Patent for text-based domain name renewal — GoDaddy gets

System would make it easy for people to renew domains using a third-party texting service.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 9,929,995 (pdf) to GoDaddy for “Third party messaging system for monitoring and managing domain names and websites.”

The patent is a continuation of an earlier one the firm filed for allowing people to make changes to a website via text message.

This latest patent covers technology that would allow GoDaddy to communicate with clients via SMS, app or a third-party social network to help them renew their domain name or expand their webhosting package.

For example, if a client’s domain is regarding to renew, GoDaddy could send a text message to the client and ask if they want to renew it. They could respond ‘yes’ to renew the domain automatically, or ‘no’ if they want to let it expire.

On the hosting side, GoDaddy can send a message to the client if they are regarding to exceed one of their quotas and give them the option to upgrade their hosting package.

This is somewhat like a chatbot. When an ad campaign on Facebook expires the firm starts a Facebook Messenger chat with the advertiser that lets them get stats and extend their ad campaign by typing plain English words.

GoDaddy Chief Architect Arnold Blinn and former Sr. Director of Product Management Nitin Gupta are listed on the patent as inventors.