Lycos, Inc. today
announced that its “spider” search technology has been awarded a patent
from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, giving the portal player
exclusive rights to the search tool.
Spiders are automated software robots that scan through millions of Web sites and gather specifically targeted information for the users’ query. Originally spider technology was created to provide one of the first search indices on the Internet.
According to Lycos’ estimates, 15 million members per month in the U.S. employ its spiders to navigate the Internet.
“Today’s announcement is extremely significant and a major milestone for
Lycos,” said Robert J. Davis, president and CEO of Lycos, in a statement. “The issuance of this patent recognizes Lycos as a pioneer in evolving the Web as we know it today.”