< Google Manual

When you search for a number in Google, it’s not necessarily going to do it’s normal web search, looking for pages with that number in them. It first examines the number to see if it might have a special meaning. If its size and format match certain types of meaningful numbers like parcel tracking numbers or vehicle IDs, for example, it will search for information about the particular item it represents. For example, searching for a number like 1Z9999W99999999999 will cause Google to put a one-box information display at the top of your search results page that says” Track UPS package 1ZV723R33710000780″ linked to the UPS tracking page.

The specialized numbers that Google will do this with are:

UPS tracking numbers
example search: “1Z9999W99999999999″

FedEx tracking numbers


example search: “999999999999″

Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers


example search: “AAAAA999A9AA99999″

UPC codes


example search: “073333531084″

Telephone area codes


example search: “650″

Telephone number reverse directory


example search: “650-555-1212″
(More on the topic of Google Phonebook in our article, Google, the Fastest Phonebook on the Web)


Patent numbers


example search: “patent 5123123″
(Must put the word “patent” before your patent number.)


FAA airplane registration numbers


example search: “n199ua”

FCC equipment IDs


example search: “fcc B4Z-34009-PIR”
(Must put the word “fcc” before the equipment ID.)

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