Annotating content

Abstract

Content can be annotated with indications that contextually-related content associated with the annotation is available to a user in order to allow a user to more easily locate and access contextually-related content, particularly where hypertext links are unsuitable, such as for graphic and/or audio content. The location of the annotation within the content can indicate the portion of the content to which the contextually-related content pertains, and can be associated with a summary of the contextually-related content, such as a summary of the content, a brief explanation of the relatedness of the related content, and/or an indication of the source or the contextually-related content.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more computer systems, a bid to integrate an annotation into particular content at a particular location, the bid including information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a price to integrate the annotation;   storing, by the one or more computer systems, the bid;   receiving, from a device, an indication that the particular content has been requested to be displayed;   providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received information about how the annotation is to be integrated; and   charging the price to an entity associated with the bid.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content includes additional information to integrate the annotation at the particular location on the particular content independent of a location of the particular content on a display of the device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are substantially identical; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid and the second bid.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation;   receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a third bid to integrate a third annotation into the particular content at a third location, the third bid including third information about how the third annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a third price to integrate the third annotation,   wherein the particular location, the second location, and the third location are different;   receiving a request for exclusivity associated with the annotation; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid, the second bid, the third bid, and the request for exclusivity.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are different;   providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated; and   charging the second price to a second entity associated with the second bid.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content comprises information selected from the group consisting of:
 an image to integrate into the content,   additional content associated with the annotation,   identification information of the entity associated with the bid, and   payment information for integrating the annotation with the content.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the particular location on the particular content scales proportionally as a size of the particular content on a display of the device changes. 
     
     
         28 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, by one or more computer systems, a bid to integrate an annotation into particular content at a particular location, the bid including information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a price to integrate the annotation; 
 storing, by the one or more computer systems, the bid; 
 receiving, from a device, an indication that the particular content has been requested to be displayed; 
 providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received information about how the annotation is to be integrated; and 
 charging the price to an entity associated with the bid. 
   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content includes additional information to integrate the annotation at the particular location on the particular content independent of a location of the particular content on a display of the device. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are substantially identical; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid and the second bid.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 28 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation;   receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a third bid to integrate a third annotation into the particular content at a third location, the third bid including third information about how the third annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a third price to integrate the third annotation,   wherein the particular location, the second location, and the third location are different;   receiving a request for exclusivity associated with the annotation; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid, the second bid, the third bid, and the request for exclusivity.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 28 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are different;   providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated; and   charging the second price to a second entity associated with the second bid.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content comprises information selected from the group consisting of:
 an image to integrate into the content,   additional content associated with the annotation,   identification information of the entity associated with the bid, and   payment information for integrating the annotation with the content.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 28 , wherein the particular location on the particular content scales proportionally as a size of the particular content on a display of the device changes. 
     
     
         35 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, by one or more computer systems, a bid to integrate an annotation into particular content at a particular location, the bid including information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a price to integrate the annotation;   storing, by the one or more computer systems, the bid;   receiving, from a device, an indication that the particular content has been requested to be displayed;   providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received information about how the annotation is to be integrated; and   charging the price to an entity associated with the bid.   
     
     
         36 . The medium of  claim 35 , wherein the information about how the annotation is to be integrated with the particular content includes additional information to integrate the annotation at the particular location on the particular content independent of a location of the particular content on a display of the device. 
     
     
         37 . The medium of  claim 35 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are substantially identical; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid and the second bid.   
     
     
         38 . The medium of  claim 35 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation;   receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a third bid to integrate a third annotation into the particular content at a third location, the third bid including third information about how the third annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a third price to integrate the third annotation,   wherein the particular location, the second location, and the third location are different;   receiving a request for exclusivity associated with the annotation; and   selecting the annotation for integration with the particular content based at least on the bid, the second bid, the third bid, and the request for exclusivity.   
     
     
         39 . The medium of  claim 35 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computer systems, a second bid to integrate a second annotation into the particular content at a second location, the second bid including second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated with the particular content, and a second price to integrate the second annotation, wherein the particular location and the second location are different;   providing, in response to the request to view the particular content and to the device, information based on the received second information about how the second annotation is to be integrated; and   charging the second price to a second entity associated with the second bid.   
     
     
         40 . The medium of  claim 35 , wherein the particular location on the particular content scales proportionally as a size of the particular content on a display of the device changes.