Apple’s 6 Most Recent And Interesting Search-Related Patents

Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, (September 11, 2015)

Apple announced at its developer conference a slew of search-related features in a variety of products. The ability to search for content on Apple TV through Siri seemed the most notable to me, because of the opportunity to drive advertising and interaction in apps in the background. Apps become the easiest way to measure intent, whether they reside on a phone or on a set-top box.

In this list of what I consider the six most interesting recent Apple patent filings, or those recently granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you’ll find insight into features, services and devices announced Wednesday.

 
Most were granted or updated in September. The patents — which are not in any particular order — demonstrate Apple’s focus on search-related tools. Some provide insight into features, services and devices announced Wednesday.

No. 1: The patent describes a method to search metadata using a query where the data gets stored in one or more locations partitioned into multiple segments. Searches corresponding to the search query segments are performed, where each search is performed independently within the one or more metadata stores.

No. 2:  Search extended into third-party applications describes a method to search third-party applications installed on a device, similar to the way Siri searches for information on Netflix, HBO and other apps.

No. 3: This system and method for metadata transfer among search entities describes a new approach that attributes or transfers metadata from one search-related entity to another, where each can become the subject or the source, the citation, and the object or the target.

No. 4:  The mapping application patent with improved navigation tools and/or search tools formulates predictions about future destinations of a device. The predictions launch the mapping application to provide dynamic notifications regarding these destinations. For instance, when a particular destination is a likely destination of the device, the mapping application presents a notification regarding the particular destination such as a friend’s home, a restaurant or a clothing store.

No. 5:  This patent describes the ability to search sources and targets based on relative expertise of the person or source. It provides a way to rank citied objects and subjects identified in search queries by identifying “experts” on topics without any pre-defined categorization of topics or calculating the sources expertise. It allows for the ability to determine the expertise on any query term in real-time.

No. 6: Customized search or acquisition of digital media assets describes “improved techniques” for using data to enhance searching of digital assets, such as digital media assets, resident at a local or remote repository, or on an electronic device. The data can be monitored. It works best on a mobile device, per the patent applicants. It also can determine whether the content lives locally on the electronic device. 

 

MediaPost.com: search

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