz, .us, .cc, .ws, .de, etc.). TLD extensions can be divided into two groups. The first group is known as generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) and the second group is country code TLDs (ccTLD). The list of current gTLDs is shown on  FIG. 1 . Examples of current ccTLDs are: .us for the United States, .uk and .gb for United Kingdom, .ca for Canada, .de for Germany, .jp for Japan, etc. 
     Domain names are much easier to remember and use than their corresponding IP addresses. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves some gTLDs and delegates the responsibility to a particular organization (hereinafter registry) for maintaining an authoritative source for the registered domain names within a TLD and their corresponding IP addresses. For certain TLDs, e.g. .biz, .info, .name, and now .org, the registry is also the authoritative source for contact information related to the domain name and is referred to as a “thick” registry. For other TLDs, e.g. .com, .net, only the domain name and name server information is stored within the registry, and a registrar is the authoritative source for the contact information related to the domain name. Such registries are referred to as “thin” registries. Most gTLDs are organized through a central domain name Shared Registration System (SRS) based on their TLD. 
     The process for registering a domain name with .com, .net, org and some other registries allows a customer to use an ICANN-accredited registrar. For example, if a customer, John Doe, wishes to register the domain name “JohnDoe.com”, John Doe may initially determine whether the desired domain name is available by contacting a registrar. The customer may make this contact using the registrar&#39;s webpage and typing the desired domain name into a field on the registrar&#39;s webpage created for this purpose. Upon receiving the request from the customer, the registrar may ascertain whether “JohnDoe.com” has already been registered by checking the SRS database of the registry associated with the TLD of the domain name. The results of the search may then be displayed on the webpage to thereby notify the customer of the availability of the domain name. If the domain name is available, the customer may proceed with the registration process. Otherwise, the customer may keep selecting alternative domain names until an available domain name is found. 
     Domain names are typically registered for a period of one to ten years. If the registrant does not renew the domain name, it will expire. Shortly after the domain name goes past its expiration date the domain name will be deactivated. All domain services including the web page and email will no longer work. For approximately 40 days the domain name will be in a “grace period”. During this time the domain name will not be active and may be renewed without paying any additional fees. At the end of the grace period the domain name will enter a 30-day redemption period. WHOIS information (name, address, telephone numbers, etc.) will be deleted from the registry. The domain may be renewed by its original owner for a fee during the redemption period. Five days after the end of the redemption period the domain name will be deleted from the registry and will be made available for anyone to register. 
     After the customer registers a domain name she may create a website. In the mean time a temporary page may be associated with the domain name. A temporary page may state “under construction,” “coming soon,” “this domain was registered,” “for sale,” etc. Often the registrar will provide this temporary page for the customer. The registrar may place an advertisement on the temporary page. Often the temporary webpages without substantive content are referred to as parked webpages, meaning the domain name is parked and awaiting further action (e.g. creating a website).  FIG. 2  demonstrates a webpage snapshot from the GO DADDY website showing variations of parked webpages available from this registrar. 
     Some users may use a web browser to check if a domain name is taken. The user may type the domain name into the address field of the browser to see if a webpage comes in. If the webpage comes in, it means that the domain is taken, if the webpage does not come in, it may mean (but not guarantied) that the domain name is available. 
     After the website is up and running, the owner of the website may place an advertisement on the website. The website owner may search for advertisers or participate in one of the programs which combines a large number of advertisers and provides ads for the websites. An example of such a program is Google AdSense. Often online ads are selected to match the content of the webpage. These are so called targeted, relevant, contextual, or customized ads. 
     Additionally targeted ads may be associated with email messages. Targeted ads may be included into the body of an email message or may be displayed on the side of the email when the message is viewed online through a web browser. 
     Click through rate (CTR) is a ratio between the number of times the ad was clicked by the users and the number of times the ad was shown to the users. Generally, CTRs are low and often are around 1%. The CTRs of the targeted ads for the domain name registrars and domain name resellers are low as well. Therefore, new systems and methods are needed to improve CTRs for domain name registrars and domain name resellers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The limitations cited above and others are substantially overcome through the systems and methods disclosed herein. The systems and methods of the present invention allow for domain name registrars and domain name resellers (domain name advertisers) to provide ads relevant to some characteristics of the email message, e.g. the content of the email message. 
     A sample embodiment of the invention discloses a system comprising an email message, an advertisement associated with the email message, and a domain name module. The domain name module may generate suggested domain names to be shown on the advertisement based on the properties of the email message and/or the properties of a network connection utilized to view the email message (collectively, email properties). 
     The system may further comprise a sender, a receiver, and a domain name advertiser. The sender may send the email message to the receiver. The receiver may view the email message via presenting means, such as email software or a webmail webpage. The domain name advertiser is typically a domain name registrar or a reseller who maintains (operates) the domain name module. 
