Sponsored access to multi-item document bundles

A method implemented in a data processing system for sponsoring access to sponsored electronic content, the method comprising:

• detecting that a first user device associated with a first user has added a first sponsored content item to a host electronic document by adding a first reference to the first sponsored content item to the host electronic document, the first sponsored content item being stored separately from the host electronic document in a memory of a cloud-based service;
• determining that that the first sponsored content item includes a second reference to a second sponsored content item, the second sponsored content item being stored separately from the host electronic document and the first sponsored content item, the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item being arranged hierarchically as layers of sponsored content;
• determining that the first user has permission to share the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item with other users of the cloud-based service;
• responsive to determining that the first user has permission to share the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item, generating sponsor information to associate the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item with the host electronic document to permit users having access to the host electronic document to access the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item;
• storing the sponsor information in a sponsored access datastore;
• receiving a first request from a second user device associated with a second user to access the host electronic document;
• generating a first sponsor token based on the sponsor information associated with the host electronic document, the first sponsor token recursively applying to the layers of sponsored content associated with the host electronic document to enable the second user device to access the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item;
• and
• providing the first sponsor token to the second user device.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which are stored instructions that, when executed, cause a processor of a programmable device to perform operations of:

• detecting that a first user device associated with a first user has added a first sponsored content item to a host electronic document by adding a first reference to the first sponsored content item to the host electronic document, the first sponsored content item being stored separately from the host electronic document in a memory of a cloud-based service;
• determining that that the first sponsored content item includes a second reference to a second sponsored content item, the second sponsored content item being stored separately from the host electronic document and the first sponsored content item, the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item being arranged hierarchically as layers of sponsored content;
• determining that the first user has permission to share the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item with other users of the cloud-based service;
• responsive to determining that the first user has permission to share the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item, generating sponsor information to associate the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item with the host electronic document to permit users having access to the host electronic document to access the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item;
• storing the sponsor information in a sponsored access datastore;
• receiving a first request from a second user device associated with a second user to access the host electronic document;
• generating a first sponsor token based on the sponsor information associated with the host electronic document, the first sponsor token recursively applying to the layers of sponsored content associated with the host electronic document to enable the second user device to access the first sponsored content item and the second sponsored content item;
• and
• providing the first sponsor token to the second user device.