Abstract: An electromagnetic linear actuator including a stator having an electromagnetic coil, and at least one movable element made of a permanent magnet or a magnetizable material and operable to reciprocate the movable element in a linear direction, and a cutter head including at least first and second blade members adapted to be driven by the electromagnetic linear actuator to cooperate with each other to perform a hair cutting with the first blade member coupled with the movable element. The cutter head is disposed on a line of extension in a direction conforming to a direction of movement of the movable element and that the first blade member is reciprocatingly driven substantially in the same direction as the direction of movement of the movable element. Where the first blade member is a single movable blade, the second blade member may be either a stationary blade or a movable blade or the both.

Abstract: A dry shaver with a skin stretcher comprises a shaver body and a shaving head mounted on top of the shaver body. The shaving head comprises at least one cutter unit with a perforated outer cutter. An inner cutter is driven to move in hair shearing engagement with the outer cutter. The skin stretcher comprises a skin contact elongated along the periphery of the outer cutter and a base through which the skin contact is held on the shaving head. A macro displacement structure is provided to allow the skin contact to be movable within a macro displacement range relative to the shaver body. The skin contact is made from an elastic material capable of being elastically deformed within a micro displacement range relative to the base. With the combination of the macro and micro displacements of the skin contact, the skin contact can be kept in contact with the skin of a user in conformity with various contours of the skin.

Abstract: A vibratory linear actuator employs a reciprocating type motor for reciprocatingly driving several movable components at the same frequency and in opposite phase relations with each other. Both movable components are mechanically connected so as to transmit vibration from one to the other by reversing the direction of the vibration thereof. By this arrangement, the opposite phase relation between both movable components is mechanically insured. As a result, since the opposite phase relation between movable components can be maintained even when an external disturbance is applied thereto, the whole vibration system is stable against external disturbances.

Abstract: A hand-held depilating device capable of masking the pain of plucking the hairs through psychological effect. The depilating device comprises housing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the user and a plucking head mounted on top of the housing for plucking the hairs from the skin. Stimulator is mounted on top of the housing adjacent to the plucking head for providing mechanical stimuli to the skin while the plucking head operates to pluck the hairs. The stimulator comprises a vibrator which provides vibrations to the skin as the mechanical stimuli which act on sense receptors other than nociceptors that respond to pain, thereby masking the pain caused by plucking the hairs or received at the nociceptors. That is, the mechanical stimuli caused by the vibrations can activate Meissner's corpuscle or Pacinian corpuscle to make indistinct to the pain as demonstrated by a gate-control theory in psychology.

Abstract: A linear oscillating motor capable of assuring a consistent and effective feedback control of keeping a constant oscillation amplitude with varying load conditions. The linear oscillating motor comprises an oscillator carrying a permanent magnet, and a stator with an electromagnet. The electromagnet is supplied with an electric power to develop an electromagnetic drive force of moving the oscillator in a linear direction relative to the stator. A spring is provided to apply a restoring force to the oscillator for providing a linear oscillating motion to the oscillator. A photo-sensor monitors the linear motion of the oscillator and outputs a signal to a reverse-point detector which determines right and left reverse points of the oscillator. A controller applies the electric power to the electromagnet at the drive points respectively defined subsequent in time to the reverse points and in a varying amount for keeping a constant oscillation amplitude of the oscillator.

Abstract: A dry shaver with a skin stretcher comprises a shaver body and a shaving head mounted on top of the shaver body. The shaving head comprises at least one cutter unit with a perforated outer cutter. An inner cutter is driven to move in hair shearing engagement with the outer cutter. The skin stretcher comprises a skin contact elongated along the periphery of the outer cutter and a base through which the skin contact is held on the shaving head. A macro displacement structure is provided to allow the skin contact to be movable within a macro displacement range relative to the shaver body. The skin contact is made from an elastic material capable of being elastically deformed within a micro displacement range relative to the base. With the combination of the macro and micro displacements of the skin contact, the skin contact can be kept in contact with the skin of a user in conformity with various contours of the skin.

Abstract: A reciprocatory dry shaver comprises a stationary cutter, a movable cutter, and a permanent-magnet linear motor having a stator and a reciprocator which is driven by an electric current to reciprocate relative to the stator. The reciprocator carries the movable cutter to reciprocate it in shearing engagement with the stationary cutter. A power circuit is included to provided an electric power to the motor. The shaver includes a detector which detects a displacement of the movable cutter and give an output indicative of the detected displacement of the movable cutter. Also included in the shaver is a controller which varies the electric power being fed to the motor in a feedback manner based upon the output from the speed detector in order to keep an oscillation amplitude of the movable cutter at constant.

