Patent ID: 7814025

Claim:
A rights-based network, comprising: at least one data store configured to store a plurality of title objects associated with a plurality of entities, each title object having previously been encoded with a representation of at least one right, each title object being configured to effect redemption of the at least one right by presentation of the title object to a title-enabled process in the network, each of selected ones of the title objects also having been previously encoded with an associated title object state; and one or more computing devices in communication with the at least one data store, the one or more computing devices being configured to: maintain an entry for each selected title object which is stored separately from the corresponding selected title object and which indicates validity of the corresponding selected title object when the entry is synchronized with the title object state of the corresponding selected title object; authorize redemption of the rights and transfer of ownership of the selected title objects stored in the at least one data store by comparing the title object states and the corresponding separately stored entries; and update both the separately stored entries and the title object states for corresponding selected title objects to correspond to new values in conjunction with any transaction involving the corresponding selected title objects that results in redemption of the at least one right encoded by the corresponding selected title objects or transfer of ownership of the corresponding selected title objects, thereby ensuring that only a single valid instance of each selected title object is in circulation in the network.