     The domain name module may further comprise a domain name generator and a domain name database. The domain name generator may generate the suggested domain names based on the email properties. Typically, the domain name generator will identify terms in the email message and provide the suggested domain names. The domain name database may store active, expired, “on hold,” and/or available for sale domain names. The data in the domain name database may be used to improve the quality of the suggested domain names. 
     A sample method of the invention comprises the steps of sending the email message, placing the advertisement within the email message or on the presenting means in proximity to the email message. Placing the advertisement on the webpage may further include analyzing the email properties, generating the suggested domain names, and displaying the suggested domain names on the advertisement. 
     The suggested domain names may be geared toward (customized for) the sender, the receiver, a third party. 
     The systems and methods of the present invention will help domain name advertisers in registering, selling, and backordering domain names. 
     The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  (Prior Art) shows a List of current Generic Top-Level Domains. 
         FIG. 2  (Prior Art) is a snapshot of a webpage showing samples of parked webpages available from a registrar. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a sample embodiment of the system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a sample embodiment of the domain name module illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIGS. 5-7  are flowcharts illustrating various embodiments of the method(s) of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates various properties that may be utilized to generate suggested domain names. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a sample classification of domain names. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be discussed in detail with regard to the attached drawing figures which were briefly described above. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth illustrating the Applicant&#39;s best mode for practicing the invention and enabling one of ordinary skill in the art of making and using the invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without many of these specific details. In other instances, well-known machines and method steps have not been described in particular detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Unless otherwise indicated, like parts and method steps are referred to with like reference numerals. 
     For the purposes of this application a domain name advertiser means a domain name registrar, or a domain name registry, or a domain name reseller; or a partner, an affiliate, or an associate thereof; or any other party involved in registering, selling, reselling, backordering, or advertising domain names. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a sender  305  may send an email message  310  to a receiver  320 . The receiver  320  may view the email message  310  via a presenting means, such as email software or a webmail webpage. A domain name advertiser  325  may place an advertisement  315  in the email message  310  or on the presenting means in proximity to the email message  310 . Placing the advertisement  315  on the presenting means in proximity to the email message  310  means that the presenting means and the advertisement  315  may be viewed simultaneously. The advertisement  315  displays one or more domain names (hereinafter, suggested domain names). The suggested domain names are generated by a domain name module  330  based on the properties of the email message and/or the properties of a network connection utilized to view the email message (collectively, email properties). 
       FIG. 8  shows sample properties of an email message  840  and a network connection  830 . The properties of the email message may include content of the message, a subject, from and to fields, sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s email addresses, sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s domain names, sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s domain names registration data (also known as WHOIS records), headers of the message, sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s network addresses (e.g. IP addresses), sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s geographical locations, etc. Sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s domain names may be determined from sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s email addresses respectfully. Sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s network addresses may be determined from the email headers. Sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s geographical locations may be approximated from the sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s IP addresses. 
     For example, if the email message was sent from john@greencelery.com, the suggested domain names may be greencelery.us, green-celery.com, eatcelery.net, johnscelery.com, etc. If the registration data of the sender&#39;s domain name shows that the domain name was registered to XYZ Co-op in Phoenix, Ariz., the suggested domain names may be xyzcoop.com, xyz-coop.biz, celeryfromcoop.net, az-celery.us, johninphoenix.com, az-john.name, etc. 
     The properties of the network connection may include sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s network addresses (e.g. IP addresses), sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s geographical locations, etc. Sender&#39;s and receiver&#39;s geographical locations may be approximated from the IP addresses. For example, if the sender&#39;s IP address indicates a location in Phoenix, Ariz. and the receiver&#39;s IP address indicates a location in San Diego, Calif., the suggested domain names may be PhoenixSanDiego.com, az-ca-bridge.net, etc. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the sender  305  or the receiver  320  or a third party (collectively, a user) may view the email message  310  via the presenting means. The domain name module  330  may display the advertisement  315  with the suggested domain names on the webpage  310 . The domain name module  330  is a technological means for generating (producing) the suggested domain names and may be operated by the domain name advertiser  325 . The domain name module  330  may embed the advertisement  315  into the email message  310  on a sender&#39;s client level, on a receiver&#39;s client level, or while the email message  310  is being transmitted. The domain name module  330  may provide the suggested domain names for the advertisement  315  dynamically (e.g. generate the suggested domain names each time the user views the email message  310 ) or may cache the suggested domain names in a computer memory for some period of time. The advertisement  315  may be in various digital formats, such as HTML, java script, visual basic script, java applet, flash object, graphics, etc. 
