Air propelled vehicle transportation system

Claim 1

An air propelled reversible vehicle transportation system comprising: a. an elongated vehicle conduit having a substantial length devoid of openings of substantially uniform cross section for containing moving air at low gauge pressure having unrestricted first and second non-gated portals open at all times to atmospheric pressure at the ends of said conduit; b. a vehicle dimensioned for travel through said conduit and said portals; and having a cross sectional area slightly less than the area of said conduit portals; c. a first plurality of axially aligned closely spaced Coanda-effect directional slit orifices having an opening which is substantially greater in width than depth formed in the walls of said conduit and located adjacent said first portal so that the air flow is initially along the surface of said conduit and provides driving air in a direction toward said portal or for receiving reverse air from said conduit along the surface of said conduit; d. a second plurality of Coanda-effect directional slit orifices having an opening which is substantially greater in width than depth formed in the walls of said conduit located adjacent said second portal for receiving said driving air along the surface of said conduit or for directing said reverse driving air in the direction of said first portal; e. a first manifold communicating with said first plurality of directional orifices; f. a second manifold communicating with said second plurality of directional orifices; g. powered fan or blower means communicating with said first and second manifolds for supplying a quantity of air to one of said manifolds and removing air from the other manifold; so that the pressure in said conduit is slightly above the pressure outside said portals; h. said conduit, Coanda-effect directional slit orifices, manifolds, and power means being dimensioned and regulated to drive said vehicle through said conduit and to supply substantially all of the air through one of said manifolds and to remove substantially all of said air from said conduit through said other manifold so that substantially no air is transferred through said portals into or out of said conduit with a minimal amount of air entering at said first port when no vehicle is traveling through said conduit and a minimal amount of air flows out of said first port when said vehicle is in transit through said conduit; i. there being a substantial number of orifices in each of said first and second pluralities of orifices forming a row; and j. there being a plurality of closely spaced rows of orifices and said rows are spaced along the longitudinal axis of said conduit for only a minor portion of the total length of said conduit.