Patent ID: 7143189

Claim:
A method of deploying a new software feature to a plurality of users, said method comprising the acts of: setting a throttle value to a first proportion; selecting a first group of said plurality of users, the number of users in said first group being in said first proportion to the number of said plurality of users; providing said feature to said first group; increasing said throttle value from said first proportion to a second proportion; selecting a second group of said plurality of users, the number of users in said second group being in said second proportion to the number of said plurality of users, wherein all users in said first group are included in said second group; providing said feature to said second group; reducing said throttle value from said second proportion to a third proportion; selecting a third group of said plurality of users, the number of users in said third group as compared with the number of said plurality of users being equal to said third proportion, wherein all users in said third group are included in said second group; and removing said feature from those users who are in said second group but not in said third group.