All the way back in 2003, Google filed a patent application for "Methods and systems for assisted network browsing. That patent has been granted this week. The patent abstract reads:
Microsoft Patents Live Audio Censoring
Microsoft filed a patent application several years ago for the censoring of real-time audio streams, and that patent has now been granted. In other words, Microsoft has patented live "bleeping". The patent abstract says:
Microsoft Patents Key Functionality
Would you believe that Microsoft has just patented the concept utilized by the "page up" and "page down" keys commonly found on computer keyboards? That seems to be the case according to U.S. Patent number 7,415,666.
USPTO Wiki-fies Patents, Pooh-poohs P2P
The US Patent and Trademark Office is swamped, so they’re going the Digg.com route. Embarking on a patent review pilot project that will allow the online public to comment on patent applications, the USPTO is hoping the experts of the world will share the load.
The USPTO is not, however, that keen on P2P.
Microsoft Seeks Content Syndication Patents
Microsoft has filed two separate patent applications, seeking to gain exclusive rights to technology used to obtain, organize, and read news feeds distributed via Real Simple Syndication (RSS).
Google’s More Tab Expands With Patents and Blogs
Google has added two more links to its expanding “More” box that pops out of its search engine tabs.
Google Patents Editorial Favorability
The US Patent and Trademark Office awarded Google a curious patent on Tuesday, filed for in 2000. The patent covers a “system and method for supporting editorial opinion in the ranking of search results.” Observers are still uncertain if the patent is merely an “artifact” or a signal for a new direction in Google News.
The Latest List Of Search Patents
In the who-has-the-most-search-patent-applications competition, Google has won the latest round, with Yahoo coming in second. (There is, of course, no such contest, but it makes things more interesting to pit the companies against each other.)
The Wonderful World Of Search Patents
There were quite a few patent applications filed this week. Some of them were rather mundane; others looked more interesting. In terms of sheer volume, Yahoo led the way with five, while Google requested four. Go Daddy, Ask.com, and Xerox tied for last with one application each.
Verizon Calls Vonage On Patents
Things just go from bad to worse for Vonage. On top of a tanked initial public offering (IPO) and a class action shareholder lawsuit, Verizon has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) company in a Virginia federal court.