	US 6,675,631 C1 (6882nd)
	METHOD FOR CONDUCTING CRASH TESTS USING A CARRIAGE AND CORRESPONDING DEVICE
Hermann Steffan, Linz, Austria; Andreas Moser, Linz, Austria; Manfred Hofinger, Linz, Austria; Bertram Christian Geigl, Mattighofen, Austria; Erich Mayrhofer, Linz, Austria; Heinz Hoschopf, Jennersdorf, Austria; Stefan Winkler, Graz, Austria, and Kurt Steiner, Graz, Austria, assignors to Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Glenview, Ill.
Reexamination Request No. 90/008,950, Dec. 5, 2007.
Reexamination Certificate for Patent 6,675,631, issued Jan. 13, 2004, Appl. No. 18,298, Jul. 30, 2002.
PCT No. PCT/EP00/04139, § 371 Date Jul. 30, 2002, PCT Pub. No. WO00/79236, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 28, 2000
Int. Cl. G01N 3/22;3/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 73—12.04

AS A RESULT OF REEXAMINATION, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT:

Claims 3, 17 and 18 are cancelled.

Claims 1, 11 and 20 are determined to be patentable as amended.

Claims 2, 4-10, 12-16, 19 and 21, dependent on an amended claim, are determined to be patentable.

1. A method of conducting crash tests using a crash-test carriage, said crash-test carriage being accelerated in accordance with a real deceleration curve to thereby simulate deceleration forces associated with a real collision, said crash-test carriage having a carriage drive apparatus associated therewith, the method comprising the steps of:

exerting an accelerating force on said crash-test carriage in an acceleration direction, said accelerating force exceeding a respective force required for acceleration in accordance with the real deceleration curve; and

exerting a braking force on said crash-test carriage, by way of a braking device, in a direction opposite said acceleration direction in order to achieve a desired acceleration curve, said braking force being applied on one of said crash-test carriage and said carriage drive apparatus, said braking force controlled in a manner dependent upon a desired brake pressure of said braking device as an alternative to a measured acceleration of said crash-test carriage so as to accelerate said crash-test carriage in accordance with the desired acceleration curve.