     In some instances, while viewing the webpage  310 , the publisher  305  may assume a role of the user  320 . Considering that, the suggested domain names may be geared toward (customized for) the sender  305 , the receiver  320 , or a third party. The suggested domain names for the sender  305  may use the email properties related to the sender  305  (e.g. sender&#39;s email address, sender&#39;s domain name, sender&#39;s geographical location, etc.) and the suggested domain names for the receiver  320  may use the email properties related to the receiver  320  (e.g. receiver&#39;s email address, receiver&#39;s domain name, receiver&#39;s geographical location, etc.). The domain name module  330  may determine a mailbox the email message  310  is appearing in. The mailbox may be determined, for example, from a URL of the webmail webpage. The URL http://mail.greencelery.com:90/inbox may indicate that the user is looking at the Inbox. If the email message  310  is appearing in the Inbox, it is likely to be viewed by the receiver  320 ; if the email message  310  is appearing in the Sent Items mailbox, it is likely to be viewed by the sender  305 . Further, the domain name module  330  may obtain the network address (e.g. IP address) of the user viewing the email message  310  and determine if it&#39;s likely to be the sender  305  or the receiver  320 . 
     While generating the suggested domain names, the domain name module  330  may determine various terms from the email properties, concatenate the terms, provide alternative spellings of the terms, provide alternative terms that are similar in meaning to the terms, provide synonyms, provide related terms, change between single and plural forms of the terms, append prefixes and suffixes to the terms, add additional characters to the terms (e.g. dash), rearrange the terms, append additional words to the terms, add domain name suffixes to the terms (e.g. .com, .net, org, .us, .co.uk, .go.com), etc. The domain name suffixes may be top level domain name (TLD) extensions (e.g. .com, .net, .org, .us, etc.) or subdomains of any level (e.g. .co.uk, .go.com, subdomain2.subdomainl.com, etc.). 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the domain name module  330  may comprise a domain name generator  405  and a domain name database  410 . The domain name generator  405  may generate the domain names based on the terms determined from the email properties. The domain name database  410  may store active (previously registered and currently not expired) domain names. Since active domain names are not available for registration, the domain name generator  405  may filter out the active domain names. 
     Alternatively or additionally the domain name database  410  may store expired (previously registered and currently expired) domain names. Thus, the domain name generator  405  may find in the domain name database  410  the expired domain names that contain one or more terms determined from the email properties. Also parts, variations, synonyms, antonyms, alternatives, equivalents, foreign language translations of the terms, or related terms may be used to find the expired domain names in the domain name database  410 . The expired domain names may be more appealing to the user than other domain names. 
     Alternatively or additionally the domain name database  410  may store registered domain names available for sale through a secondary market (offer/acceptance, auction, etc.). Thus, the domain name generator  405  may find in the domain name database  410  registered domain names available for sale through a secondary market that contain one or more terms determined from the email properties. Also parts, variations, synonyms, antonyms, alternatives, equivalents, foreign language translations of the terms, or related terms may be used to find the registered domain names available for sale through a secondary market in the domain name database  410 . The registered domain names available for sale through a secondary market may be more appealing to the user than other domain names. 
     If the domain name is already registered and is not available for sale, the user may backorder it (i.e. buy it when it becomes available) or make an offer to purchase it from the current owner. 
     Further, the domain name database  410  may store domain names which are in “on hold” status by the registry (typically during the grace period or redemption period). The user may be offered to backorder domain names with “on hold” status. 
       FIG. 9  provides a sample classification of the domain names that may help to understand the differences between the classes of the domain names described above. 
     The suggested domain names may appear in the email message  310  or on the presenting means as links to the website(s) where the domain names may be obtained. Such websites may include domain name registrars, domain names sellers, websites that sell domain names through a secondary market (e.g. domain name auction sites), etc. Additionally, the suggested domain names may be accompanied by checkboxes. The user may select one or more checkboxes and then register/buy selected domain names as a group or obtain additional information on those names (e.g. prices or availability). 
     The domain name may or may not be necessarily available for registration or sale. Availability of the domain name may be further determined if the user expresses an interest in the domain name and clicks on the provided link or selects a checkbox. The user may backorder an active domain name or make an offer to purchase it. Further, the user may be provided with the option of selecting the types of domain names that are of interest to the user (e.g. show only domain names available for registration). Such options may be saved for each user on the client side in the computer&#39;s “cookie” files or on the server side in a database, wherein individual options may be associated with each user&#39;s network address. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a sender may send an email message (Step  505 ). The sender or a domain name advertiser may place an advertisement in the email message or on presenting means in proximity to the email message (Step  510 ). The advertisement displays suggested domain name(s) based on the properties of the email message and/or the properties of a network connection utilized to view the email message (collectively, properties). A receiver may receive the email message (Step  515 ). A user (the sender, the receiver, or a third party) may view the email message via the presenting means (Step  520 ). The user may then click on the advertisement or on one of the suggested domain names (Step  525 ). A webpage may be opened showing availability of the selected suggested domain name(s) for registration, sale, or backorder (Step  530 ). The user may register, purchase, or backorder selected suggested domain name(s) (Step  535 ). 
