1460901877-f01e25fd-0a77-49ae-a038-19f7e2c15a41

1. A propulsion system for use with vehicles comprising:
a combustion chamber having an outlet end and a nozzle attached to said outlet end;
means for creating a high voltage field within an initiation zone of said combustion chamber;
said high voltage field creating means comprising a pair of spaced apart electrodes creating a gap and a power source electrically connected to said electrodes;
said electrodes being selected from the group consisting of plate electrodes and grid electrodes; and
means for introducing a propellant into said gap for creating a propulsive force so as to create a plasma discharge caused by said electrodes which creates a propagation wave which flows through said combustion chamber and which exits said combustion chamber via said nozzle.
2. A propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes comprise plate electrodes.
3. A propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes comprise grid electrodes.
4. A propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes comprise consumable electrodes for enhancing the propulsive force.
5. A propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein said power source is a variable power source.
6. A propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein said propellant introducing means comprises a first propellant source and a first injector in fluid communication with said first propellant source and wherein said first injector atomizes said first propellant and discharges said atomized first propellant into said initiation zone.
7. A propulsion system according to claim 6, wherein said propellant introducing means comprises a second propellant source and a second injector in communication with said second propellant source and wherein said second injector atomizes said second propellant and discharges said atomized second propellant into said combustion chamber.
8. A propulsion system according to claim 7, wherein said first propellant is different from said second propellant.
9. A propulsion system according to claim 8, wherein said first propellant is a hydrogen peroxide propellant and said second propellant is an ethanol propellant.
10. A propulsion system according to claim 7, wherein said first injector is oriented along a first axis and said second injector is oriented along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis.
11. A propulsion system according to claim 6, further comprising a second turbine connected to said second injector for providing pressure for the flow of said second propellant.
12. A propulsion system according to claim 6, further comprising a first turbine connected to said first injector for providing pressure for the flow of said first propellant.
13. A propulsion system according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric media in said combustion chamber and said dielectric media being located between said electrodes.
14. A propulsion system according to claim 13, wherein said dielectric media is air.
15. A propulsion system according to claim 13, wherein said dielectric media comprises a vacuum.
16. A propulsion system according to claim 13, further comprising an electric field in the range of 20 kV to 50 kv across said dielectric media.
17. A space vehicle having the propulsion system of claim 1.
18. A propulsion system for use with vehicles comprising:
a combustion chamber;
means for creating a high voltage field within an initiation zone of said combustion chamber;
means for introducing a propellant into said high voltage field for creating a propulsive force;
said propellant introducing means comprising a first propellant source and a first injector in fluid communication with said first propellant source and said first injector atomizing said first propellant and discharging said atomized first propellant into said initiation zone; and
said propellant introducing means further comprising a second propellant source and a second injector in communication with said second propellant source and said second injector atomizing said second propellant and discharging said atomized second propellant into said combustion chamber,
wherein said second injector discharges said atomized second propellant into said combustion chamber at a location downstream of said initiation zone.
19. A method for creating a propulsive force comprising the steps of:
providing a combustion chamber;
creating a high voltage field within an initiation zone of said combustion chamber;
said high voltage field creating step comprising providing a pair of spaced apart electrodes in said initiation zone with a gap between said electrodes;
said electrodes providing step comprising providing a pair of electrodes selected from the group consisting of plate electrodes and grid electrodes;
creating a propulsive force by introducing a propellant into said initiation zone; and
said propulsive force creating step comprising introducing an atomized propellant into said gap so as to create a plasma discharge caused by said electrodes which creates a propagation wave which flows through said combustion chamber and which exits said combustion chamber via a nozzle attached to said combustion chamber.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said high voltage field creating step comprises connecting a power source to said electrodes, and applying a potential to said electrodes via said power source.
21. A method according to claim 20, wherein said electrode providing step comprises providing a pair of plate electrodes.
22. A method according to claim 20, wherein said electrode providing step comprises providing a pair of grid electrodes.
23. A method according to claim 20, wherein said electrode providing step comprises providing a pair of consumable electrodes to enhance the propulsive force which is created.
24. A method according to claim 19, wherein said propellant introducing step comprises providing a first source containing a first propellant and a first injector for atomizing said first propellant and introducing said first propellant in atomized form into said gap in said initiation zone to create said plasma discharge, to increase pressure within the combustion chamber, and to create said propulsive force.
25. A method according to claim 24, wherein said propellant introducing step comprises providing a second source containing a second propellant and a second injector for atomizing said second propellant and introducing said second propellant in atomized form into said combustion chamber.
26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said first propellant introducing step comprises introducing hydrogen peroxide into said initiation zone and said second propellant introducing step comprises introducing ethanol into said combustion chamber.
27. A method according to claim 25, wherein said first propellant introducing step comprises introducing said first propellant along a first axis and said second propellant introducing step comprises introducing said second propellant along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis.
28. A method according to claim 19, further comprising providing a dielectric media between said electrodes and wherein said high voltage field creating step comprises creating an electric field in the range of 20 kv to 50 kv across the dielectric media.
29. A method according to claim 28, wherein said high voltage field creating step comprises using a voltage level which creates a potential near 75 kV per inch.
30. A method according to claim 19, wherein said high voltage field creating step comprises maintaining said field below a breakdown potential limit and introducing said propellant into the gap between the electrodes so that local field strength exceeds said breakdown potential limit resulting in a distributed energy discharge surrounding the propellant and at faces of said electrodes.
31. The method according to claim 19, wherein said propulsive force creating step comprises regulating electric potential to cause phase change of the propellant.
32. The method according to claim 31, wherein said regulating step comprises regulating said electric potential to cause said propellant to detonate.
33. A method for creating a propulsive force comprising the steps of:
providing a combustion chamber;
creating a high voltage field within an initiation zone of said combustion chamber;
creating a propulsive force by introducing a propellant into said initiation zone;
said propellant introducing step comprising providing a first source containing a first propellant and a first injector for atomizing said first propellant and introducing said first propellant in atomized form into said initiation zone to create a plasma discharge, to increase pressure within the combustion chamber, and to create said propulsive force; and
said propellant introducing step further comprising providing a second source containing a second propellant and a second injector for atomizing said second propellant and introducing said second propellant in atomized form into said combustion chamber,
wherein said second propellant introducing step comprises introducing said second propellant downstream of said initiation zone.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
outputting, by a computing device, a prompt that requests user selection of whether to perform, with the computing device, an action identified by the prompt;
while outputting the prompt,
monitoring, by the computing device, typed input entered using a keyboard to determine whether the typed input is responsive to the prompt, and
monitoring, by the computing device, audio input detected with a microphone to determine whether the audio input is responsive to the prompt, the monitoring including performing speech recognition on the audio input to determine whether the audio input includes one or more spoken terms that indicate a selection to perform or to not perform the action identified by the prompt;

