Analysis of U.S. Patent #20060145019A1, “Triangular Spacecraft”

Analysis of US patent #20060145019A1, “Triangular Spacecraft”, filed by John St. Clair (a Part II on him coming soon), and officially abandoned as of 2006. The patent describes the craft as “A spacecraft having a triangular hull with vertical electrostatic line charges on each corner that produce a horizontal electric field parallel to the sides of the hull. This field, interacting with a plane wave emitted by antennas on the side of the hull, generates a force per volume combining both lift and propulsion.” Further, “This invention is a spacecraft having a triangular hull with vertical electrostatic line charges on each corner. The line charges create a horizontal electric field that, together with a plane wave emitted by antennas on the side of the hull, generates a force per volume providing a unique combination of both lift and propulsion.” An array of horizontal slot antennas located on the sides of the triangular hull produce an electromagnetic wave with the electric field polarized in the vertical direction. The two rear corners are charged to a potential V. The forward corner is charged to a potential −V. The 60° angle on the corner creates a line charge density singularity that produces a huge horizontal electric field pointing from the back to the front of the craft which is also parallel to the sides of the triangle. The patent states that this combination of electro-gravtic fields produces a spacetime force in both the vertical and horizontal directions such that the spacecraft receives a lift force and a force of propulsion. In other words, the proposed system is not simply attempting to generate thrust in the conventional sense. The entire geometry of the craft, the arrangement of the electrical charges, and the electromagnetic fields are intended to interact with one another to produce the force necessary to both propel and lift the vehicle. The triangular shape is therefore not merely aesthetic, nor is it incidental to the design. The geometry is fundamental to the proposed mechanism itself. The placement of the charges at the three corners, particularly the opposing potentials between the forward and rear corners, is what creates the electric field described in the patent. John St. Clair, and his work, are as fascinating as they are enigmatic. There are literally hundreds of patents filed in his name, most in innocuous things like “Sash window and door transportation clip”. Yet hidden in his immense catalog of patents, dozens of patents on spacecraft, flying vehicles, and exotic propulsion systems. Some of these patents are bizarre enough that they would be easy to dismiss individually. But when they are viewed together, the sheer volume of unusual aerospace concepts associated with the same name becomes considerably more difficult to ignore. And this is where St. Clair becomes especially interesting. No pictures of the man, nor basically any information at all, can be found of him. I suspect it is a pseudonym, hiding the individual or organization truly behind these bizarre patents. There is remarkably little biographical information attached to a man who apparently spent years filing patents across such an enormous range of subjects. His name appears repeatedly in the patent record, but the person behind the name seems to have almost completely disappeared. That, more than any individual patent, is what makes the catalog so strange. Who was John St. Clair? And if that was not his real name, then who was actually filing these patents?