Systems and methods for direction of communication traffic

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.

1 . A method for directing communication, the method comprising: 
 receiving a request from an Internet user for a specific address;    relaying the request to an ISP DNS to determine its location;    responding to the request by providing an Internet address when the requested Internet address is located;    directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network when the requested Internet address is not located;    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.    
   
   
       2 . The method of claim, wherein the request is for a telephone number of a designated callee.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a DNS based proxy intercepts the request at a name level to return a contrived IP address in general and a web server IP address in particular for a web server landing page in place of an unresolved domain name request.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the targets are predetermined partners and associated with the ISP DNS.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein all steps occur within an Internet structure.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the Internet user may opt-out of failed lookup redirection.  
   
   
       7 . A system for directing communication, the method comprising: 
 means for receiving a request from an Internet user for a specific Internet address;    means for relaying the request to an ISP DNS to determine its location;    means for responding to the request by providing an Internet address location when the requested Internet address is located;    means for directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network when the requested Internet address is not located;    means for choosing at least one appropriate target and sending a request for information from that target; and    means for providing a result page to the Internet user, the result page being a culmination of information received from the at least one target.    
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the request is for a telephone number of a designated callee.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 7  wherein a DNS based proxy intercepts the request at a name level to return a contrived IP address in general and a web server IP address in particular for a web server landing page in place of an unresolved domain name request.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the targets are predetermined partners and associated with the ISP DNS.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein all steps occur within an Internet structure.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the Internet user may opt-out of failed lookup redirection.  
   
   
       13 . A method for directing communication, the method comprising: 
 sending a request from an Internet user for a specific Internet address;    relaying the request to an ISP DNS to determine its location;    responding to the request by providing an Internet address location when the requested Internet address is located;    directing the Internet user to a predetermined search network when the requested Internet address is not located;    choosing at least one appropriate target and sending a request for information from that target; and    receiving a result page to the Internet user, the result page being a culmination of information received from the at least one or more targets.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the request is for a telephone number of a designated callee.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the combination of redirect system (PLP, PSP) with an optional browser plug-in system (PSM) is used within the redirect system and the system operates on a DNS based proxy to intercept the request at the name level to return a contrived IP address in general and a web server IP address in particular for a web server landing page in place of an unresolved domain name request.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the targets are predetermined partners and associated with the ISP DNS.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein all steps occur within an Internet structure.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the Internet user may opt-out of failed lookup redirection.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein an accounting is made of the number of times that the target is presented to different Internet users.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein an ISP maintains control over the steps described.