They didn't. There were a series of patents filed, tangentially related I'm assuming, and the Covid version of the patent came after covid came.
"NOTE: The priority date for patent application US-2020279585-A1 (and the corresponding grant US-11024339-B2) that Google has supplied is based on a series of separate-but-related patent applications dating back to 2015. Of those various applications, only US-2020279585-A1 mentions COVID-19, and it was filed on May 17, 2020. "
The priority date for patent application US-2020279585-A1 (and the corresponding grant US-11024339-B2) that Google has supplied is based on a series of separate-but-related patent applications dating back to 2015. Of those various applications, only US-2020279585-A1 mentions COVID-19, and it was filed on May 17, 2020.
Patents can cite a priority filing date, and that's what happened here. The filing at the original date can have a different name than the final filing. The filing did not have the phrase COVID-19 until May 17, 2020.
"NOTE: The priority date for patent application US-2020279585-A1 (and the corresponding grant US-11024339-B2) that Google has supplied is based on a series of separate-but-related patent applications dating back to 2015. Of those various applications, only US-2020279585-A1 mentions COVID-19, and it was filed on May 17, 2020. "