Author: claimsbot

1. An electrically actuatable vehicle brake, said vehicle brake comprising:
a brake piston acting on at least one friction lining, said brake piston displaceable out of an initial position into an actuation position, wherein in said actuation position, said brake piston urges said friction lining against a rotating member of said vehicle brake which can be connected, fixed against relative rotation, to a wheel of a motor vehicle, and wherein said brake piston is actuatable by a transmission unit driven by an electric motor and acting on said brake piston; and
an electronic control unit, wherein said electric motor can be triggered by said electronic control unit, said electronic control unit being set up to detect performance parameters of at least one of said vehicle, said electric motor, and said vehicle brake, and further being set up and programmed to trigger said electric motor by means of a control and evaluation program running in said electronic control unit in such a way that to calibrate said brake, said brake piston is displaced in response to the detection of at least one predetermined operating condition in a first direction into said actuation position, and then said brake piston is displaced in a second direction opposite said first direction, into said initial position along a path the length of which corresponds to a predetermined, desired brake release play, and wherein said electronic control unit is set up to trigger said electric motor in such a way that said brake piston is displaced into a predetermined zero position before being displaced into said actuation position, and said electronic control unit is further set up to detect a dimension value which is correlated to the length of a path covered by said brake piston between its zero position and its actuation position and to compare the detected dimension value with a stored reference dimension value, the reference dimension value being correlated to the length of a path covered by said brake piston in a vehicle brake fitted with new friction linings.
2. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is set up to detect a dimension correlated to a clamping force and a dimension characteristic of the actuation of the electric motor by appropriate transducers during displacement of the brake piston into its actuation position, in which the brake piston abuts the at least one friction lining against the rotating member, from this to estimate the actuation position of the brake piston at which the friction lining abuts against the rotating member of the vehicle brake and to use this estimated actuation position as the basis for the displacements of at least one of the brake piston.
3. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 2, wherein the electronic control unit is set up and programmed to determine an approximation function from the pairs of values of the detected clamping force and the associated dimension characteristic of actuation of the electric motor by means of a method of approximation.
4. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 3, wherein the electronic control unit is set up and programmed to determine a polynomial approximation function of at least the second order from at least three pairs of values by a method of approximation.
5. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 4, wherein the electronic control unit is set up and programmed to estimate a zero position of the polynomial approximation function with positive gradient or, if a zero position with positive gradient cannot be determined, the minimum of the polynomial approximation function as actuation position of the brake piston at which the friction lining abuts against the rotating member of the vehicle brake.
6. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 3, wherein the dimensions characteristic of the actuation of the electric motor comprise the current consumption, path or angle steps of the electric motor.
7. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 2, wherein the dimension correlated to the clamping force comprises the clamping force itself, the peripheral force, the braking moment or the frictional force exerted on the roadway by the wheel.
8. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, further including a force sensor arranged between the brake piston and the friction lining and generating a signal indicative of a clamping force wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if a dimension correlated to a clamping force gradient exceeds a predetermined critical value.
9. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if critical wear of a brake lining is established using a mathematical model.
10. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if the ignition of the vehicle is switched off.
11. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if the vehicle is stationary.
12. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if the vehicle brake is not or has not yet been applied.
13. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if the vehicle is on the flat.
14. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is set up to issue a warning signal to the vehicle driver if a difference between the detected dimension and the stored reference dimension exceeds a predetermined value.
15. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operating condition is met if the vehicle has covered a predetermined distance since the last calibration of the brake.
16. Electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 1, wherein said dimension value correlated to the length of the path covered by said brake piston is the number of steps of said electric motor.
17. A method for controlling an electrically actuatable vehicle brake, the method comprising:
providing a brake piston acting on at least one friction lining, said brake piston displaceable out of an initial position into an actuation position wherein in said actuation position said brake piston urges said friction lining against a rotating member of said vehicle brake which can be connected, fixed against rotation, to a wheel of the motor vehicle, and wherein said brake piston is actuatable by a transmission unit driven by an electric motor and acting on the brake piston, wherein said electric motor can be triggered by an electronic control unit, said electronic control unit being set up to detect performance parameters of at least one of said vehicle, said electric motor, and said vehicle brake;
determining a desired brake release play;
detecting at least one predetermined operating condition;
calibrating said brake, said calibrating step including displacing said brake piston in a first direction into said actuation position in response to the detection of the at least one predetermined operating condition;
displacing said brake piston in a second direction opposite the first direction back into said initial position along a path the length of which corresponds to the predetermined, desired brake release play; and
displacing said brake piston into a predetermined zero position before said brake piston is displaced into said actuation position, detecting a dimension value which is correlated to the length of a path covered by said brake piston between said zero position and said actuation position, and comparing said detected dimension value with a stored reference dimension value which is correlated to the length of a path covered by said brake piston in a vehicle brake fitted with new friction linings.
18. Method for controlling an electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 17, characterised by the additional step:
issuing a warning signal to the vehicle driver if a difference between the detected dimension and the stored reference dimension exceeds a predetermined value.
19. Method for controlling an electrically actuatable vehicle brake according to claim 17, wherein in said step of displacing said brake piston into a predetermined zero position, said dimension value correlated to the length of the path covered by said brake piston is the number of steps of said electric motor.

