Talk-Polywell.org

Again, as commented elsewhere, these things really shouldn't get through the patent system if they are not fully formed utilities and demonstrably functional beyond only a cursory preparatory stage (viz. patents shouldn't clear where they are likely to require extensive further research).

The patent system is kaput. It wouldn't surprise me if there were several patents for astrology. No ill reflection on TriAlpha intended.

Whether or not this is so, this thread is about a patent. So the discussion will be about the nature of that patent.

Lets remember that patents exist to protect intellectual property. There are good reasons that patents are granted for things we don't have reason to suspect will work. People are entitled to protect their IP regardless whether it will work, especially when at the time they need protection for it, they may not know it will work.

Patents don't ever indicate you have a working or even an emergent technology. They only mean that someone, the owner; believes it will work. I'd hate for us to change the system so you couldn't have protection without proof of the issue. That would mean far more secrecy in both research and development, far less security for the inventor and far more fraud and theft.

Lets remember that patents exist to protect intellectual property.

So, actually, it is precisely and explicitly to make intellectual property public.

(Wrong... again )

A "patent" is a commissioning declaration by a monarch and harks back to the time when you gave your idea to a monarch and if he was sufficiently pleased with you then he might commission you to work the idea [for him] as a monopoly.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within a chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions, and electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons, wherein the step of forming an FRC magnetic field comprises the steps of injectingion beams into a background plasma within the reactor chamber and forming a rotating beam plasma, generating a poloidal magnetic self-field about the rotating beam plasma, and increasing the rotating beam plasma's rotational velocity to increase themagnetic self-field's magnitude beyond the applied magnetic field's magnitude causing field reversal internal to the rotating beam plasma and formation of the FRC.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step of increasing the rotating beam plasma's rotational velocity includes the step of running current through a betatron flux coil within the chamber inducing an azimuthal electric field within the chamber.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step increasing the current through the flux coil to accelerate the rotating beam plasma to a fusion relevant rotational energy.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of injecting high energy ion beams into the FRC and trapping the beams in betatron orbits within the FRC.

5. A method of confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, wherein the step of applying a magnetic field includes energizing a plurality of field coils extendingabout the chamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within a chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions, and electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of injecting ion beams into the chamber.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of generating an electrostatic field within the chamber.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of generating an electrostatic field includes applying an applied magnetic field at a magnitude that corresponds to an electrostatic field that is confining to a plurality of beam plasma electrons.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of generating an electrostatic field includes injecting ion beams at a velocity that corresponds to an electrostatic field that is confining to a plurality of beam plasma electrons.

10. A of method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within a chamber, magnetically confining aplurality of plasma ions, electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons, and injecting ion beams into the chamber, wherein the ion beams are injected substantially transverse to the applied magnetic field.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of injecting the ion beams further comprises the steps of neutrilizing the ion beams, draining the neutralized ion beams' electric polarization, and exerting a Lorentz force due to the magnetic fieldon the neutralized ion beams to bend the ion beams into betatron orbits.

12. A method of confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within a chamber, magnetically confining aplurality of plasma ions, electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons, and tuning the applied magnetic field's magnitude to maintain the a rotating beam plasma at a predetermined radial size.

13. A method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, injecting beams comprising a plurality of ions and electrons into a plasma of ions and electrons in achamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within the chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions within the chamber, and electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons within the chamber, wherein thestep of forming an FRC magnetic field comprises the steps of injecting ion beams into a background plasma within the reactor chamber and forming a rotating beam plasma, generating a poloidal magnetic self-field about the rotating beam plasma, andincreasing the rotating beam plasma's rotational velocity to increase the magnetic self-field's magnitude beyond the applied magnetic field's magnitude causing field reversal internal to the rotating beam plasma and formation of the FRC.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein step of increasing the rotating beam plasma's rotational velocity includes the step of running current through a betatron flux coil within the chamber inducing an azimuthal electric field within the chamber.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step increasing the current through the flux coil to accelerate the rotating beam plasma to a fusion relevant rotational energy.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of injecting high energy ion beams into the FRC and trapping the beams in betatron orbits within the FRC.

17. A method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, wherein the step of applying a magnetic field includes energizing a plurality of field coils extendingabout the chamber, injecting beams comprising a plurality of ions and electrons into a plasma of ions and electrons in a chamber, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within the chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasmaions within the chamber, and electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons within the chamber.

18. A method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, injecting beams comprising a plurality of ions and electrons into a plasma of ions and electrons in achamber, wherein the ion beams are injected substantially transverse to the applied magnetic field, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within the chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions within the chamber, andelectrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons within the chamber.

19. A method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of injecting beams comprising a plurality of ions and electrons into a plasma of ions and electrons in a chamber, wherein the step of injecting the ionbeams further comprises the step of neutrilizing the ion beams, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions within the chamber, and electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons within the chamber.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber and forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within the chamber.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the beams are injected at a velocity and the applied magnetic field is applied at a magnitude that corresponds to electrostatic field within the chamber that is confining for a plurality of plasma electrons.

22. A method confining a plasma of ions and electrons within a chamber comprising the steps of applying a magnetic field to the chamber, injecting beams comprising a plurality of ions and electrons into a plasma of ions and electrons in a chamber, wherein the beams are injected at a velocity and the applied magnetic field is applied at a magnitude that corresponds to an electrostatic field within the chamber that is confining for a plurality of plasma electrons, forming a field reversed configuration (FRC) magnetic field within the chamber, magnetically confining a plurality of plasma ions within the chamber, electrostatically confining a plurality of plasma electrons within the chamber, and adjusting the applied magnetic field's magnitude to maintain the rotating beam plasma at a predetermined radial size.