ENTITY LINKING IN OPEN EXCHANGE PLATFORMS

Abstract

In a system that provides an open exchange environment to connect business entities through a network, methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for enabling links to be established between a first business entity and respective second entities; and for each established link, defining a business relationship between the first business entity and the respective second business entity based on information received from one or more of the first business entity and the second business entity.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an open exchange environment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process for facilitating an online advertisement transaction.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts an environment in which a transaction management system provides a platform for facilitating online advertisement transactions; and

FIGS. 4-8 each schematically depict a hierarchical auction process.

Claims

1. In a system that provides an open exchange environment to connect business entities through a network, a computer-implemented method comprising: enabling links to be established between a first business entity and respective second entities; andfor each established link, defining a business relationship between the first business entity and the respective second business entity based on information received from one or more of the first business entity and the second business entity, and enabling an action to be taken with respect to the established link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling links to be established comprises: enabling the first of the business entities to identify a set of second business entities with which the first of the business entities desires to establish respective links with.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: exposing inventory associated with the first business entity to each of the second business entities with which the first business entity has established a link.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: limiting exposure of inventory associated with the first business entity to the second business entities with which the first business entity has established a link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a link to be established comprises: displaying a list of target business entities in a region of a graphical user interface;receiving from a user representative of the first business entity an input action selecting one of the target business entities displayed in the list to which a link request notification is to be sent; andsending a link request notification to the selected one of the target business entities, the selected one of the target business entities being a first of the second business entities.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving from the user representative of the first business entity information specifying proposed terms of one or more line items; andgenerating a link request notification that includes the information specifying the proposed terms of the one or more line items.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising: after the sending, identifying the link to be established between the first business entity and the first of the second business entities as pending.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a link to be established comprises: displaying a list of pending links in a region of a graphical user interface;receiving from a user representative of the first business entity an input action selecting one of the pending links displayed in the list; anddisplaying proposed terms of one or more line items associated with the selected pending link in a third region of the graphical user interface, the proposed terms of the one or more line items comprising terms proposed by the first business entity, terms proposed by a first of the second business entities, or both.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: for each of the one or more line items associated with the selected pending link, enabling the user representative of the first business entity to perform one of the following actions: accept the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities, reject the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities, or specify counter-proposed terms for consideration by the first of the second business entities.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: establishing the link between the first business entity and a respective second business entity if the performed action comprises an acceptance of the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: removing the pending link from the list of pending links if the performed action comprises a rejection of the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: sending a link request notification that includes the information specifying the counter-proposed terms of the one or more line items to the first of the second business entities.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving from a user representative of the first of the second business entities a response to the link request notification, the response comprising an acceptance of the terms proposed by the first business entity, a rejection of the terms proposed by the first business entity, or a specification of counter-proposed terms for consideration by the first business entity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first business entity comprises an advertiser or an ad network/broker that is associated with an online advertisement creative, and a first of the second business entities comprises an ad network/broker or a publisher that is associated with an online advertisement space.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein enabling an action to be taken with respect to the established link comprises: enabling the online advertisement creative or data associated with the online advertisement creative to be passed over the established link from the first business entity to the first of the second business entities.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first business entity comprises an ad network/broker or a publisher that is associated with an online advertisement space, and a first of the second business entities comprises an advertiser or an ad network/broker that is associated with an online advertisement creative.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling an action to be taken with respect to the established link comprises: enabling data representative of an executed transaction involving the first business entity and the respective second business entity to be passed over the established link from the first business entity to the respective second business entity.

18. A machine-readable medium that stores executable instructions to cause a machine in a system that provides an open exchange environment to connect business entities through a network to: enable links to be established between a first business entity and respective second entities; andfor each established link, define a business relationship between the first business entity and the respective second business entity based on information received from one or more of the first business entity and the second business entity, and enable an action to be taken with respect to the established link.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to enable a link to be established comprises instructions to cause the machine to: enable the first of the business entities to identify a set of second business entities with which the first of the business entities desires to establish respective links with.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to: expose inventory associated with the first business entity to each of the second business entities with which the first business entity has established a link.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to: limit exposure of inventory associated with the first business entity to the second business entities with which the first business entity has established a link.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to enable a link to be established comprises instructions to cause the machine to: display a list of target business entities in a region of a graphical user interface;receive from a user representative of the first business entity an input action selecting one of the target business entities displayed in the list to which a link request notification is to be sent; andsend a link request notification to the selected one of the target business entities, the selected one of the target business entities being a first of the second business entities.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: receive from the user representative of the first business entity information specifying proposed terms of one or more line items; andgenerate a link request notification that includes the information specifying the proposed terms of the one or more line items.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: identify the link to be established between the first business entity and the first of the second business entities as pending after the link request notification has been sent.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to enable a link to be established comprises instructions to cause the machine to: display a list of pending links in a region of a graphical user interface; receiving from a user representative of the first business entity an input action selecting one of the pending links displayed in the list; anddisplay proposed terms of one or more line items associated with the selected pending link in a third region of the graphical user interface, the proposed terms of the one or more line items comprising terms proposed by the first business entity, terms proposed by a first of the second business entities, or both.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: for each of the one or more line items associated with the selected pending link, enable the user representative of the first business entity to perform one of the following actions: accept the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities, reject the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities, or specify counter-proposed terms for consideration by the first of the second business entities.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: establish the link between the first business entity and a respective second business entity if the performed action comprises an acceptance of the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: remove the pending link from the list of pending links if the performed action comprises a rejection of the terms proposed by the first of the second business entities.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: send a link request notification that includes the information specifying the counter-proposed terms of the one or more line items to the first of the second business entities.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to cause the machine to: receive from a user representative of the first of the second business entities a response to the link request notification, the response comprising an acceptance of the terms proposed by the first business entity, a rejection of the terms proposed by the first business entity, or a specification of counter-proposed terms for consideration by the first business entity.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first business entity comprises an advertiser or an ad network/broker that is associated with an online advertisement creative, and a first of the second business entities comprises an ad network/broker or a publisher that is associated with an online advertisement space.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to enable an action to be taken with respect to the established link comprises instructions to cause the machine to: enable the online advertisement creative or data associated with the online advertisement creative to be passed over the established link from the first business entity to the first of the second business entities.

33. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the first business entity comprises an ad network/broker or a publisher that is associated with an online advertisement space, and a first of the second business entities comprises an advertiser or an ad network/broker that is associated with an online advertisement creative.

34. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to enable an action to be taken with respect to the established link comprises instructions to cause the machine to: enable data representative of an executed transaction involving the first business entity and the respective second business entity to be passed over the established link from the first business entity to the respective second business entity.