     “Click on the advertisement or on one of the suggested domain names” in Step  525  means that the user may follow the link embedded in the advertisement or execute the logic embedded in the advertisement (e.g. Java Script). Alternatively or additionally, suggested domain names may be accompanied by checkboxes and the user may select one or more of them. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , placing the advertisement in the email message or on the presenting means may further encompass analyzing the email properties (Step  605 ). The domain name module may generate the suggested domain names (Step  610 ) and display them on the advertisement (Step  615 ). 
     The following example demonstrates how the suggested domain names may be generated. An email message may be sent from email address john@greencelery.com to sally@germanshepherds.com. The domain name germanshepherds.com may be registered to “The Dog Lover&#39;s Club” in Little Rock, Ark. The email subject may be “IVDD”. The content of the email message may describe the Intervertebral Disc Disease in dogs. The IP of the sender&#39;s computer may indicate that it&#39;s located in San Diego, Calif. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a domain name module may identify terms “John”, “green”, “celery”, “sally”, “German”, “shepherds”, “dog”, “lover”, “club”, “Little Rock”, “Arkansas”, “IVDD”, “spinal disk”, “San Diego”, “California”, etc. from the email properties (Step  705 ). The domain name module may check if there are any domain names available for sale, which contain such terms (or their parts, variations, synonyms, antonyms, alternatives, equivalents, foreign language translations, or related terms) (Step  710 ). If the domain names available for sale containing the terms are found (Step  715 ), they may be added to a list of suggested domain names that will be displayed on an advertisement (Step  720 ). Then, the domain name module may check if any expired domain names containing the terms (or their parts, variations, synonyms, antonyms, alternatives, equivalents, foreign language translations, or related terms) are available for registration (Step  725 ). If the expired domain names available for registration containing the terms are found (Step  730 ), they may be added to the list (Step  735 ). 
     Further, the domain name module may generate a domain name based on the terms (e.g. german-shepherds.com, germanshepherd.us, 123germanshepherd.net, shepherdsgerman.org, shepherdclub.org, Little-Rock-shepherds.biz, johnsshepherds.org, caninevet.cc, california-shepherds.com, sallylovesdogs.net, dogs-dont-eat-celery.ws, etc.) (Step  740 ). The domain name module may check if the domain name is already registered (Step  745 ). If the domain name is not registered (Step  750 ), it may be added to the list (Step  755 ). If more domain names are desired (Step  760 ), the process may be repeated starting at Step  740 . Finally, the domain name module may display the list of suggested domain names on the advertisement (Step  765 ). 
     Additionally, the domain names on the list may be prioritized. Domain names that are shorter in length, lacking dashes, lacking numeric characters, available for registration, containing exact terms as they were determined from the email properties, etc. may have a higher priority than other domain names. Further, the domain names on the list may be sorted in order of priority. If the quantity of the domain names on the list is more than a desired number, only top results may be shown on the advertisement. 
     Some steps described above and illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7  may be performed simultaneously or in a different order. For example, referring to  FIG. 5 , Step  510  (placing the advertisement) may be performed after Step  515  (receiving the email message) or simultaneously with Step  520  (viewing the email message). Also the various steps described above may be performed by various machines and apparatuses; and not necessarily by those described or mentioned above. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/906,250 entitled “Search Engine and Domain Name Search Integration” filed on Feb. 10, 2005 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0050863 A1 entitled “Targeted advertisements using time-dependent key search terms” published on Mar. 13, 2003 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0059708 A1 entitled “Methods and apparatus for serving relevant advertisements” published on Mar. 25, 2004 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0059712 A1 entitled “Serving advertisements using information associated with e-mail” published on Mar. 25, 2004 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0093327 A1 entitled “Serving advertisements based on content” published on May 13, 2004 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0167928 A1 entitled “Serving content-relevant advertisements with client-side device support” published on Aug. 26, 2004 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0267725 A1 entitled “Serving advertisements using a search of advertiser Web information” published on Dec. 30, 2004 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0021397 A1 entitled “Content-targeted advertising using collected user behavior data” published on Jan. 27, 2005 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,341 entitled “System and method for generating domain names and for facilitating registration and transfer of the same” issued on Oct. 2, 2001 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,589 entitled “System and method for generating domain names and for facilitating registration and transfer of the same” issued on Feb. 11, 2003 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     Other embodiments and uses of this invention will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The specification and examples given should be considered exemplary only, and it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover any other such embodiments or modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention. 
     The elements described in this specification in plural form may also be construed as singular, unless specifically stated otherwise. The elements described in this specification in singular form may also be construed as plural, unless specifically stated otherwise. 
     The Abstract accompanying this specification is provided to enable the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure and is in no way intended for defining, determining, or limiting the present invention or any of its embodiments.