Google files single-click patent (Techworld)

Google has filed a patent application for technology that lets mobile phone users click on a Web-page ad and be connected via a voice call to the advertiser.

Such services already exist but Google's application could be specific enough to win a patent, said Aaron Chatterjee, a patent attorney at Foley and Lardner "I think they have a chance," he said.

Users at the moment can wirelessly search an online database for a nearby business and then click on a link on the results page to automatically call the business. But Google's application is specific to clicking on advertisements and by narrowing the click-to-call parameters, Google could win a patent, Chatterjee said.

However, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is fairly strict when it comes to issuing business methods patents - the category under which this application would fall.Only about one in 10 such applications are approved.

Techworld.com