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

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preventing the computer recognition of data, comprising:
receiving a request to print a document;
modifying text in the document based on at least one user preference so that the text cannot be recognized by a character recognition algorithm; and
printing the document.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises randomizing at least one attribute.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of randomizing comprises randomizing the at least one attribute on a character by character basis.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of randomizing comprises randomizing the attribute on a word by word basis.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one attribute comprises at least one of character rotation; typeface; font size; character effect; and spacing offset.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modifying comprises at least one of using an uncommon font; introducing a background image or a background color; introducing a gradient film to a background of the document; reversing background and foreground of characters; and reversing background and foreground of portions of characters.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user preference comprises a readability value.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of modifying comprises enabling modification techniques and setting modification limits based on the readability value.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the at least one user preference from a user.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of receiving the at least one user preference comprises:
presenting a user interface.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface comprises a slide bar.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one user preference comprises a readability value that is set using the slide bar.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of modifying comprises enabling modification techniques and setting modification limits based on the readability value.
14. An apparatus for preventing the computer recognition of data, comprising:
receipt means for receiving a request to print a document;
modification means for modifying text in the document based on at least one user preference so that the text cannot be recognized by a character recognition algorithm; and
printing means for printing the document.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the modification means comprises means for randomizing at least one attribute.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one attribute comprises at least one of character rotation; typeface; font size; character effect; and spacing offset.
17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the modification means comprises at least one of means for using an uncommon font; means for introducing a background image or a background color; means for introducing a gradient film to a background of the document; means for reversing background and foreground of characters; and means for reversing background and foreground of portions of characters.
18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one user preference comprises a readability value.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the modification means comprises means for enabling modification techniques and setting modification limits based on the readability value.
20. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, for preventing the computer recognition of data, comprising:
instructions for receiving a request to print a document;
instructions for modifying text in the document based on at least one user preference so that the text cannot be recognized by a character recognition algorithm; and
instructions for printing the document.

