Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for measuring a characteristic of a specimen, comprising:
a probe for scanning a surface of the specimen in a noncontacting state;
vibrating means for vibrating the probe;
excitation field generating means for generating an amplitude modulation signal which is amplitude-modulated with a modulation frequency and a carrier frequency and producing an excitation field at the surface of the specimen on the basis of the generated amplitude modulation signal; and
measuring means for measuring a change in a vibration frequency of the probe according to the excitation field generated at the surface of the specimen.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring means measures a shift of the probe according to the excitation field generated on the surface of the specimen, and measures the change in the vibration frequency on the basis of the shift of the probe.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency, and vibration signal generating means for generating a signal to vibrate the cantilever at a cantilever resonance frequency or a frequency near the cantilever resonance frequency, and
the measuring means senses a phase shift of a vibration frequency of the probe with respect to the vibration frequency of the signal generated at the vibration signal generating means.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe at a cantilever resonance frequency or a frequency near the cantilever resonance frequency, and
the excitation field generating means uses a carrier frequency higher than the resonance frequency.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe, and
the excitation field generating means uses a modulation frequency lower than {fraction (110)} of the resonance frequency.
6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, of a signal representing the measured frequency shift or phase shift of the vibration of the probe, the measuring means measures a component synchronizing with a harmonic once or twice as high as the modulation frequency used in generating the amplitude modulation signal.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which vibrates the probe and has a spring constant at which the probe does not jump in the specimen.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which vibrates the probe and has a spring constant according to an excitation field at the specimen.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which supports the probe at one end and vibrates the probe and a vibrating piezoelectric element which supports the other end of the cantilever and vibrates the cantilever.
10. An apparatus for measuring a characteristic of a specimen, comprising:
a probe for scanning a surface of the specimen in a noncontacting state;
vibrating means for vibrating the probe;
excitation field generating means for generating an amplitude modulation signal which is amplitude-modulated with a modulation frequency and a carrier frequency and producing an excitation field at the surface of the specimen on the basis of the generated amplitude modulation signal; and
measuring means for measuring a force gradient induced to the probe by the excitation field generated at the surface of the specimen.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measuring means measures a phase shift of a vibration of the probe caused by the excitation field generated on the surface of the specimen, measures a modulation frequency component included in the phase shift, and measures the force gradient on the basis of the modulation frequency component.
12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency, and vibration signal generating means for generating a signal to vibrate the cantilever at a cantilever resonance frequency or a frequency near the cantilever resonance frequency, and
the measuring means senses a phase shift of a vibration frequency of the probe with respect to the vibration frequency of the signal generated at the vibration signal generating means.
13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe at a cantilever resonance frequency or a frequency near the cantilever resonance frequency, and
the excitation field generating means uses a carrier frequency higher than the resonance frequency.
14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe, and
the excitation field generating means uses a modulation frequency lower than {fraction (110)} of the resonance frequency.
15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, of a signal representing the measured phase shift of the vibration of the probe, the measuring means measures a component synchronizing with a harmonic once or twice as high as the modulation frequency used in generating the amplitude modulation signal.
16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which vibrates the probe and has a spring constant at which the probe does not jump in the specimen.
17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which vibrates the probe and has a spring constant according to a material of the specimen.
18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which vibrates the probe and has a spring constant according to an excitation field at the specimen.
19. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever which supports the probe at one end and vibrates the probe and a vibrating piezoelectric element which supports the other end of the cantilever and vibrates the cantilever.
20. An apparatus for measuring a characteristic of a magnetic recording head, comprising:
a probe for scanning a surface of the magnetic recording head in a noncontacting state;
vibrating means for vibrating the probe;
current generating means for generating an amplitude modulation current and applying the generated current to the magnetic recording head; and
measuring means for measuring a force gradient induced to the probe by the magnetic field generated at the surface of the magnetic recording head according to the application of the amplitude modulation current.
21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the measuring means senses a phase shift of a vibration of the probe caused by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic recording head, measures a modulation frequency component included in the phase shift, and measures the force gradient on the basis of the modulation frequency component.
22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and vibrating signal generating means for generating a signal to vibrate the cantilever at a vibration frequency which is the resonance frequency or a frequency near the resonance frequency, and
the measuring means senses a phase shift of a vibration frequency of the probe with respect to the vibration frequency of the signal generated at the vibrating signal generating means.
23. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising force gradient image obtaining means for obtaining a force gradient image reflecting a distribution of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic recording head, on the basis of the force gradient measured by the measuring means at a plurality of measuring points on the magnetic recording head.
24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe at a vibration frequency which is the resonance frequency or a frequency near the resonance frequency, and
the current generating means generates an amplitude modulation current according to an amplitude modulation signal including a modulation frequency of and a carrier frequency, the carrier frequency being higher than the resonance frequency.
25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the vibrating means includes a cantilever having a resonance frequency and causes the cantilever to vibrate the probe, and
the current generating means generates a amplitude modulation current according to an amplitude modulation signal including a modulation frequency and a carrier frequency, the modulation frequency being lower than {fraction (110)} of the resonance frequency.
26. An apparatus for measuring a characteristic of a magnetic recording head, comprising:
a probe for scanning a surface of the magnetic recording head in a noncontacting state;
vibrating means for vibrating the probe;
signal generating means for generating an amplitude modulation signal on the basis of a carrier frequency and varying a value of the amplitude modulation signal by changing a value of the carrier frequency;
a head amplifier equivalent circuit for generating an amplitude modulation current to cause the magnetic recording head to operate on the basis of the amplitude modulation signal and applying the generated current to the magnetic recording head, the head amplifier equivalent circuit having an electrical characteristic equivalent to an actual head driving amplifier;
phase shift measuring means for measuring a phase shift of a vibration of the probe according to the magnetic field generated by the magnetic recording head; and
magnetic field frequency dependence measuring means for measuring a change in a value of the phase shift with respect to a change in the value of the amplitude modulation signal caused by the signal generating means as a magnetic field frequency dependence of the magnetic recording head.
27. The apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising:
current measuring means for measuring a value of the amplitude modulation current the head amplifier equivalent circuit applies to the magnetic recording head; and
current frequency dependence measuring means for measuring a change in the value of the amplitude modulation current with respect to a change in the value of the amplitude modulation signal caused by the signal generating means as a current frequency dependence of the magnetic recording head.
28. The apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising:
amplitude control means for controlling the signal generating means to change the value of the amplitude modulation signal such that the value of the amplitude modulation current is equal to a reference value, wherein
the magnetic field frequency dependence measuring means measures a change in the value of the modulation frequency with respect to a change in the value of the amplitude modulation signal caused by the signal generating means as a magnetic field frequency dependence of the magnetic recording head.

