Abstract: A toothbrush sanitizer has a housing containing a centrally located elongated ultraviolet bulb surrounded by cavities for receiving standing toothbrushes. The cavities having one side open to receive ultraviolet light, have highly reflective surfaces to reflect light passing through said open side toward all sides of the toothbrushes, and have bottom contours which make the toothbrushes self-aligning. An electronic circuit lights the ultraviolet bulb with a short on, long off duty cycle. The initial on cycle is longer than the rest of the on cycles and occurs immediately after the cover is closed. A labyrinth seal permits passage of a cooling updraft of air while blocking an escape of ultraviolet light.

Abstract: A back massager is powered through a control unit attached to a back cushion via a cable. The control unit has a jack coupled to a control circuit and through the cable to the cushion. Either an AC adapter or a 12 DC battery adapter may be plugged into the jack. Therefore, the same massager may be used in the home or an automobile (or the equivalent thereof). An air bladder may be pumped up or exhausted to control the firmness of the cushion.

Abstract: A fail-safe immersion detector has a reset button which may be operated to return an appliance to operation after an immersion-caused short circuit has disappeared. However, if the short circuit remains, an operation of the reset button has no effect. Therefore, the user cannot defeat the fail-safe detector by the expedient of taping or otherwise holding down the reset button. A rocker switch enables a testing of the immersion detector, to be conducted to either side of the A.C. power line while preventing a short circuit across the line if an effort is made to simultaneously conduct tests to both sides of the line. Two test wires extend from the detector through the power cord to the appliance, where they are joined. The immersion detector operates via one of the two wires. The rocker switch conducts the test via the two test wires in series. Therefore, the rocker switch controlled test verifies the integrity of the one test wire.

Abstract: An electronic temperature control for a cordless ironing apparatus. The temperature of the sole plate of the iron is sensed by a thermistor embedded therein; the thermistor is part of an astable multivibrator circuit, and any change in temperature of the sole plate causes a change in resistance of the thermistor, and a corresponding change in frequency at the output of the multivibrator. This output drives an infrared LED, and the light emitted by the LED in the iron is sensed by a phototransistor in the base, which relays the sensed temperature information to a microprocessor therein which controls the current applied to the heating element accordingly, to maintain the desired temperature of the sole plate.

Abstract: A small personal appliance is wholly contained within a unitary housing that is fully supported by its contact blades being plugged into a wall outlet. The housing includes needles for ionizing the ambient atmosphere and a carbon foam pad for collecting the ionized air. A drive circuit generates cyclically recurring pulses having a voltage which is high enough to ionize the air and low enough to preclude a formation of ozone.

Abstract: A small personal appliance is wholly contained within a unitary housing that is fully supported by its contact blades being plugged into a wall outlet. The housing includes needles for ionizing the ambient atmosphere and a carbon foam pad for collecting the ionized air. A drive circuit generate cyclically recurring pulses having a voltage which is high enough to ionize the air and low enough to preclude a formation of ozone.