RE:RE:RE:RE:Thank you RadioFrom the link I included (bold face is by me):
"Interpretations of the statute by the courts have defined the limits of the field of subject matter that can be patented, thus it has been held that the
laws of nature, physical phenomena, and abstract ideas are not patentable subject matter. A patent cannot be obtained upon a mere idea or suggestion. The patent is granted upon the new machine, manufacture, etc., as has been said, and not upon the idea or suggestion of the new machine. A complete description of the actual machine or other subject matter for which a patent is sought is required."
I would expect that one could try to patent a process to pick up metal filings off a shop floor with a magnet, but I would also expect that it would fail because it is obvious.