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

1. A quaternary oxide foam, comprising an open-cell foam comprising titanium oxide containing:
(a) a dopant metal comprising palladium,
(b) a dopant nonmetal,
(c) titanium, and
(d) oxygen,
wherein the dopant metal is present at a concentration of at most 2 wt. %, and wherein the open-cell foam comprises a pore size distribution having at least two peaks.
2. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 1, wherein the atomic ratio of titanium, oxygen and dopant nonmetal is 1:0.5-1.99:0.01-1.5.
3. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 1, wherein the atomic ratio of titanium, oxygen and dopant nonmetal is 1:1.9-1.99:0.01-0.1.
4. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 1, wherein the dopant nonmetal is nitrogen.
5. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein the foam has a porosity of at least 90%.
6. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein the foam has a porosity of 90-98%.
7. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein the foam is monolithic with a longest dimension of at least 0.1 mm.
8. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein the foam is monolithic with a longest dimension of at least 0.5 mm.
9. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein the foam is monolithic with a longest dimension at least 1 mm.
10. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein visible light will lose less than 75% of its intensity when passed through 1 cm of the foam.
11. The quaternary oxide foam of claim 4, wherein visible light will lose less than 50% of its intensity when passed through 1 cm of the foam.
12. A method of catalyzing a reaction, comprising:
exposing a quaternary oxide foam to light; and
contacting the quaternary oxide foam with a reactant, to form a product of the reaction;
wherein the quaternary oxide foam comprises an open-cell foam comprising titanium oxide containing:
(a) a dopant metal comprising palladium,
(b) a dopant nonmetal,
(c) titanium, and
(d) oxygen,
wherein the dopant metal is present at a concentration of at most 2 wt. %, and wherein the open-cell foam comprises a pore size distribution having at least two peaks.
13. A reactor, comprising:
(i) an inlet,
(ii) an outlet, and
(iii) a catalyst, fluidly connected to the inlet and the outlet,
wherein the catalyst comprises a quaternary oxide foam comprising an open-cell foam comprising titanium oxide containing:
(a) a dopant metal comprising palladium,
(b) a dopant nonmetal,
(c) titanium, and
(d) oxygen,
wherein the dopant metal is present at a concentration of at most 2 wt. %, and wherein the open-cell foam comprises a pore size distribution having at least two peaks.
14. A quaternary oxide foam, prepared by a method comprising:
impregnating an open-cell template foam with a liquid mixture; and
heating the impregnated open-cell foam, to form the quaternary oxide foam comprising titanium dioxide including a dopant metal and a dopant nonmetal;
wherein the liquid mixture contains
(a) the dopant metal comprising palladium,
(b) the dopant nonmetal, and
(c) titanium,
wherein the dopant metal is present in the quaternary oxide foam at a concentration of at most 2 wt. %, and wherein the open-cell foam comprises a pore size distribution having at least two peaks.

1. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus for detecting opening or closing of a door rotationally supported by a housing, the door opening or closing detecting apparatus comprising:
a conversion mechanism which converts a rotation of the door into a sliding of a shaft member along a rotation axis of the door; and
a detecting portion which detects the opening or closing of the door,
wherein the detecting portion detects the opening or closing of the door according to sliding of the shaft member by the conversion mechanism in association with the opening or closing of the door.
2. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion mechanism comprises:
a pressing member provided for the door and being movable in association with the opening or closing of the door;
a pressure contact portion brought into contact with the pressing member, the pressure contact portion is provided for the shaft member,
wherein the shaft member is slid through the intermediary of the pressure contact member by the pressing member, in association with the opening or closing of the door.
3. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a tapered surface is formed on a pressure contact surface, with which the pressing member is brought into contact, of the pressure contact portion, and
wherein when opening the door, the pressing member is moved along the tapered surface to slide the shaft member.
4. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the tapered surface has at least two different gradients with respect to a sliding direction of the shaft member, and
wherein angles formed between the gradients and the sliding direction of the shaft member are set in a manner that an angle \u03b2 of the gradient of the tapered surface with which the pressing member is in contact when the door is closed is larger than an angle \u03b1 of the gradient of the tapered surface with which the pressing member is in contact when the door is opened, and that the angles \u03b1 and \u03b2 of the gradients are each set to be smaller than 90\xb0
5. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the tapered surface is formed of a curved surface.
6. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door has side plates opposing to each other and having one protruding end portions, and
wherein a rotation center of the door is provided at the one protruding end portions of the side plates.
7. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switch portion for interrupting a power supply in association with opening of the door,
wherein the detecting portion detects opening or closing of the door according to sliding of the shaft member in association with opening or closing of the door and the switch portion interrupts the power supply.
8. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a switch pressing member for turning on and off the switch portion,
wherein the switch pressing member is slidably mounted to the shaft member by providing a spring between the shaft member and the switch pressing member, a time lag is set between detection by the detecting portion and turning on and off of the switching portion, and the power supply is interrupted after opening of the door is detected.
9. A door opening or closing detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is rotationally supported by the housing through the intermediary of a hinge member.
10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a door; and
a door opening or closing detecting apparatus as recited in claim 1.

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

1. A non-transitory storage medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by a computer of a communication terminal,
the communication terminal comprising: a display; an input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object; and a communication device configured to communicate with a processing apparatus,
when executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions causing the communication terminal to perform:
receiving instruction image data from the processing apparatus, the instruction image data being for displaying, on the display, an instruction image for instructing a processing to be executed by the processing apparatus;
displaying the instruction image on the display based on the received instruction image data;
identifying an input event on the input device in response to an instruction provided on the input device with the input object in a state in which the instruction image is displayed; and
transmitting, to the processing apparatus via the communication device, the identified input event and coordinate information about the instructed point on the display which is detected by the input device in a state in which the instruction image is displayed,

