If checking the IP leads to a result, such as blocking the user, it could not be simulated with paper and pencil. e.g. Amazon's infamous one-click purchase patent could not be simulated with paper and pencil.
One nice quality of this test is it makes the patent less abstract, more concrete, and therefore less broadly applicable: one of the arguments for mathematical algorithms not be patentable is that they are too general, and a monopoly on them would block too much.
(IANAL. This is my opinion. Welcome to correct me.)
If checking the IP leads to a result, such as blocking the user
"blocking the user". What does that mean? It means not giving the user what they asked for. It is absolutely doable with pen and paper, because the "user" is being "blocked" from "information".
But even if that were not the case: suppose it where a physical door being locked or unlocked. Well done, you've just attempted to patent a fucking bouncer.
Basically you can patent inventive things. But if your patent can't stand on its own if the computer part is replaced with a human operator, then it wont stand.
Amazon's oneclick travesty is totally doable on pen and paper and I hope someone will have another go at it.
The above is just an extra hurdle to disqualify claims that only produce information.
BTW: you can't block a user with pen and paper. You can obtain information for your decision to block them, but pen and paper, in isolation, have no impact on the world. Even something like a signed contract, PO etc has no effect, unless it is used in part of a system. If this doesn't make sense to you, recall that we're talking about the claims in the patent: of course, you can use pen and paper to do many things, but in a patent, it's not enough to claim you can work out the information with pen and paper; you have to also claim what you will do with that information.
One nice quality of this test is it makes the patent less abstract, more concrete, and therefore less broadly applicable: one of the arguments for mathematical algorithms not be patentable is that they are too general, and a monopoly on them would block too much.