Google has filed a patent listing at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new application that will allow the search firm to look for content within the user's apps and files installed on his PC, mobile devices and in the cloud.
The patent, which is for "computer application data in search results," encompasses all kinds of computing devices, including desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones, which means Google aims to search both Internet-based and app-based content on people's devices.
"A computer-implemented search method includes receiving a registration request from each of one or more computer applications installed on a computing device and registering the applications in response to the request, wherein the registration request indicates an intent by the application to receive search query information from a search application associated with the device," the patent says.
Google plans to use search through several applications, including native applications, remote services and registered applications. Remote services involve web products and apps, such as news websites and social media, while native applications include things such as bookmarks and user's contacts. Meanwhile, registered applications cover navigation apps such as Google Maps, social apps and apps such as media players and their contents.
"The most common type of remote service is a typical web search engine that provides a list or other organization of objects that a user may select to be taken to web pages or other documents that are responsive to a query submitted by the user," the patent says. "The remote services can also provide recent news stories as search results; lists of products that a user might be able to buy, prices for the products, and links to sellers of the products; and social networking information such as data from pages of friends of a device user."
Google will always ask the user for his permission before accessing his data. Once Google is granted access, the company can begin searching for a certain item on Windows or Mac which, when found, can bring up hits both from the user's cloud-based services and from his hard drive.
The new search capabilities allow Google to gain a more comprehensive way of targeting users with ads. When conducting a search, users will also get search results that are more tailored for his requirements as determined by Google.
With Microsoft and Apple both devising new ways to conduct more personalized searches on their desktop OS, Google, still the king of search, sure wants to keep pace.
Meneame Comunicacions, Sl I Flickr
