My (non-expert) impression is that this ties back into the machine-or-transformation test [1], especially given how Diamond v. Diehr was cited as an example of a patent-eligible invention, notwithstanding its software elements.
The point of Alice Corp. would then be to remove the loophole of merely writing up an abstract process as a computer program running on a generic computer; the process would have to be linked to specific hardware characteristics to pass the test (obvious examples would be an MRI scanner, anti-lock brakes, or device drivers).
The point of Alice Corp. would then be to remove the loophole of merely writing up an abstract process as a computer program running on a generic computer; the process would have to be linked to specific hardware characteristics to pass the test (obvious examples would be an MRI scanner, anti-lock brakes, or device drivers).
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine-or-transformation_test