Updated 22 January with new site links, Roger now has the IBM womplex links included in with the patents that are new enough to be on line, thanks Roger!
LIST jump direct
This listing of patents was selected from a website that I found while doing research.
The extensive Spacedrive list (Link to Rogers site) is obviously a prodigious effort on the part of the author, and includes inertial propulsion devices, electro-static drives, and some magnetic drives I won't even pretend to understand, from all around the world. Roger's site has patent covers on line and he is offering full patents also, a favorites page!
I have excerpted the US patents only, as the entire list is way too much for the hard drive space I rent, and is frankly enough to let you know that the Patent office at least believes in reactionless propulsion!
Maintained by Roger D. Cook, his e-mail is rdcook@worldnet.att.net POB 90767, Nasville, TN 37209-0767 USA
If you find this site as useful as I have, be sure to mail him and thank him, little enough pay for the time, effort and expense that he has put out to help us all get closer to a vacation in the outer colonies.
http://patent.womplex.ibm.com is the IBM search list for patents, a useful and fun place to explore if you have a penchant for multi-page run on sentences of gobbeldygook said means and stuff.
Those devices that did return with the number search were rather awkward devices that involved gears, recipricatory motion, etc., none of which would be useable as a space propulsion device (in my opinion).
Another useful resource for strange and wonderful inventions research is the Patent Office itself at http://www.uspto.gov/
Thanks Roger, I would have found it eventually, but a person can only do so much, and helpful reminders and 'oh, I know that one!' keep us all out of the abyss!.
If you are contemplating patenting any device intended for air or space use, and have ever worked for the government, or any company that has (or is even thinking about it), then you will need to look at 42 USC Sec. 2457! Contains link to Cornell University's US Code site, another good resource!
The following are US patents involving inertial propulsion or other "reactionless" drive means. Any thing below 3,930,000 or thereabouts will not be online yet according to the nice guy at the patent office help mail service.
5,488,877 Lieurance, Richard L. (O2/O6/96) Centrifugal Inertia Drive
5,473,957 Navarro, Thomas L. (12/12/95) System for generating controllable
reference enviroment and steerable translational force, etc.
5,427,330 Shimshi, Ezra (O6/27/95) Sphereroll
5,410,198 Butka, Kemal (O4/25/95) Propulsion System
5,388,470 Marsh, Richard O., Jr (O2/14/95) Centrifugal force drive machine,
5,388,469 Woltering, Howard M. (O2/14/95) Rotating eccentric weights
vibrator system
5,335,561 Harvey, James (O8/O9/94) Impulse converter
5,334,O60 Butka, Kemal (O8/O2/94) Propulsion System
5,313,851 Hull, Harold L & Joslin, Donald E. (O5/24/94) Reusable mass
propulsion system
5,197,279 Taylor, James R. (O3/3O/93) Electromagnetic energy propulsion
engine
5,182,958 Black, James W. (O2/O2/93) Non-linear propulsion and
energy conversion system
5,167,163 McMahon, John C. (12/O1/92) Energy transfer device
5,156,058 Bristow, Theodore R., Jr. (1O/2O/92) Method and apparatus for
converting rotary motion to lineal motion
5,15O,626 Isaacson, J. D. & Navarro, T. L. (O9/29/92) Translational Force
