The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has made public twelve -- count 'em -- twelve patent applications filed by Google in late 2004, as well as two filed by Microsoft. Search Engine Watch, which outlines the pending applicatons in excruciating detail, says they "focus upon geographical information and local search." If nothing else, the volume of patent activity suggests the many fronts -- legal and technical -- on which the consumer portal wars are currently being fought.

Steve Bryant at GoogleWatch, however, has perhaps the most interesting take on the news. Quoting Google observer, consultant and book author Stephen Arnold, Bryant notes that "while the technology covered in Google's recent patents applies to ads and consumer local search products, Google will likely apply the technology to other applications...." Like, for example, homeland security applications. (Where exactly are those bad guys who are emailing each other about blowing up subways?) While Arnold wouldn't "comment explicitly on how Google may or may not be working with the federal government," Bryant points out that Google is currently looking for sales managers to cover the Pentagon: "According to the job descriptions, those salespeople are responsible for generating and closing sales of the Google Search Appliance and Google Earth among U.S. Department of Defense government agencies."