Google have filed a new patent application dealing with linking directly to specific parts of a document, based on the snippet returned by a search, rather than just the top of the page that the search returned. They say that the generation of such an internal link, possibly using artificial anchors, can either be done by the server returning the results, or by the client browser which receives the results. In regard to the browser, they claim that this can be accomplished by something like the Google toolbar, other plugin mechanism, or natively by the browser or other viewer application. I may be reading too much into it, but I got the feeling they may be talking about gbrowser in this part. Anyway, enjoy John
I can't bellieve how much they are patenting.... They are trying to control each and every new idea they come up with.... This type of appoach is going to become a serious problem for other search engines....
I agree, it will be hard for the other search engines to tip-toe around the ideas that Google has protected.
I though you could only patent the implimentation of an idea, not the idea itself, or was that copyright? Meaning... i.e. you cannot make an exact chemical match to protected medicine for allergies, but you can make an allergy medicine with a different composition that would achieve the same outcome. Been a few years since I took a law class... I should patent the idea of leaving work early to go to happy hour. You would all owe me!
They are simply "applying" for a patent. This doesn't mean they will be successful in getting a patent. And, if someone can prove prior use their patent will not apply to them. But, there is big time money in holding a patent to a process that people will want to use in the future. So, if you have the bucks G has these days to play with, I would try and patent everything I were working on too.
Nintento and Sega had to pay royalties to RCA (I think - I forget which tv company it was) for the concept of pixels interacting with pixels on a TV screen for their original gaming platforms. Google may be looking out for future royalties from other SE's for using ideas that they came up with.
The idea of ( and various techniques as to how to ) link into the interior of a document, rather than the top, when the document author had not provided an anchor to link to. I think they are effectively claiming the invention of artificial anchors. I don't know whether they did invent them, or whether someone has used them, before, but that seems to be what they are claiming John