Abstract: A method and an apparatus is described for drying a load of moist fibrous material, particularly a load of laundry washed and placed in a washer/drier machine or a clothes drier, wherein a closed-circuit flow of superheated steam at 102-180.degree. C. and substantially at atmospheric pressure is passed through the load of fibrous material. The method is characterized in that, prior to the superheated steam drying step, the air in the closed circuit is flushed therefrom with steam.

Abstract: Footwear or clothing article with integral thermal regulation element, includes a heat pipe (3) with a first portion, or source area (3a) in heat exchange contact with a relatively warm region (2) of the wearer's body, and another portion, or sink area (3b) in heat exchange contact with another region of the wearer's body or with the atmosphere, so as to transfer the heat (Q1) produced by the warm body region from the source area (3a) to the sink area (3b) of the heat pipe.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus emitting electromagnetic radiation, particularly infrared, which comprises a cylindrical source of rays and a reflector. In order to avoid the problem due to captive rays and to multiple reflections, the cross section of a half-reflector comprises, starting from the plane of symmetry, a first curved part constituted by an arc of involute to a circle extending from the plane of symmetry to an end located on a first extreme ray tangential to the source and passing through a first end of the target and a second curved part joined tangentially to the first curved part and of such shape that all the tangential rays emitted from the cylindrical source and falling on this second curved part are reflected towards the first end of the target located on the other side of the plane of symmetry.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus emitting infrared radiation which comprises a plane source of infrared rays and a reflector. In order to avoid the problem due to captive rays and to multiple reflections, the cross section of each half-reflector located on one side of the plane of symmetry has the form of an arc of ellipse whose two foci are respectively constituted by the first end of the plane source and the first end of the target which are both located on the other side of the plane of symmetry, this arc of ellipse extending between the second end of the plane source and the point of intersection of the ellipse with the direct ray going from the first end of the plane source to the second end of the target.