1. A toner for developing an electrostatic image, comprising
a resin binder and,
not less than 0.1% by weight of an element selected from the group consisting of copper, chromium, iron, zinc, and molybdenum;
wherein the toner has an isolation ratio of the element of not more than 10% by number, where the isolation ratio of the element is determined by measuring light emission voltage caused by carbon and the element of particles present in the toner with a fluorescent X-ray analysis and defined as 100 times the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon divided by the sum of the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon and the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element and exhibiting emission from carbon.
2. The toner of claim 1, wherein the isolation ratio of the element is not more than 5% by number.
3. The toner of claim 1, wherein the isolation ratio of the element is not more than 2.5% by number.
4. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is copper, iron, and zinc.
5. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is molybdenum.
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. The toner of claim 1, wherein the toner is prepared by emulsion polymerization.
9. A developer for developing electrostatic image comprising a toner of claim 1.
10. A developer for developing electrostatic image comprising a toner of claim 1 and a carrier.
11. An image forming method comprises the steps of forming an electrostatic image on the surface of a photoreceptor, developing the electrostatic image by a developer to form a toner image, transferring the developed toner image to a recording medium, and fixing the toner image transferred on the recording medium, wherein the toner of claim 1 is used.
12. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is provided in form of a pigment, a magnetic powder, or a charge controlling agent.
13. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is provided in the form of a pigment comprising copper phthalocyanine.
14. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is provided in the form of a magnetic powder comprising magnetite or ferrite.
15. The toner of claim 1, wherein the element is provided in the form of a charge controlling agent comprising a chromium azo complex, a chromium salicylic acid complex, a zinc salicylic acid complex, or a molybdenum quaternary ammonium complex.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein developing is performed with a non-contact method in which a developer layer is not contacted with the surface of the photoreceptor.
17. The toner of claim 1, wherein the isolation ratio is greater than 0.1%.
18. A method of making a toner comprising:
mixing a resin binder and not less than 0.1% by weight of an element selected from the group consisting of copper, chromium, iron, zinc, and molybdenum to form a mixture;
melting the mixture; and
controlling an isolation ratio of the element to not more than 10% by number while crushing the mixture,
wherein where the isolation ratio of the element is determined by measuring light emission voltage caused by carbon and the element of particles present in the toner with a fluorescent X-ray analysis and defined as 100 times the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon divided by the sum of the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon and the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element and exhibiting emission from carbon.
19. A method of making a toner comprising:
emulsifying a resin binder, and
adding to the resin binder not less than 0.1% by weight of an element selected from the group consisting of copper, chromium, iron, zinc, and molybdenum to form a mixture;
wherein an isolation ratio of the element is controlled to not more than 10% by number by controlling the adding order of the element, controlling the adding time of the element, controlling the emulsion polymerization conditions, controlling an aggregation of the toner particles, or controlling a washing condition after emulsion polymerization,
wherein where the isolation ratio of the element is determined by measuring light emission voltage caused by carbon and the element of particles present in the toner with a fluorescent X-ray analysis and defined as 100 times the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon divided by the sum of the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element but not exhibiting emission from carbon and the number of particles exhibiting emission from the element and exhibiting emission from carbon.

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

What is claimed is:

1. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes, comprising:
a wand body having upper and lower ends;
a handle mounted on said wand body;
a test gas path including a constant flow device for creating a controlled gas flow and a pressure drop;
at least one injector tube mounted adjacent said lower end;
said injector tube including a tubular member, defining an internal gas path which is part of said test gas path, said internal gas path defining a lower outlet; and
a flexible sleeve mounted over said tubular member, said flexible sleeve having an upper end and a lower end, both of said upper and lower ends being sealed against said tubular member;
and defining an inflation gas path between said tubular member and said sleeve which permits gas to be injected under pressure between said tubular member and said sleeve in order to inflate said sleeve to seal against the interior of an chemical reactor tube to be measured by the device.
2. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 1, and further comprising a plurality of said injector tubes mounted adjacent said second end.
3. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 2, wherein said injector tubes are mounted adjacent to each other linearly.
4. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 3, wherein said device has a horizontal frame member adjacent its bottom end, and further comprising mounts slidably received in said frame member for mounting said injector tubes; and further including means for fixing the position of said mounts and said injector tubes on said frame member.
5. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 1, and further comprising an interlock switch which prevents the sleeve from being inflated unless said tubular member is properly inserted into its respective chemical reactor tube.
6. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 5, wherein said constant flow device is selected from the group consisting of needle valves, sonic nozzles, orifice plates, and precision orifices.
7. A device for inserting gas into chemical reactor tubes as recited in claim 6, and further comprising a pressure sensor on said wand, for measuring the pressure in said internal path.
8. A device for measuring the gas flow through chemical reactor tubes, comprising:
a wand defining a test gas path and including at least one tubular member defining an internal gas path in communication with said test gas path for inserting test gas into a chemical reactor tube;
a pressure sensor associated with said wand which measures the pressure in said internal gas path;
a means for transmitting the pressure measurement for a specific chemical reactor tube electronically from said pressure sensor to a remote location;
a means for receiving said pressure measurement at said remote location; and
display means for graphically displaying the layout of the tubes and the pressure data as it is being collected.
9. A device as recited in claim 8, wherein said wand includes a plurality of said tubular members.
10. A device as recited in claim 9, wherein said tubular members are mounted in a linear arrangement.
11. A device as recited in claim 10, wherein said tubular members include inflatable seals for sealing against the interior of the chemical reactor tubes.
12. A device as recited in claim 8, and further comprising a constant flow device in said test gas path.
13. A device as recited in claim 8, and further comprising a laser measuring device on said wand for automatically measuring the position of said wand relative to a reflecting surface.
14. A method for measuring the back pressure in open-end chemical reactor tubes, comprising the steps of:
inserting a hollow tube body into one of said chemical reactor tubes;
inflating a seal to seal between the hollow tube body and the chemical reactor tube;
introducing a controlled gas flow through said hollow tube body into said chemical reactor tube; and
measuring the pressure in said hollow tube body.
15. A method as recited in claim 14 and further comprising the steps of:
associating the pressure measurement with the particular chemical reactor tube being measured;
transmitting the pressure measurement and data identifying the particular chemical reactor tube to a remote location;
receiving the pressure measurement and data at the remote location; and
graphically displaying the measurement at the remote location as the measurement is taken.
16. A method as recited in claim 15, and further comprising the step of comparing the measurement to predetermined criteria; making a pass-fail decision for the particular tube being measured; and recording the measurement and the pass-fail decision for the particular tube.
17. A method as recited in claim 14, and further comprising the step of mounting a plurality of said hollow tube bodies on a single wand with spacings corresponding to the spacings of the chemical reactor tubes; inserting said plurality of hollow tube bodies into a corresponding plurality of chemical reactor tubes; inflating seals between said plurality of tube bodies and their respective chemical reactor tubes; injecting test gas under pressure through said hollow tube bodies into the respective chemical reactor tubes; and measuring the pressure in said hollow tube bodies.
18. A method as recited in claim 17 and further comprising the step of measuring the position of said wand relative to a fixed point and automatically keeping track of the particular chemical reactor tubes being measured based on the position of said wand relative to said fixed point.
19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein said position is measured using a laser device mounted on said wand.
20. A method for making decisions about the operation of a chemical reactor including a large number of open-ended chemical reactor tubes, comprising the steps of:
injecting gas into the chemical reactor tubes;
measuring the back pressure in said chemical reactor tubes;
electronically transmitting the measurements, together with identifying information about the chemical reactor tubes for which the measurements are being taken, to a remote computer;
comparing the measurements to predetermined criteria to determine which chemical reactor tubes need further attention; and
providing a visual display at the remote location indicating which chemical reactor tubes need further attention.
21. A method as recited in claim 20, and further comprising the step of performing statistical analysis on the measurements at the remote computer.
22. A method as recited in claim 20, and further providing cost information output to indicate the cost of leaving the chemical reactor tubes as they stand and the benefit of making corrections.
23. A method as recited in claim 20, and further showing on a display screen the chemical reactor tubes as they are being measured, with color indications showing how the chemical reactor tube measurements compare to the specifications.
24. A method as recited in claim 23, wherein said color indications include bands of color to show how a particular chemical reactor tube has performed against the preset criteria as the measurement has been repeated.
25. A device for measuring back pressure in open-ended chemical reactor tubes, comprising:
a wand body having upper and lower ends;
a handle mounted on said wand body;
a plurality of injector tubes mounted adjacent said lower end;
a gas inlet on said wand body;
a test gas path from said gas inlet through said injector tubes, including a flow control device in said test gas path;
at least one pressure sensor mounted on said wand body; and
at least one measurement path from one of said injector tubes to said pressure sensor for measuring the back pressure in said one injector tube.
26. A device as recited in claim 25, wherein said pressure sensor is a digital pressure sensor; and further comprising a multiplexing valve in gas communication with said digital pressure sensor; and a plurality of measurement gas paths from said injector tubes to said multiplexing valve.
27. A device as recited in claim 26, and further comprising inflatable seals on said injector tubes and inflation gas paths from said gas inlet to said inflatable seals.
28. A method for identifying, recording, and tracking information about chemical reactor tubes over the useful life of the chemical reactor, comprising the steps of:
creating an initial electronic file for the chemical reactor, defining the positions of the chemical reactor tubes and the conditions of each position, including defining which positions contain thermocouples, which contain support structure, and which chemical reactor tubes are plugged, and storing that data at a first location;
then, using a wand at a remote second location to measure the back pressure in the chemical reactor tubes, creating an electronic data file representing the back pressure measurements for the tube positions, transmitting the electronic back pressure data to said first location, and storing the electronic back pressure data at said first location; and
indicating said chemical reactor tube data graphically at the first location.
29. A method as recited in claim 28, and further comprising the step of repeating the back pressure measurement, and storing each set of measurements at said first location, so as to permit the plant engineer to study the history of the chemical reactor.