{"id":1761,"slug":"uspto-patent-structured-vs-unstructured-searchable-by-data-type","title":"USPTO Patent 8,700,594 — structured data is \"searchable by data type\"; unstructured data (bitmaps, audio, text docs) is not","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","dev","candid-team"],"topics":["structured-content","extractability","information-architecture"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** \"Structured data is data that is organized in a structure that is identifiable... Accordingly, structured data is searchable by data type. By comparison, unstructured data is data that has no identifiable structure... Accordingly, unstructured data is not searchable by data type. Exemplary forms of unstructured data include bitmap objects (such as images, or video, or audio...) and text objects (such as text documents...).\"\n\n**Source:** USPTO Patent 8,700,594, \"Enabling multidimensional search on non-PC devices.\"\n\n**Confidence:** Verified — primary source (issued US patent).\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** This is the *exact boundary* between a queryable catalogue and a PDF, image, or \"call us\" page. Primary-source language for the proposition that prose/PDF/image content is not just less convenient — it is categorically un-queryable by attribute. The strongest single citation for the \"records-not-prose\" recommendation that runs through Candid client work. Cross-link [[integrate-io-mongodb-structured-vs-unstructured-definition]] and [[extractability-prose-vs-records-mechanism]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"research-brief-searchable-structured-catalogue-working-tool-june-2026","title":"Research brief: the searchable, structured catalogue as a working tool — when records-not-prose pays off (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-self-service-fails-on-findability-deliver-via-structured-records","title":"R5 — Self-service most often fails on findability; deliver self-service via structured, queryable records, not un-queryable documents","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-searchable-structured-catalogue-working-tool-june-2026","title":"Research brief: the searchable, structured catalogue as a working tool — when records-not-prose pays off (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"integrate-io-mongodb-structured-vs-unstructured-definition","title":"Structured vs unstructured data — Integrate.io / MongoDB definition: predefined schema, every record consistent, sorting/filtering/querying straightforward","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"extractability-prose-vs-records-mechanism","title":"Mechanism summary — structured catalogues expose attributes as data; prose/PDF/images lock them in a format no filter can reach","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"ai-citation-eligibility-via-structured-records","title":"AI-citation eligibility via structured records — DIRECTIONAL; vendor-blog driven, Google's own position is \"not a direct ranking factor\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-one-indexable-page-per-record","title":"R3 — One indexable page per record (distinct URL per item / variant) — per Google's merchant-listing guidance","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-self-service-fails-on-findability-deliver-via-structured-records","title":"R5 — Self-service most often fails on findability; deliver self-service via structured, queryable records, not un-queryable documents","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-21T13:17:12.599Z","updated_at":"2026-06-21T13:17:12.599Z"}