Then the TechCrunch author likely made it up (or wherever they got it from). This patent was never valid at any point in time, and had been abandoned for 3 year

Then the TechCrunch author likely made it up (or wherever they got it from). This patent was never valid at any point in time, and had been abandoned for 3 years when the article was posted. This idea that google limited the feature because of patent concerns is pure fantasy.