Abstract: A reciprocatory dry shaver has a head from mounting three elongated cutter heads, one center cutter head and two outer cutter heads extending in parallel with each other. Each cutter head comprises a holder carrying a stationary cutter and a movable cutter driven to reciprocate in shearing engagement with the stationary cutter. The head frame is mounted on a shaver housing from which a reciprocating element projects to drive the movable cutter of each cutter head. The center and outer cutter heads are floatingly supported at individual longitudinal ends by associated center and outer spring members so that each cutter head is vertically movable relative to the head frame. The center spring members are formed in one of the head frame and the associated holder while the outer spring members are formed in the other of the head frame and the associated holders.

Abstract: A reciprocatory dry shaver has a head from mounting three elongated cutter heads, one center cutter head and two outer cutter heads extending in parallel with each other. Each cutter head comprises a holder carrying a stationary cutter and a movable cutter driven to reciprocate in shearing engagement with the stationary cutter. The head frame is mounted on a shaver housing from which a reciprocating element projects to drive the movable cutter of each cutter head. The center and outer cutter heads are floatingly supported at individual longitudinal ends by associated center and outer spring members so that each cutter head is vertically movable relative to the head frame. The center spring members are formed in one of the head frame and the associated holder while the outer spring members are formed in the other of the head frame and the associated holders.

Abstract: A reciprocatory dry shaver has a head from mounting three elongated cutter heads, one center cutter head and two outer cutter heads extending in parallel with each other. Each cutter head comprises a holder carrying a stationary cutter and a movable cutter driven to reciprocate in shearing engagement with the stationary cutter. The head frame is mounted on a shaver housing from which a reciprocating element projects to drive the movable cutter of each cutter head. The center and outer cutter heads are floatingly supported at individual longitudinal ends by associated center and outer spring members so that each cutter head is vertically movable relative to the head frame. The center spring members are formed in one of the head frame and the associated holder while the outer spring members are formed in the other of the head frame and the associated holders.

Abstract: A dry shaver comprises a head frame mounting at least one cutter head. The cutter head includes a holder carrying an outer foil and an inner cutter which is driven to move in shearing contact with the outer foil. A spring is provided to give a biasing force to bias the inner cutter against the outer foil so as to develop a contacting pressure therebetween. The shaver includes a floating support structure for floatingly supporting the holder to the head frame so that the cutter head can be depressed relative to the head frame. The floating support structure comprises an elastic member which gives an elastic force when the cutter head is displaced relative to the head frame such that cutter head receives a floating force which is a combination of the biasing force and the elastic force and which becomes greater as the cutter head is depressed further.

Abstract: A depilating device has a housing with a top opening and a plucking head with a longitudinal axis. The plucking head carries a series of pinching elements arranged in side-by-side relations to form therebetween gaps. At least one of the adjacent pinching elements is movable relative to the other so as to entrap and pinch the hairs between the adjacent pinching elements for plucking the hairs from the skin. A skin guide is disposed around the plucking head to be exposed at least partially beyond the pinching elements for sliding contact with the skin. The plucking head and the skin guide are floatingly supported to the housing by means of a common structure such that they are depressed together into the housing within a predetermined extent.

Abstract: A reciprocatory dry shaver has a head for mounting three elongated cutter heads, one center cutter head and two outer cutter heads extending in parallel with each other. Each cutter head comprises a holder carrying a stationary cutter and a movable cutter driven to reciprocate in shearing engagement with the stationary cutter. The head frame is mounted on a shaver housing from which a reciprocating element projects to drive the movable cutter of each cutter head. The center and outer cutter heads are floatingly supported at individual longitudinal ends by associated center and outer spring members so that each cutter head is vertically movable relative to the head frame. The center spring members are formed in one of either the head frame or the associated holder while the outer spring members are formed in the other of the head frame and the associated holders.

Abstract: A depilating device removes hairs from the skin of a user and includes a carrier mounting a series of fixed and movable pinching plates arranged along an axial direction of the carrier in an alternating relation and in a closely adjacent relation to form small clearances between the adjacent movable and fixed pinching plates for entrapping hairs therebetween. The fixed pinching plates are kept fixed with respect to the axial direction of the carrier. The movable pinching plates are caused to be displaced in the axial direction relative to the adjacent fixed pinching plates in order to repeat clamping the hairs between the adjacent ones of the fixed and movable pinching plates and releasing the same, thereby plunking the hairs from the skin.

