Patent ID: 7909117

Claim:
A method for downhole directional drilling comprising: providing a housing that comprises a plurality of longitudinally interconnected sections wherein the plurality of longitudinally interconnected sections comprise a first section and a second section and wherein the first section is adjacent to the second section; providing a rotary drive wherein the rotary drive is situated in the housing, wherein the rotary drive comprises a stator and a rotor wherein the stator is affixed to the housing wherein the rotor is situated in the stator; providing a torsion bar operatively connected to the rotary drive and wherein the torsion bar is situated within the housing; providing a flexure outside of the housing that interconnects the first section to the second section wherein the flexure permits bending of the two longitudinally interconnected sections relative to one another and the flexure comprises meshing fingers; providing a ram shaft operatively affixed to first section such that the ram shaft provides a mechanical force upon the second section so as to provide relative bending of the first and second sections; providing an output shaft operatively connected to the torsion bar; providing a drill bit operatively connected to the output shaft; actuating the ram shaft so as to provide a mechanical force upon the second section so as to provide a relative bending of the first and second sections; and actuating the rotary drive so as to provide rotation of the drill bit.