The patent eligibility of some Beauregard claims (i.e., computer readable medium claims) came up in the recent oral argument of Cybersource v. Retail Decisions. A decision from the Federal Circuit panel (Judges Bryson, Dyk, and Prost) is expected shortly.
The panel inquired whether a claim to a computer readable medium should be patent ineligible if the method that the computer readable medium can cause to be performed is itself an ineligible abstract idea. It is hard to imagine the tortured logic that would be required for a court to hold that a patent claim that claims an article of manufacture (i.e., a physical object) is a claim to an abstract idea; nevertheless, we’ll have to wait and see if the court addresses the issue when it issues its opinion in the case.
You can listen to the discussion of the patent eligibility of Beauregard claims during the oral argument [here] and [here].
You can listen to the entire oral argument here: [Listen].