Abstract: A rotary dry shaver includes an outer shearing foil supported on a head frame and an inner cutter holder having a center axis and carrying a plurality of inner blades in hair shearing engagement with the outer shearing foil. The inner cutter holder is operatively connected to a rotary drive shaft of an electric motor so as to be driven thereby to rotate about the center axis. The outer shearing foil is held movable in the direction of the center axis relative to the head frame, while the inner cutter holder is movable along the center axis relative to the rotary drive shaft so as to be floatingly supported thereby. The dry shaver is characterized in that the outer shearing foil is connected to the inner cutter holder by means of a pin extending along the center axis such that the outer shearing foil and the inner cutter holder are movable together along the center axis relative to the head frame as well as the rotary drive shaft.

Abstract: A reciprocatory cutter head includes a pair of cutter heads mounted to a head frame. Each of the cutter heads is of elongated configuration extending horizontally to define a longitudinal axis and have opposed longitudinal ends. The cutter head includes an elongated outer shearing foil which comes into hair shearing engagement with an inner cutter driven to reciprocate along the longitudinal axis. The cutter heads are floatingly supported to the head frame in such a manner that the cutter heads are vertically movable relative to the head frame independently from each other as well as that each of the cutter heads is vertically movable at one longitudinal end substantially independently of the other longitudinal end. Whereby, the cutter heads cooperate with each other to readily conform to the shapes of a user's skin with maximum skin engaging area for assuring enhanced shaving performance, particularly at the irregularly contoured portions of the skin.

Abstract: A ferritic alloy with a wear resistive oxide scale is obtained through the steps of pressing a ferritic alloy powder containing aluminum into a powder compact of a desired configuration, sintering the powder compact in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to provide a resulting sintered product, and heat-treating the sintered product in an oxidizing gas atmosphere in order to precipitate in the surface thereof alumina in the form of an alumina scale as the wear resistive oxide scale which is responsible for improved surface hardness or wear resistance. Due to the inherent porous nature of the sintered product, the oxidizing gas can readily penetrate deep into the surface of sintered product to facilitate the oxidization of the product surface into the alumina scale, in addition to that the oxidization depth can be controlled such as by the density of the product, which makes it possible to readily control the thickness of the alumina scale.

Abstract: A depilating device removes hairs from the skin of a user and includes a carrier mounting a series of movable and fixed pinching plates arranged along a carrier axis in an alternating relation and in a closely adjacent relation to form small clearances between the adjacent movable and fixed pinching plates for entrapping hairs therebetween. A drive means is connected to drive the carrier to move the movable and fixed plates about the carrier axis. The movable plates are operatively connected to a shuttle means which is movable together with the carrier about the carrier axis but are shiftable therealong relative to the carrier so as to displace the movable plates along the carrier axis to repeat clamping the hairs between the adjacent pairs of the movable and fixed plates as the carrier moves about the carrier axis, whereby plucking the hairs from the skin.

Abstract: An improved hand-held motor-driven oscillating razor for wet shaving provides a substantially vibration-free gripping during the shaving. The razor comprises a grip housing adapted to be gripped by the hand of a user and a shaver head movably supported on top of the grip housing. The shaver head carries a razor blade element and includes a weight which is driven by a motor to impart oscillatory movement to the shaver head. The motor is mounted within the shaver head together with the weight so as to confine an oscillatory system within the shaver head. A damper member is utilized to singly support the shaver head to the grip housing in order to made the shaver head movable with respect to the grip housing such that the grip housing can be isolated substantially from the oscillatory system in the shaver head, permitting the shaver head to oscillate substantially indpendently of the grip housing, thereby minimizing a counter-vibration transmitted back to the grip housing from the shaver head.

Abstract: A dry shaver has a readily replaceable head frame supporting an outer shearing foil. The head frame is of a generally rectangular configuration with a pair of opposed end walls between which an inner cutter assembly projects from a shaver housing for shearing engagement with the undersurface of the shearing foil. Each of the end wall is integrally formed with a hook for locked engagement with a corresponding stop on the part of the housing to retain the head frame on the top of the housing. Also formed integrally on each of the end walls is a release lever which is capable of resiliently flexing in a direction of disengaging the adjacent hook form the stop, permitting the removal of the head frame.