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Google Patents Caching MLK Day Search Results
theodp writes "Google remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. not only with its Doodles, but also with its patents. 'Right around the Martin Luther King Holiday,' explained Google in its application for a recently-granted patent on Discovery of Short-Term and Emerging Trends in Computer Network Traffic, 'there may be many searches about "Martin Luther King"...Thus, it would be useful to have better methods of detecting short term trends for the purposes of caching search results to making them more readily available to users.' You may call the invention of detecting and caching 'MLK Day Sale' search results patently obvious, but the USPTO calls it U.S. Patent No. 8,082,342. Hey, at least it's arguably better than the patents issued to Microsoft and Google for avoiding walking or driving down Martin Luther King Boulevard!"
These granted software patents are ridiculous. Patenting detection of trending topics and search queries? Jeez. Companies like Google and Apple are collectively abusing the system and patenting every single thing they can think of, most of which are outright obvious.
The worst thing is that like copyrights, U.S. is trying to spread patents (including software patents) all over the world. They've been trying to get European Union to join them for a long time now. At least we've still resisted, even though it is getting there.
And you know what will happen? Countries like India and China will only strengthen their positions. When companies in the US and Europe have huge overhead costs going to lawyers, have to avoid good techniques in their products because someone has patented it already, and are spending time in courts, Chinese and Indians will just laugh and grow to dominate the world markets. U.S. knows this. They know it very well because after all, they blatantly ignored all European copyrights and that's how they got their power. And don't think even for a second that the Chinese don't know history or are afraid to use the same advantage. In a way US is like the old media companies and RIAA/MPAA.. so adjusted to their ways and existing powers that they just can't move forward with the rest of the world anymore.
It's time to get rid of all software patents and this constant abuse by corporations.
Can I patent patenting patents? Then all you suckers gotta pay!
There's a spot in User Info for World of Warcraft account names? Really?
That in a few months when i search google for "terrible Quarterbacks" Tim Tebow wont be the top result anymore?
Is there any kind of comment-system regarding these patents online? Like, my (published) thesis-work from1997 exactly covers the stuff mentioned above, with restriction that there are exactly 2 priority-levels..
i'm going to patent a software idea that will submit patents to the patent office, also functions to print software patent ideas out onto paper. e.g. word
Please reread that last sentence and decide to delete it. It's racist and it's debatably slander towards Microsoft implying that they a) assume that all MLK Blvds are dangerous or in bad areas of town and b) their patent actually goes so far as to always exclude MLK Blvds from walking paths. You're not defending your point by linking to that St. Petersburg Times article, either.
Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
I think it's a little misguided to read this article and say "trololol, software patents, we should kill those." Yes, we should -- but this patent isn't bad necessarily because it's on software.
This patent's bad because it's obvious, which is a far broader problem with the patent system. Anybody who understands what caching is and who was presented with the problem "Hey, we're getting overwhelmed by holiday-specific searches on those holidays" would come up with something like this as a solution.
In every city I've been in with a MLK Blvd, it's somewhere you don't want to be. I've heard a black comedian say as much in a piece.
But earlier in the same routine, Chris Rock used the N-word repeatedly to refer to "low-expectation-having" people who happen to be black.
Something as simple as cacheing should not be patentable. That is utterly ridiculous.
The patent as written claims the use of a particular formula (Which I read as "N'=N/Df^((T'-T)/Ti)") to predict trends.
It is not a patent on prediction in general, or prediction with computers, or caching, or caching based on predictions. It is a very specific design of a non-obvious system, applied in a specific way. Implement the system differently, and you're not violating the patent. The MLK mention is an example, which in no way affects the actual claims. In fact, it's a trivial example, as well. Here's an excerpt containing all references to MLK from the patent itself:
Short-term trends are, however, important to consider, as they are often the result of external activities dominating the time of day and date, as well as current events. For example, during the days preceding and following a space shuttle launch there may be many searches relating to "space shuttles," "NASA," "space," and similar terms. Right around the Martin Luther King Holiday, there may be many searches about "Martin Luther King." If a celebrity was just arrested for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer, it is reasonable to expect a significant increase in queries involving the name of that celebrity. Thus, it would be useful to have better methods of detecting short term trends for the purposes of caching search results to making them more readily available to users.
Sorry, but the typical Slashdot patent hate is yet again unjustified, and the reference to MLK is likely unintentional, as the patent was filed in December of 2006 and granted in December of 2011. It looks like the submitter just search for "Martin Luther King patents" and wrote a story around the results. Well done, sensationalist headline!
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
because I trust and believe in Google. They would not be patenting this without good reason, and I look forward to seeing the innovative improvements they make to their services with patents like these. This is not like obvious troll patents made by Microsoft or Apple for the purpose of stifling creativity and stealing money from consumers.
This is O/T, burn some of my positive karma if you need to guys. DW, regarding your sig. You do realise that the spot in user info for WoW names is the CHARACTER name, which can't be directly linked back to the account login? Unless you're silly enough to use your login name as your main character name.
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These granted software patents are ridiculous. Patenting detection of trending topics and search queries? Jeez.
You complain that too many software patents are obvious... so your solution is no patents at all for the entire industry, regardless of whether they're inventive? That seems overbroad. There are a few obvious patents in the automotive industry, too - should all automotive patents be abolished? How about pharmaceuticals? Some of the diagnostic methods are pretty obvious, too... Should we abolish all patents on new medicines?
There's simply no connection to the alleged problem in your solution. If there's a problem with obviousness, the solution is better examination, not "let's exempt an entire industry".
Isn't it a little early for April 1 Patents.
I think hes just incredulous that the option exists.
Good-bye
How much do these stupid random patents actually cost a company? Is this a, "I will make a patent, not pay for it until someone challenges it, then I will pay for it by suing them?" Who gets the money? Where does it go?
I think you meant "Microsoft and IBM" for those links. And if you're going to get your hate on, you should at least find a way to include Apple, who is, after all, on a patent trolling warpath to kill the largest deployment of Linux to consumers ever.
I may just be ignorant, but I don't really understand why this predictive caching is important. Doesn't Google cache popular searches anyway? So can't its software automatically detect trends as they approach and keep cached searches of popular searches as they become popular? I mean, when millions of people are watching a live TV show that mentions some piece of popular culture, which drives many of them to immediately Google it, I would think that Google's basic search software would cache it as soon as the first person searches it, and keep the cache as long as people are frequently searching it.
Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
Next to be patented is searching for short term trends about short term trends...
Check your premises.
To pay restitution to slave descendants or is thus whitey taking another stab at... well, you know.
Chewbacon
The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
And they don't even follow that non software patents.
Google may be able to monopolize transient search demand for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but only the King Center can monopolize his ideas.
.:Semper Absurda:.
"...judged not by the color of their skin BUT BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER." Funny how the most important part of the quote gets omitted all the time.
Frankly, there's not enough judging of people by their character going on out there if you ask me.
[alternate universe needed]
"Those who consume the bulk of goods are those who make them. We must never forget this secret of our prosperity."