Patent ID: 7720073

Claim:
A method comprising: an apparatus transmitting, to one or more intermediaries, a digital transmission form for transmission of at least a portion of a digital object to a plurality of destination nodes within a data transmission network, wherein the digital transmission form includes a bid request for transmitting the at least a portion of the digital object within the network, wherein the bid request comprises a first portion and a second portion, each portion indicating a respective destination node of the plurality of destination nodes, and wherein the digital transmission form is wholly separate from any portion of the digital object; and the apparatus receiving a bid from at least one of the intermediaries that is responsive to the bid request, wherein the bid specifies acceptance of the first portion of the bid request and refusal of the second portion of the bid request, and wherein the bid specifies one or more terms for the transmission of the at least a portion of the digital object to the destination node indicated by the first portion of the bid request.