Google gets geocoding patent

Google was yesterday granted a patent for translating postal addresses into latitude / longitude coordinates - from searchenginewatch.
This will definitely give them the chance to improve local searches

 

Nice, I cant believe this has never been done before. Or does a patent represent something else

 

I believe that the patent was filed for a couple of years ago, so they could have been doing it for as long as that, or maybe longer. As I understand it, what the patent means is that anyone else who wants to do it would need Google's permission to use this technique.