Google Google Google

Google's latest patent, a "Information Retrieval Based on Historical Data" is analyzed here at the SEO Blog. In part:

Google is in the midst of sweeping changes to the way it operates as a search engine. As a matter of fact, it isn't really a search engine in the fine sense of the word anymore. It isn't really a portal either. It is more of an institution, the ultimate private-public partnership. Calling itself a media-company, Google is now a multi-faceted information and multi-media delivery system that is accessed primarily through its well-known interface found at www.google.com .

Tivo's Patent Portfolio

I want Tivo. Desperately. But I haven't gotten it yet. I guess the main reason is that I'm afraid if I get it I will never leave my house again...

But Tivo's patent portfolio is ridiculous. See this article. In part:

The DVR pioneer has been amassing a patent portfolio to boost its licensing business and fend off new entrants to the DVR market. However, TiVo hasn't yet been able to turn its intellectual property into significant financial success.

Early last month, TiVo was granted five patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company has 76 patents, with 106 still pending.

Top Universities Receiving Patents

The USPTO released a list of the top universities receiving patents:

The Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the top 10 U.S. universities receiving the most patents during calendar year 2004. Listed below are the 10 universities receiving the most patents for inventions in 2004, along with their 2003 ranking. The University of California tops the list for the 11th consecutive year.

Full press release here.

Another Amazon Patent Controversy

Folks, Amazon just can't win. First the infamous "one-click patent" and now an uproar of negativity and accusations surrounding their new patent, which is "a system and method of determining the age of an item recipient, such a gift recipient." Again, we can see that the USPTO's focus is utility, novelty, and non-obvious -- not possible social or moral implications of a patent.

According to this article:

[Karen Coyle, a spokesperson for Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility] explained that the system outlined in the patent allows Amazon to track the age-appropriateness of gifts to a recipient over time in order to make suggestions for future gifts.

Gathering information about children for an online retailer like Amazon can be dicey because that practice is regulated by federal law, the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, or COPPA.

"That law states that you cannot gather personal identification information about a child without a parent's permission," Coyle said. "It looks like there's a good chance that if they were to implement this patent, which they claim they haven't, that they could come up against U.S. law."

Cavity Filling Toothpaste

Millions of people around the world who hate going to the dentist are cheering right now...Japanese inventors have developed a cavity filling toothpaste:

A toothpaste has been developed that can rapidly and seamlessly fix little cavities without need for drilling.

Dental paste of synthetic tooth enamel could revolutionise treatment of tiny early lesions, says the study published today in the journal Nature by Dr Kazue Yamagishi, of the FAP Dental Institute, Tokyo.

Amazon: Wrap Dolls in Pink

Gifts such as dolls should be wrapped in pink paper. Whether it is obvious or not, Amazon now holds the patent on the idea.

Amazon.com has been granted a U.S. patent on "Methods and systems of assisting users in purchasing items," including the use of gift-buying habits to determine the age, gender and birthday of gift recipients, according to a filing Tuesday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Articles here and here.

The Amazon One-Click Patent

I don't need to write about this infamous patent, because enough has already been said about it. After all, whenever anyone brings up software patents, this is the first one mentioned to show the outrage (!) at allowing these types of patents.

However, in my random Internet searchings this evening, I discovered that Tim O'Reilly's web site offers a nice archive of history (and controversy), including interviews with Jeff Bezos, of this Amaz(ing) patent.