Microsoft’s Bill Gates is one of the principal applicants on a patent published last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The concept underlying this hybrid engine is not software; the device is essentially an electromagnetic combustion engine. Ostensibly, the engine’s mechanical force, created by traditional combustion, would be converted into electrical or electromagnetic energy, which, in turn, could be used to drive the pistons or for some other automotive function. The patent application states, “…the engine may select between the first and second modes,” — i.e., between electric and gas-powered. A key benefit of this engine over those now installed in hybrids is that two discrete drive-trains would not be required. The filing was made in the name of Searete LLC, a Delaware-based corporation.The patent application itself can be viewed online.
Microsoft’s Gates Files for EM Patent
