IANAL, but I wonder if this invention has any significance to the Planetary Society's plan to launch a solar sail satellite in the near future, the LightSail [1]. If I understand the patent correctly, Google has patented (a) a means to steer a light powered craft, and (b) a means to produce solar sail. I understand the LightSail controls the sails by changing the orientation of the satellite with respect to the sun. I have no info on how the sail itself was fabricated. Do they owe Google some money?
[1] http://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/lightsail-solar-sa...