Patent ID: 8543372

Claim:
In a computer-assisted product rights system comprising a processor and a storage coupled thereto, a software-implemented method for managing product rights, comprising the steps of: generating by a processor a first data structure representing a product module and; comparing by the processor a functionality of the first data structure to at least one compared functionality provided in a rights database provided in a storage and, the comparison of the functionality of the first data structure and the at least one compared functionality provided in the rights database being performed on at least one corresponding functional abstraction level; and providing an equivalence determination between the functionality of the first data structure and the at least one compared functionality provided in the rights database on at least one corresponding abstraction level, the equivalence determination permitting implementation of at least one permitted product right; and coupling via a network to a prototype to enable functional implementation of the at least one permitted product right, whereby the prototype comprises at least one of a product coupled to an appliance, the at least one of a product coupled to an appliance being at least one of configured for operation using a data structure and programmed for operation using a data structure, the-data structure being provided by the processor for functional implementation for the prototype in accordance with the at least one permitted product right; and the functionality of the first data structure and the at least one compared functionality provided in the rights database on a plurality of corresponding functional abstraction levels, the processor comparing the functionality of the first data structure and the at least one compared functionality provided in the rights database on at least one corresponding functional abstraction level; and generating by the processor a modified data structure representing a modified product module, the modified data structure having a modified functionality which is equivalent to the functionality of the first data structure at a first corresponding functional abstraction level, but the modified functionality not being equivalent to the functionality of the first data structure at a second corresponding functional abstraction level; and coupling the processor to a product module; and electrically configuring the product module according to the modified functionality.