Google Discovers Podcasts
October 19, 2008
This is for Cyrus, my intrepid Googler. He is a bright, eager “Ready, Fire, Aim” type. He’s eager to point out that I Photoshop Google patent documents. This one’s for you. Google has discovered podcasts. How do I know? Easy, on October 16, 2008, the USPTO US20080255686 published the patent “Delivering Podcast Content”. Now I know a patent application is not an indication of intent. I did find it interesting that this patent application appeared coterminous with other inventions by Mr. Irvin; specifically, US20080256109, “Dynamic Podcast Content Delivery”, US20080253307, “Multi-Station Media Controller”, and 20080254741, “Leader and Follower Broadcast Stations”. I find Google patent clusters useful, but not a coincidence. Clusters of patent documents by the same hand reflect intent, serious intent.
Let’s look at the abstract for US20080255686:
Systems and methods for delivering audio content to listeners. In general,one aspect can be a method that includes receiving a request to download a podcast, and determining a targeted advertisement to be inserted into the podcast. The method also includes inserting the targeted advertisement into the podcast dynamically at a predetermined time. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
Google’s Mr. Irwin included one of those high quality drawings to illustrate the content owner’s interface to the system:
No, Cyrus, I did not Photoshop this lousy image. Google created this fine, easy to read illustration. One other interesting point is that a number of Googlers were involved in this invention. My thought is that the GOOG has thoughts about distribution of audio and video podcasts with ads injected into the programs. Cyrus will assert that I am making up these patent documents. I’m not. Something is cooking in the podcast kettle at Mother Google.
Stephen Arnold, October 20, 2008
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3 Responses to “Google Discovers Podcasts”
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Taos Stream
My hunch is that you are crafting a spam link. Won’t work. I don’t have any readers.
Stephen Arnold, October 19, 2008 from London
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