Patent ID: 7878267

Claim:
An apparatus for steering a drill string, the apparatus comprising: a drilling motor comprising a rotor, a stator, a first passage disposed through the rotor for flowing drilling fluid from the rotor to a drill bit, and at least one fluid passage communicating between the first passage and a stator fluid passage between the rotor and the stator, wherein said at least one fluid passage is disposed through the rotor for flowing drilling fluid between the first passage and the stator fluid passage, and wherein the stator is rotatably disposed at least partially concentrically about the rotor, and wherein the stator is configured for counter rotation relative to the rotor in response to fluid flow through the stator fluid passage; a valve in communication with the first passage for selectively controlling the flow of drilling fluid from the first passage to the stator, wherein the rotation of the stator is controllable by the flow of drilling fluid to the stator; and at least one blade fixedly disposed on an exterior surface of the stator, wherein rotation of the stator controls placement of said at least one blade to provide an asymmetrical moment to the drill string and achieve a desired orientation of the drill bit for steering the drill string.