Abstract: A safety switch apparatus for disabling the operation of a hand-held appliance, e.g., a hair dryer, during periods of nonuse such as when the appliance is put down on a prescribed surface or placed in a non-functional position such as being held under a user's arm. In a first implementation, a sensor is coupled to control circuitry within the appliance to remove power from portions of the device, e.g., its motor and/or heater, when the appliance is proximate to an externally-provided magnetic field preferably provided from a magnetic element typically contained within a pad placeable on a work surface, within the work surface, or a wearable piece of clothing. In a second implementation, the converse occurs, i.e., a sensor is used to sense the presence of a user and to disable operation when the user is no longer present.

Abstract: A safety switch apparatus for disabling the operation of a hand-held appliance, e.g., a hair dryer, during periods of nonuse such as when the appliance is put down on a prescribed surface or placed in a non-functional position such as being held under a user's arm. In a first implementation, a sensor is coupled to control circuitry within the appliance to remove power from portions of the device, e.g., its motor and/or heater, when the appliance is proximate to an externally-provided magnetic field preferably provided from a magnetic element typically contained within a pad placeable on a work surface, within the work surface, or a wearable piece of clothing. In a second implementation, the converse occurs, i.e., a sensor is used to sense the presence of a user and to disable operation when the user is no longer present.

Abstract: A safety switch apparatus for disabling the operation of a hand-held appliance, e.g., a hair dryer, during periods of nonuse such as when the appliance is put down on a prescribed surface or placed in a non-functional position such as being held under a user's arm. In a first class of preferred embodiments, a sensor is coupled to control circuitry within the appliance to remove power from portions of the device, e.g., its motor and/or heater, when the appliance is proximate to an externally-provided magnetic field preferably provided from a magnetic element typically contained within a pad placeable on a work surface, within the work surface, or a wearable piece of clothing. In a second class of preferred embodiments, the converse occurs, i.e., a sensor is used to sense the presence of a user and to disable operation when the user is no longer present.