Appeal No. 96-2552
Application 08/161,816
function language which read on both special disclosed
computer structure and on a general purpose computer were held
to be statutory as a machine. Therefore, it now appears that
"means" claims will not be treated as process claims even if
the only structure disclosed is a general purpose computer.
For this additional reason, claim 27 is considered within the
§ 101 statutory class of a "machine" and the rejection of
claim 27 is reversed.
Second, process claim 11 recites a "computer-implemented
intellectual property method" which performs the steps of
"storing," "analyzing," "deriving," "retrieving," and
"comparing," which are all physical method steps carried out
by the computer. In addition, the "generating a first
electrical signal indicative of the first information,"
"generating a second electrical signal indicative of the
second information," "comparing the first signal . . . to the
second signal," and "producing an estimated value electrical
signal indicating the estimated value" all require a physical
electrical signal. This is unlike "signals" in nonstatutory
claims which "may represent either physical quantities or
abstract quantities." In re Walter, 618 F.2d 758, 770,
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