Patent ID: 7409402
Filing Date: 2008-08-05
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for providing advertisements to a client computer, the method comprising: defining a plurality of referral labels, wherein each referral label is assigned to one of a plurality of publishers, wherein different ones of the plurality of publishers are assigned different referral labels, and wherein at least some of the referral labels represent referral relationships between different ones of the plurality of publishers; wherein the act of defining the referral labels includes: receiving, at the namespace manager, an acceptance from the second publisher; and providing a sponsored content database configured to associate each of a plurality of advertisements with one of the referral labels, wherein each advertisement includes a link to a content item; receiving, at an advertising server computer, a request originating from a client computer for an advertisement related to a first content item published by a first one of the plurality of publishers, the request including a first one of the plurality of referral labels; identifying, by the advertising server computer, from the sponsored content database, a first advertisement that is associated with a second referral label, the first advertisement being provided by a second one of the plurality of publishers, wherein the first referral label and the second referral label represent a referral relationship between the first publisher and the second publisher; wherein the first referral label includes a first code identifying the first publisher and wherein the second referral label includes the first code and also includes a second code identifying the second publisher; transmitting the first advertisement for presentation to a user by the client computer; and in the event that a user clickthrough on the first advertisement is reported by the client computer, logging a referral from the first referral label to the second referral label.