Very true. Not sure either. And you can't patent a circuit anyway. I'm not sure the Sims system is patentable either.
It's just a case of dropping coils - which is no different to splitting coils in a Les Paul.
And of course, dropping coils is only half the story. The windings of one half of a humbucker is not equivalent to a single coil. And lets not forget that a traditional single coil is not made up of two bobbins side by side... and a P is not spit coils like a humbucker, they semi overlap. And you need to drop the magnetic fields when not in use. You could even drop the coils by tapping them - but that's not a new concept either.
I get it - it's a one bass that tries to do it all. But for 4k, you could get a Stingray, a P and a J bass and get the real deal sounds. And of course, how many people REALLY keep swapping basses or pickup settings between tracks live? (Because if you do, you'll probably pee off the sound folk something rotten anyway).
It's kinda a novelty solution to a problem that doesn't exist.