[aerohead]

That's been addressed in 'Driving on the Moon'.
I believe that the premise behind Virgin's 'hyperloop' is predicated upon this 'technology.'
'Hyperloop' originated inside the mind of Elon Musk, certainly a fella with a track record of never having any useful ideas.
And of course, 'hyperloop' was first completely financed, constructed, tested, and profiting, before it was ever patented, and mentioned as an idea.