More Search without Search
August 13, 2008
Google wizard Stephen R. Lawrence and sub-wizard Omar Khan invented a what I probably too simplistically characterize as meta-data vacuum cleaner. Useful for mobile devices, this addition to Google’s “search without search” arsenal is quite interesting to me. The invention is disclosed in US7,412,708, granted on August 12, 2008, with the title “Methods and Systems for Capturing Information.” If you are interested in how Google can deliver information before a user types a query or what type of data Google captures, you will want to read this 14 page document. Think email addresses and more.
The invention is not new, which is important. The GOOG is slow in integrating whizzy new monitoring technology in its public-facing systems. This invention was filed on on March 31, 2004. Figure nine to 12 months of work, I think that this is an important chunk of Google’s metadata vacuum cleaner. I cover a number of these inventions in Google Version 2.0. I discussed one exemplary data model for usage tracking data in my for-money July August column for KMWorld. I won’t rehash those documents in this Web log article. You can download a copy of the document from the good, old USPTO here. Study those syntax examples. That wonderful USPTO search engine is a treat to use.
What’s this invention do? Here’s the official legal eagle and engineer description:
Systems and methods for capturing information are described. In one embodiment, an event having an associated article is identified, article data associated with the article is identified, and a capture score for the event is determined based at least in part on article data. Article data can comprise, for example, one or a combination of a location of the article, a file-type of the article, and access data for the article. Event data associated with the event is compiled responsive at least in part to a comparison of the capture score and a threshold value.
The GOOG’s Gmail plumbing may need some patch ups, but once those pin hole leaks are soldered, US7,412,708 portends some remarkable predictive services. I can’t type on my mobile phone’s keyboard now. Google knows that I will be one of the people eager to let Google anticipate my needs. I wonder if there’s a link analysis routine running across those extracted metadata. I think I need to reread this patent document one more time. Join me?
Stephen Arnold, August 13, 2008
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[…] ScottGu Google wizard Stephen R. Lawrence and sub-wizard Omar Khan invented a what I probably too simplistically characterize as meta-data vacuum cleaner. Useful for mobile devices, this addition to Google’s “search without search” arsenal is quite interesting to me. The invention is disclosed in US7,412,708, granted on August 12, 2008, with … […]
[…] AltSearchEngines.com–an excellent Web log and information retrieval news source–tapped the addled goose (me, Stephen E. Arnold) for some thoughts about the future of search. I’m no wizard, being an a befuddled flow, but I did offer several hundred words on the subject. I even contributed one of my semi-famous “layers” diagrams. These are important because each layer represents a slathering of computational crunching. The result is an incremental boost to the the underlying search system’s precision, recall, interface outputs, and overall utility of the system. The downside is that as the layers pile up so does complexity and its girl friend costs. You can read the full essay and look at the diagram here. A happy quack to the AltSearchEngines.com team for [a] asking me to contribute an essay and [b] having the moxie to publish the goose feathers I generate. The message in my essay is no laughing matter. The future of search is here and in many ways, it is deeply disappointing and increasingly troubling to me. For an example, click here. […]