Generator
5,142,861 Schlicher, Rex L., et al (O9/O1/92) Nonlinear Electromagnetic
Propulsion System And Method
5,111,087 Butka, Kemal (O5/O5/92) Propulsion System
5,090,260 Delroy, M. S. & Delroy M. (O2/25/92) Gyrostat Propulsion System
5,054,331 Rodgers, A. T. (1O/O8/91) Controllable Gyroscopic Propulsion
Apparatus
5,042,313 Montalbano, Paul J. (O8/27/91) Conversion of Rotational Output
to Linear Force - a Transmission
5,024,112 Kidd, Alexander D. (O6/18/91) Gyroscopic Apparatus
4,991,453 Mason, Lyle M. (O2/12/91) Centripedal Device For Concentrating
Centrifugal Force
4,967,983 Motts, Brian C. (11/O6/9O) Airship
4,891,600 Cox, James E. (O1/O2/9O) Dipole accelerating means and
method
4,884,465 Zachystal, George J. (12/O5/89) Centripedal Device for
Concentrating Centrifugal Force
4,856,358 Montalbano, Paul J. (O8/15/89) Conversion Of Rotational
Output To Linear Force
4,801,111 Rogers, Charles E. et al (O1/31/89) System For Propulsion
And Positioning Of A Transitory Object
4,788,882 Fulop, Charles (12/O6/88) Flywheel
4,784,006 Kethley, Lancelot I. (11/15/88) Gyroscopic Propulsion
Device
4,770,063 Mundo, James D. (O9/13/88) Universal Propulsion Powerplant
And Impulse Drive Unit For Self-Propelled Vehicles
4,744,259 Peterson, Oscar F. A. (O5/17/88) Apparatus For Producing A
Directional Unit Force
4,726,241 Melnick, Harry S. (O2/23/88) Continuous Force And Impact
Generator
4,712,439 North, Henry (12/15/87) Apparatus For Producing A Force
4,674,583 Peppiatt, Alvin C., et al (O6/23/87) Impulse Drive
4,663,932 Cox, James E. (O5/12/87) Dipolar Force Field Propulsion
4,631,971 Thornson, Brandson R. (12/3O/86) Apparatus For Developing A
Propulsive Force
4,579,011 Dobos, Elmer M. (O3/O1/86) Propulsion Apparatus
4,577,520 Colla, Joseph (O3/25/86) Mechanical Propulsion System
4,479,396 de Weaver, Fred, III (1O/3O/84) Propulsion System
4,409,856 de Weaver, Fred, III (1O/18/83) Propulsion System
4,347,752 Dehen, Frederick L. (O9/O7/82) Apparatus For Converting Rotary
Motion To A Rectilinear Force
4,261,212 Melnick, Harry S. (O4/14/81) Unidirectional Force Generator
4,242,918 Srogi, Ladislaw G. (O1/O6/81) Mechanical Propulsion System
4,238,968 Cook, Robert L. (12/16/8O) Device For Conversion Of Centrifugal
Force To Linear Force And Motion
4,095,460 Cuff, Calvin I. (O6/2O/78) Device For Converting Rotary Motion
Into Unidirectional Motion
4,087,064 Knap, George (O5/O2/78) Orbital Propulsion Apparatus
3,998,107 Cuff, Calvin I. (12/21/76) Device For Converting Rotary Motion
Into A Unidirectional Linear Motion
3,979,961 Schnur, Nicholas J. (O9/14/76) Method And Apparatus For
Propelling An Object By An Unbalanced Centrifugal Force With
Continous Motion
3,968,700 Cuff, Calvin I. (O7/13/76) Device For Converting Rotary Motion
Into A Unidirectional Linear Motion
3,916,704 Gaberson, Howard A. (11/O4/75) Vibratory Motion
3,897,692 Lehberger, Arthur N. (O8/O5/75) Centrifugal Propulsion Drive
And Steering Mechanism
3,889,543 Mast, Oscar (O6/17/75) Propulsion System
3,863,510 Benson, Everett H. (O2/O4/75) Inertia Engine
3,810,394 Novak, Leo J. (O5/14/74) Centrifugal Mechanical Device
3,807,244 Estrade, Fernand (O4/3O/74) Device For Transforming Kinetic
Energy
3,756,086 McAlister, Roy E. et al (O9/O4/73) Propulsion System
3,750,484 Benjamin, Paul M. (O8/O7/73) Centrifugal Thrust Motor
3,683,707 Cook, Robert L. (O8/15/72) Propulsion System
3,662,554 De Broqueville, Axel (O5/16/72) Electromagnetic Propulsion
