When Patents Speak Louder Than Words
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Written By Kate Zimmermann | January 23, 2007 | Share This
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A Characterization of Google vs. Yahoo vs. Microsoft, As Expressed By Their Recent Patent Filings
DECEMBER 21st: Allocating Advertising Space in a Network of Displays
FILED BY: Google
DESCRIPTION: A system of digital advertising for electronic billboard displays.
IMPLIES THAT: Google may be developing some kind of “interactive billboard”, as Google moves into offline advertising markets.
PRESS CALLED IT: “fascinating”, “an interesting concept“, “a sign of things to come” and predicted it would “change the economics of ad placement.”
IN SUM: Next Gen Advertising
JANUARY 11th: “Immortal Information Storage and Access Platform“
FILED BY: Microsoft
DESCRIPTION: A system for storing digital information in preservable artifacts, thus allowing for “immortal” information storage and some kind of message transmission (like, through holograms).
IMPLIES THAT: (from Seattlepi.com) “The project is exploring ways to save and deliver information over the very long term, in forms that could be deciphered not only by descendants but also by people from future civilizations unfamiliar with our technologies or language.”
PRESS CALLED IT: “Email from the grave”, “sci-fi“, “a white elephant“, “nigh impossible“, “a bit weird“, even “hilarious“.
IN SUM: R2D2 Meets Carl Sagan
and finally…
JANUARY 18th: “User Entertainment and Engagement Enhancements to Search System
DESCRIPTION: A patent for participatory methods of user engagement with search engines -aka search related games - that will encourage users to stick with Yahoo. Games include (via SEO by the SEA): “An instant win game, A riddle game, A search query competition, A link location game, A guessing game, A link collection competition, A chain-type riddle game, and; An elimination-type puzzle competition.”
IMPLIES THAT: This is what Yahoo engineers do at work.
PRESS CALLED IT: … nothing so far (only spotted coverage, was at SEO by the SEA)
IN SUM: Forced Fun from the Human Resources Department
Topics: Search: Innovations |