determining that the audio input is responsive to the prompt, in that the audio input includes one or more spoken terms that indicate the selection to perform or to not perform the action identified by the prompt; and
in response to determining that the audio input is responsive to the prompt:
choosing, by the computing device and based on the one or more spoken terms in the audio input, to perform or to not perform the action identified by the prompt, and
ceasing to output the prompt.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the typed input is directed to a particular activity running on the computing device;
further comprising beginning to receive the typed input that is directed to the particular activity before outputting the prompt, and continuing to receive the typed input that is directed to the particular activity while outputting the prompt, the typed input not being re-directed from the particular activity as a result of outputting the prompt.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
the computing device is a mobile computing device, and
outputting the prompt comprises displaying the prompt on a touch-sensitive display of the mobile computing device.
4. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, first typed input entered using a keyboard;
determining that a particular term indicated by the first typed input is likely misspelled;
in response to determining that the particular term indicated by the first typed input is likely misspelled, outputting, by the computing device, a prompt that requests user selection of an action to be performed by the computing device, the outputting including (i) presenting, on an electronic display of the computing device, an indication that the particular term is likely misspelled, and (ii) presenting, on the electronic display of the computing device, a suggested spell-corrected term to replace the particular term;
while outputting the prompt,
monitoring, by the computing device, second typed input entered using the keyboard to determine whether the second typed input is responsive to the prompt, and
monitoring, by the computing device, hands-free input entered using a camera or a microphone to determine whether the hands-free input is responsive to the prompt;

determining that one of the second typed input entered using the keyboard and the hands-free input entered using the camera or the microphone is responsive to the prompt, including determining that the one of the second typed input and the hands-free input indicates a selection to replace or to not replace the particular term with the suggested spell-corrected term;
in response to determining that the one of the second typed input and the hands-free input is responsive to the prompt:
(i) performing, by the computing device, a particular action indicated by the one of the second typed input and the hands-free input that is determined to be responsive to the prompt, the particular action being to replace or to not replace the particular term with the suggested spell-corrected term as selected by the one of the second typed input and the hands-free input, and
(ii) ceasing to output the prompt.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:
the second typed input entered using the keyboard is not responsive to the prompt, and
determining that one of the second typed input entered using the keyboard and the hands-free input entered using the camera or the microphone is responsive to the prompt comprises determining that the hands-free input is responsive to the prompt.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the hands-free input comprises visual input entered using the camera.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein determining that the hands-free input is responsive to the prompt comprises:
determining that the visual input entered using the camera shows a motion of a person’s head; and
identifying that the motion of the person’s head corresponds to a pre-defined nodding gesture that indicates a selection to replace the particular term with the suggested spell-corrected term, or that the motion of the person’s head corresponds to a pre-defined shaking gesture that indicates a selection to not replace the particular term with the suggested spell-corrected term.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the hands-free input comprises spoken input entered using the microphone.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising, while outputting the prompt and before determining that the hands-free input is responsive to the prompt, receiving a first portion of the second typed input and determining that the first portion of the second typed input is not responsive to the prompt.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein, the electronic display is a touch-sensitive electronic display, wherein the keyboard is a virtual keyboard that is displayed on the touch-sensitive electronic display.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:
the hands-free input entered using the camera or the microphone is not responsive to the prompt, and
determining that the one of the second typed input entered using the keyboard and the hands-free input entered using the camera or the microphone is responsive to the prompt comprises determining that the second typed input is responsive to the prompt.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising, while outputting the prompt and before determining that the second typed input is responsive to the prompt, receiving a first portion of the hands-free input and determining that the first portion of the hands-free input is not responsive to the prompt.
13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of operations comprising:
outputting, by a computing device, a prompt that requests user selection of whether to perform, with the computing device, an action identified by the prompt;
while outputting the prompt,
monitoring, by the computing device, typed input entered using a keyboard to determine whether the typed input is responsive to the prompt, and
monitoring, by the computing device, audio input detected with a microphone to determine whether the audio input is responsive to the prompt, the monitoring including performing speech recognition on the audio input to determine whether the audio input includes one or more spoken terms that indicate a selection to perform or to not perform the action identified by the prompt;