Device For Use In The Forward Part Of A Moving Body
3,656,013 Hooper, William J. (O4/11/72) Apparatus For Generating A
Motional Electric Field
3,653,269 Foster, Richard E. (O4/O4/72) Converting Rotary Motion Into
Unidirectional Motion
3,626,606 Wallace, Henry W. (12/14/71) Method And Apparatus For
Generating A Dynamic Force Field
3,626,605 Wallace, Henry W. (12/14/71) Method And Apparatus For
Generating A Secondary Gravitational Force Field
3,610,971 Hooper, William J. (1O/O5/71) All-Electric Motional Electric
Field Generator
3,584,515 Matyas, Laszlo B. (O6/15/71) Propulsion Apparatus
3,555,915 Young, Hersey W., Jr. (O1/19/71) Directional Force Generator
3,530,617 Halvorson, Earle M., et al (O9/29/7O) Vibration Driven Vehicle
3,518,462 Brown, Thomas T. (O6/3O/7O) Fluid Flow Control System
3,504,868 Engelberger, Joseph F. (O4/O7/7O) Space Propulsion System
3,495,791 Drell, Sidney D. et al (O2/17/7O) Method Of And Apparatus For
Effecting Electro-Mechanical Energy Interchange In A
Space Vehicle
3,492,881 Auweele, Albert J. V. (O2/O3/7O) Prime Mover
3,464,207 Okress, Ernest C. (O9/O2/69) Quasi-Corona-Aerodynamic
vehicle
3,404,854 di Bella, Alfio (1O/O8/68) Apparatus For Imparting Motion To A
body
3,322,374 King, James F., Jr. (O5/3O/67) Magnetohydrodynamic Propulsion
apparatus
3,266,233 Farrall, Arthur W. (O8/16/66) Inertia Propulsion Device
3,263,1O2 Bahnson, Agnew H., Jr. (O7/26/66) Electrical Thrust Producing
device
3,238,714 Schur, George O. (O3/O8/66) Thrust motor
3,227,901 Bahnson, Agnew H., Jr. (O1/O4/66) Electrical Thrust Producing
device
3,203,644 Kellogg, H. Dudley (O8/31/65) Gyroscopic Inertial Space
drive
3,196,580 Rakestraw, Robert G. (O7/27/65) Toy Vehicle Having Resilient
supports and Self-Contained Drive Means
3,187,206 Brown, Thomas T. (O6/O1/65) Electrokinetic Apparatus
3,182,517 Dean, Norman L. (O5/11/65) Variable Oscillation System
3,177,660 Haller, Paul (O4/13/65) Propulsion Apparatus
3,177,654 Gradecak, Vjekoslav (O4/13/65) Electric Aerospace Propulsion
system
3,162,398 Clauser, Milton U., et al (12/22/64) Magnetohydrodynamic Control
systems
3,130,945 De Seversky, Alexander P. (O4/28/64) Ionocraft
3,120,363 Hagen, Glenn E. (O2/O4/64) Flying Apparatus
3,106,167 Rice, Warren A. (1O/O8/63) Propulsion System
3,095,167 Dudley, Horace C. (O6/25/63) Apparatus For The Promotion And
control of vehicular flight
3,095,163 Hill, Gilman A. (O6/25/63) Ionized Boundary Layer Fluid
pumping system
3,071,705 Coleman, William J. et al (O1/O1/63) Electrostatic Propulsion
means
3,022,430 Brown, Thomas T. (O2/2O/62) Electrokinetic Generator
3,018,394 Brown, Thomas T. (O1/23/62) Electrokinetic Transducer
2,958,790 Bahnson, Agnew H., Jr. (11/O1/6O) Electrical Thrust Producing
apparatus
2,949,550 Brown, Thomas T. (O4/16/6O) Electrokinetic Apparatus
2,886,976 Dean, Norman L. (O5/19/59) System For Converting Rotary Motion
into unidirectional motion
2,636,340 Llamozas, Juan D. M. (O4/28/53) Direct Push Propulsion
unit
2,350,248 Nowlin, Aubrey C. (O5/3O/44) Device For Obtaining Directional
force from rotary motion
2,088,115 Neff, Tom (O7/27/37) Reaction Motor
2,009,780 Laskowitz, Isidor B. (O7/3O/35) Centrifugal Variable Thrust
mechanism
1,953,964 Laskowitz, Isidor B. (O4/1O/34) Centrifugal Variable Thrust
mechanism
1,511,960 Goldschmidt, Rudolf (1O/14/24) Propulsion of vehicles
End of US list, see the above named site for World list.
10 June 1997 DavidC INDEX. Top of Page