Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for selecting a mattress. The amounts of elastic deformation in a plurality of points of a measuring mattress having a predetermined hardness are electrically detected by pressure sensors. Based on the electric signals generated from the pressure sensors, a first average value in the amounts of deformation in the head portion and the leg portion of the user and a second average value in the amounts of deformation in the other portions of the user are calculated in a control device. First and second straight lines denoting these first and second average values, respectively, are displayed on a display device together with a mark designating the hardness of a mattress adapted to the user. The optimum hardness of the mattress is determined on the basis of the difference in the amount of deformation between the first and second straight lines, so as to enable the user to select a mattress of a hardness adapted to the user.

Abstract: Apparatus for chiropractic therapy and massage having a housing on which the user lies, pressure means including a number of pressure rollers disposed in the housing which rolls to apply pressure on the user lying on the housing, a support frame provided in the housing and supporting the pressure roller, a pair of pulleys provided in the housing, and a wire stretched between the pulleys to reciprocate the support frame. The apparatus further comprises a spring coupled to both ends of the wire for absorbing the elongation and contraction of the wire; and first and second interlocking members coupled to both ends of the wire and to the support frame for transmitting the driving force of the wire directly to the support frame without transmitting the driving force to the spring.

Abstract: A ball-and-screw power transmission device includes a screw or a threaded rod on which power to be transmitted is applied, an outer cylindrical member disposed around the screw, and at least one ball or spherical member located in contact between the adjacent turns of the thread on the screw and the inner wall surface of the outer cylindrical member, the rotational power being thus transmitted through the ball to the outer cylindrical member as a converted linear power. Means is further provided to restrain behavior of the ball during the inverse-directional and the forward-directional operations of the device relative to the direction of a load for automatically changing a reduction ratio between the two operations.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes a fermenting heater for a vessel which is disposed below the bottom of the vessel and a fermenting heater for an oven chamber which, together with the fermenting heater for the vessel, can be turned ON. A kneading switch, fermenting/baking switch and a release switch for opening these switches are disposed on the front surface of the apparatus housing. Likewise, an exclusive time setter, automatic time setter and baking time setter are disposed on the front surface of the apparatus housing. A kneading circuit, fermenting/baking circuit, kneading/fermenting circuit and fermenting/baking circuit are selectively controlled by selecting a combination of the switches and time setters to perform a kneading step, fermenting step and baking step either singly or in combination.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus comprises an apparatus housing divided by a partition plate into upper and lower chambers. An oven chamber is defined in the lower chamber and has a baking heater therein. A vessel having a kneading blade is disposed on the upper chamber. The upper chamber includes a drive mechanism for rotating the blade. A fermenting heater is provided below the bottom of the vessel to heat the interior of the vessel to a fermenting temperature. Dough is kneaded and fermented in the vessel and baked in the oven chamber. Another fermenting heater is disposed in the oven chamber to preheat the interior of the oven chamber for baking, while the dough is being kneaded and fermented in the vessel.