the present disclosure relates to business models and methods , such as can be used with maskless photolithography systems . it is understood , however , that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments , or examples , for implementing different features of the invention in specific applications . these embodiments are , of course , merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention from that described in the claims . the present disclosure is divided into four different sections . the first section describes an exemplary maskless photolithography system . the second section describes a business method for “ selling ” the maskless photolithography system to an end user . the third section concludes by describing some of the many advantages of the methods previously discussed . referring to fig1 a maskless photolithography system 30 , such as is disclosed in presently incorporated u . s . ser . no . 09 / 348 , 369 , can benefit from the present invention . the maskless photolithography system 30 includes a light source 32 , a first lenses system 34 , a mask pattern system 36 , a pattern generator 38 , and a second lenses system 40 . the system operates on a subject 42 , which is positioned on a subject stage 44 . a resist layer or other energy - sensitive coating 46 is disposed on the subject 42 . the light source 32 and the lens systems 34 , 40 may be of various types , depending on the requirements of a specific application . selection of such components is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art . the mask pattern system 36 may be one or more typical computers with necessary processing capability , storage , and interface , as will be discussed below . the pattern generator 38 may be a digital / deformable mirror device , a liquid crystal display , a spatial light modulator , or other appropriate pixel - panel device , and may include appropriate drivers and memory . in operation , the light source 32 provides a collimated beam of light 48 which is projected through the first lenses system 34 and onto the pattern generator 38 . the pattern generator 38 is provided with mask information via suitable signal line ( s ) 37 from the mask pattern system 36 . the mask information may represent an entire digital mask , or a portion of the digital mask , as required . the mask information is used by the pattern generator 38 to produce a digital mask pattern for a desired duration . light emanating from the digital mask pattern of the pattern generator 38 then passes through the second lenses system 40 and onto the subject 42 . in this manner , the digital mask pattern of the mask generator 38 is projected onto the resist coating 46 of the subject 42 . in some embodiments , any modifications and / or changes required in the digital mask can be made using the mask pattern system 36 . as a result , the need for fabrication of a new physical mask , as would be required in conventional photolithography systems , is thus eliminated by the photolithography system 30 of the present disclosure . also , changing digital masks for different exposure operations is done electronically , thereby eliminating the wear and tear associated with typical physical mask operations . as a result , substantial cost savings are realized in the manufacture of subjects which require the use of a patterning of a photo resist coated subject . in addition , the present photolithography system 30 reduces a lead time associated with obtaining a particular mask , in addition to a reduced repair time in the event that changes to the mask become necessary after an initial design implementation . in other words , the lead time and repair time of producing a digital mask are almost negligible , as compared with conventional physical masks . referring now to fig2 the mask pattern system 36 may include ( either as a separate computer or a separate routine running in the same computer ) a computer aided mask pattern design system for creating a desired digital mask . the digital mask may , for example , be stored in a memory 38 in the form of a bit map or the like . the bit map can include individual pixel data , which is subject to easy modification as may be required for the development of a particular integrated circuit design and / or mask pattern design . with the use of the computer aided pattern design system 36 , any bit can be easily changed or its location moved in a particular digital mask . also , the digital mask can be changed or aligned as needed almost instantly with the use of an appropriate instruction from the computer aided pattern design system 36 . in some embodiments , the computer aided pattern design system 36 may also be used for creating and simulating a circuit from initial design through any and all necessary design changes and / or modifications to the final digital masks . once created , the digital masks may also be used for the creation of a conventional printed mask , such as can be used in a conventional photolithography system . once the digital mask has been constructed and saved in the memory 38 , it can be provided to the display panel 38 , as shown by memory bit map 40 . in some embodiments , mask information representing only a portion of the entire mask pattern may to be delivered to the display panel 38 . this allows the system 36 to accommodate data bottlenecks , such as available bandwidth in the signal lines 37 or the size and / or available memory in the display panel 38 ( or associated drivers ). referring now to fig3 a method 100 provides a new and unique way to monitor the activity of the photolithography system 30 , and to measure payments for such activity . as a result , the method 100 may be used to compensate an owner or manufacturer of the system 30 for its use . such compensation may be used in lieu of , or in addition to , the user paying a purchase price for the system . for example , the user may purchase the system hardware , and the method 100 may calculate software license payments for the software on a per - use basis . the method 100 begins at step 102 , when the user receives the photolithography system 30 . the method 100 may be a software routine that runs on the mask pattern system 36 of fig2 . part of the initial step of receiving the system 30 may include entering a userid into the software routine to activate the method 100 and to enable the system . the method 100 continues to run on the mask pattern system 36 , and may be protected from improper access by various security measures well known in the art . in the present example , the user does not purchase the system , but pays for the system based on the number of new digital masks used by the system . at step 104 , one or more digital masks are provided . the digital masks may be created using the computer aided pattern design system 36 discussed above , or may be converted from an existing mask . for example , conventional digital data used to create a physical mask , or to run simulations on a desired integrated circuit , can be easily converted to the digital masks used in the system 30 . at step 106 , the software routine detects when mask information is transferred to the pattern generator 38 . in the present embodiment , the software routine specifically detects when mask information relating to a new or different digital mask is being transferred . in this way , a single digital mask can be repeatedly used , without incurring extra expense . in addition , for embodiments that do not transfer the entire digital mask at one time , but instead send portions to the pattern generator , the different portions are not perceived as new digital masks . at step 108 , each time a “ new ” digital mask is transferred to the pattern generator 38 , a charge fee counter 110 is incremented . the method 100 continually checks for new digital masks , and updates the charge fee counter 110 accordingly . in some embodiments , a “ new ” digital mask is one that has never been transferred to the pattern generator 38 . this may include modified masks ( e . g ., small changes were made to a previous mask ), or brand new masks that relate to other layers or other circuit designs . in other embodiments , a “ new ” digital mask is simply a different mask than the immediate prior digital mask being used by the pattern generator 38 . at periodic intervals , the charge fee counter 110 is reviewed for payment . in one embodiment , each “ new ” digital mask is set to a predetermined reference value . one example of a predetermined reference value is a standard market cost of a conventional , physical mask . in another embodiment , different fees apply to brand new masks , modified masks , and different masks . table 1 , below , shows one such fee arrangement . in furtherance of the example , if a conventional , physical mask costs one hundred thousand dollars , each brand new mask used by the system 30 will accrue a charge of fifty thousand dollars , each modified mask will accrue a charge of thirty thousand dollars , and each different mask will accrue a charge of five thousand dollars . the charge fee counter 110 may also include an indicator that identifies a resolution of the digital mask . the above described fees may be modified for different resolution masks , which corresponds to the higher costs for conventional physical masks with high resolution . in this way , the reference value for each mask may be individually set by the corresponding cost of the alternative conventional physical mask that would provide the same resolution . continuing the above - described example , a conventional physical mask used for 1 micron resolution may cost twenty thousand dollars , while a conventional physical mask for 0 . 18 micron resolution may cost one hundred thousand dollars . the methods , routines , and applications discussed above provide many advantages . for one , the user does not have to purchase the photolithography system , which makes the user more likely to try the system . another advantage is that the costs associated with running the system are directly related to the cost of purchasing conventional , physical masks . therefore , the operating cost of using the digital photolithography system tracks , or follows , traditional costs . so , if the mask pattern does not change , the fees are relatively low , as it would be for a conventional photolithography system . another advantage is that the system can be used for high resolution masks and low resolution masks , with the associated costs further tracking the cost of purchasing conventional , physical masks for the same purpose . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention .