Patent 5,893,120 reduced to mathematical formulae
For a different perspective, "What colour are your bits?" ( <a href="http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/entry/23" rel="nofollow">http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/entry/23</a> ) is an excellent read.<p>It could be argued that programs and ideas built up through the machinery of mathematics are unpatentable, whereas programs and ideas built through the machinery of engineering are.<p>The law may ignore the actual content in favor of looking at the mechanism of discovery and/or usage.