the coordinate information being based on standard-size positional information and a location of the instructed point on the display regardless of whether a size of an instruction image being displayed on the display is increased or reduced, the standard-size positional information being for indentifying a location of the instructed point when the instruction image is of a standard size.
2. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate information is a ratio between (i) absolute coordinates on the instruction image being displayed on the display at an actual scale and (ii) a sizing ratio which is a ratio of an size of the instruction image being displayed on the display to an size of an image of the standard size.
3. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1,
wherein a reference point is defined on the instruction image being displayed on the display, and
wherein the coordinate information is a ratio of a length from the reference point to the instructed point in a predetermined coordinate axis direction, to a length of the instruction image from the reference point in the predetermined coordinate axis direction.
4. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein when executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions cause the communication terminal to perform:
increasing or reducing the size of the instruction image displayed on the display, based on an instruction of a plurality of the instructed points on the display; and
when the plurality of the instructed points are instructed on the display, increasing or reducing the size of the instruction image based on the instruction of the plurality of the instructed points on the display without transmitting the input event to the processing apparatus.
5. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein when executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions cause the communication terminal to notify the processing apparatus of a cancel of the input event transmitted, in response to an input operation for identifying the instructed point on the input device, to the processing apparatus when the number of instructed points on the input device is changed to one to a plural number by identification of at least one instructed point different from the instructed point identified by the input operation previously performed.
6. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 5,
wherein a type of the input event to be transmitted to the processing apparatus comprises an instruction of the instructed point and a disappearance of the instruction of the instructed point, and
wherein when executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions cause the communication terminal to prohibit transmission of the disappearance of the instruction of the instructed point to the processing apparatus when the instruction of the instructed point is canceled based on the notification of the cancel of the input event.
7. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1,
wherein when executed by the computer, the plurality of instructions cause the communication terminal to transmit, when the instructed point detected by the input device is to be displaced, (i) information indicating that the instructed point is to be displaced and (ii) the coordinate information of the instructed point being displaced, to the processing apparatus at a predetermined time interval, and
wherein the predetermined time interval is greater when the size of the instruction image displayed on the display is large than when the size of the instruction image displayed on the display is small.
8. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1,
wherein the processing apparatus comprises: an apparatus-side display; and an apparatus-side input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the apparatus-side display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object, and
wherein the instruction image to be displayed based on the received instruction image data is identical to an image to be displayed on the apparatus-side display.
9. A communication terminal comprising:
a display;
an input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object;
a communication device configured to communicate with a processing apparatus; and
a controller configured to:
receive instruction image data from the processing apparatus, the instruction image data being for displaying, on the display, an instruction image for instructing a processing to be executed by the processing apparatus;
display the instruction image on the display based on the received instruction image data;
identify an input event on the input device in response to an instruction provided on the input device with the input object in a state in which the instruction image is displayed; and
transmit, to the processing apparatus via the communication device, the identified input event and coordinate information about the instructed point on the display which is detected by the input device in a state in which the instruction image is displayed,

the coordinate information being based on standard-size positional information and a location of the instructed point on the display regardless of whether a size of an instruction image being displayed on the display is increased or reduced, the standard-size positional information being for indentifying a location of the instructed point when the instruction image is of a standard size,
control of the controller being achieved by at least one of a software processing and a hardware processing.
10. A processing apparatus controllable by a communication terminal, the processing apparatus comprising a controller,
the communication terminal comprising: a display; an input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object; and a communication device configured to communicate with the processing apparatus,
the communication terminal being configured to, when at least one of a size-increase instruction and a size-reduction instruction for an instruction image which is displayed on the display of the communication terminal and which is for instructing a processing to be executed by the processing apparatus is performed on the input device of the communication terminal, perform a corresponding one of increasing and reducing a size of the instruction image,
the processing apparatus being configured to:
transmit, to the communication terminal, instruction image data for displaying the instruction image on the display; and
receive, from the communication terminal, an input event on the input device and coordinate information about the instructed point on the display which is detected by the input device,

the coordinate information being based on standard-size positional information and a location of the instructed point on the display regardless of whether the size of the instruction image displayed on the display is increased or reduced, the standard-size positional information being for indentifying a location of the instructed point when the instruction image is of a standard size,
the controller of the processing apparatus being configured to execute a processing based on the received input event and coordinate information as input.
11. The processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to cancel a processing that is based on the received input event, when a cancel notification about a cancel of the input event is received after the input of the input event and the coordinate information is received.
12. The processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an apparatus-side display; and an apparatus-side input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the apparatus-side display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object,
wherein the controller is configured to transmit, to the communication terminal, image data representative of an image displayed on the apparatus-side display,
wherein a type of the input event received by the processing apparatus comprises: an instruction of the instructed point; a movement of the instructed point; and a disappearance of the instructed point, and
wherein the controller is configured to change the location of the instructed point to a location of the instructed point which is located when the instruction of the instructed point is received, when the cancel notification is received after the movement of the instructed point is received as the type of the input event and before the disappearance of the instructed point is received as the type of the input event.
13. The processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an apparatus-side display; and an apparatus-side input device configured to detect an instructed point which is a point on the apparatus-side display and at which an instruction is provided with an input object,
wherein the controller is configured to transmit, to the communication terminal, image data representative of an image currently displayed on the apparatus-side display.