Abstract: A personal appliance, such as hair dryer, with enhanced shock hazard protection, and including a housing formed of two complementary and interfitting sections, electrical units mounted within the housing, a power cord leading to the housing, an IDCI on the power cord, and a sensing wire associated with the power cord leading from said housing to said IDCI, electroconductive coating on the internal surfaces of the housing sections, with the coating being electrically connected to the sensor wire, whereby water contacting the coating and the power cord or any of the electrical units will cause a voltage in the sensing wire and thereby trigger the IDCI.

Abstract: A light system for providing uniform actinic radiation to fingernails while in a predetermined position, including a generally ellipsoidal housing having a circular horizontal cross-section and reflective inner surfaces to concentrate light, the surfaces being so shaped and so dimensioned as to concentrate, in the predetermined position, the light rays from an ultraviolet lamp in the housing, an opening in the housing to receive the hand of a user, and means for guiding the user's hand so as to position the fingernails of the hand in the predetermined position, the guiding means including a handle to be grasped by the user and means interconnecting the handle and housing and controlling the position of the handle as it is moved within the housing. An adjustable timer may be provided to control exposure times.

Abstract: A hair dryer, the temperature of the air stream from which is automatically controlled by the temperature of the hair being dried, is provided. The dryer includes a primary air inlet, a fan for blowing inlet air out of the dryer, and a heater by which the blown air is heated before it is directed against a user's hair. The dryer also includes a feedback air duct and a thermistor positioned in the duct to sense the temperature of the air being reflected off the user's hair as it is dried. In accordance with the temperature of the reflected air, the thermistor changes resistance, which change is sensed by an integrated circuit zero crossing switch that electronically signals a thyristor causing the thyristor either to switch off or proportionally reduce the power to the heater, and therefore the amount of heat energy input in the blown air.