Patent ID: 7376627

Claim:
A method for licensing functionality after an initial transaction, comprising the steps of: determining whether an initial licensed amount of an imaging substance in a supply item has been depleted, said supply item being subject to a usage license; informing a customer of said depletion of said imaging substance in said supply item; querying whether said customer would like to renew said supply item; displaying a list of possible supply item renewal options that are available to said customer, wherein said possible supply item renewal options comprise at least one of a self-renewal of said supply item, a renewal of said supply item by a manufacturer of said supply item, and a third party remanufacturer renewal of said supply item; and if said customer chooses to renew said supply item, the method further comprising the steps of, said customer purchasing a new license to renew said supply item; and said customer receiving a new digital signature for said supply item.