From what I understand, those sorts of vague software patents are far far harder to get today - in theory they never should have been granted. Unfortunately, mistakes were made, but in recent years the legal system is catching up to that, and hopefully as those older patents expire newer patents along those lines won't be granted
"On June 19, 2014 the United States Supreme Court ruled in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International that 'merely requiring generic computer implementation fails to transform [an] abstract idea into a patent-eligible invention'"
"On June 19, 2014 the United States Supreme Court ruled in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International that 'merely requiring generic computer implementation fails to transform [an] abstract idea into a patent-eligible invention'"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patents_under_United_...