Abstract: A toilet covering hinge assembly has a damping capability for damping the motion of the toilet covering from a raised to a lowered position upon a toilet. The assembly includes a hinge shaft connecting the toilet covering to the rear of the toilet so as to be rotatable together with the toilet covering between the lowered and raised positions. Also connected to the hinge shaft is a dashpot which is secured on the side of the toilet and comprises a cylinder containing a volume of damper fluid and a rotor rotatably received within the cylinder. The rotor receives the hinge shaft to be rotatable together therewith and is provided with a flap extending outwardly into the damper fluid. The flap is pivotable relative to the rotor such that the flap is caused to, in response to the toilet covering moving from the lowered to the raised position, pivot into a folded condition where it receives no substantial resistance from the damper fluid and is caused.

Abstract: A thread checking device is installed in combination with a sewing machine in order to exert a proper tension on the thread loop formed at the eye of the needle when the thread loop passes through betweeen the bobbin case and the rotation stopping member for restraining rotation of the bobbin case. This thread checking device is provided with thread suspending means which comprises a thread suspending part disposed near a specified position where the thread guide of the thread take-up member is located when the needle thread loop passes between the bobbin case and the rotation stopping member. The thread suspending means suspends the needle thread held on the thread guide with the suspending part when the take-up member moves from the maximum thread take-up position to the maximum thread slack position.

Abstract: An electronic pedometer for use on a footwear is disclosed. The pedometer comprises a step sensor and an electric counter connected thereto, both mounted on the instep of the footwear. The step sensor senses a flexing motion that the instep of the footwear undergoes each time of the user just kicks the ground with the footwear and provides upon sensing such motion an output indicative of each step taken by the user. An electronic counter has therein electric components forming a computing circuit which receives the outputs from the sensor to compute based thereupon the number of steps taken and the distance covered, the resulting measurements being visually indicated on a display section of the counter. The sensor and the counter is connected by means of a resilient band by the utilization of which they are secured or mounted on the instep of the footwear.

Abstract: A ball throwing device including a throwing arm having one end pivotally mounted and defining at the other end a ball receiving portion. The throwing arm is driven to swing within a limited angular range between a cocked position and a releasing position so as to throw a ball fed to the receiving portion when moved toward the releasing position. Cooperative with the throwing arm is an annular guide which extends approximately along the path of the ball receiving portion so as to deliver the ball fed at one end thereof to the ball receiving portion of the throwing arm at the cocked position. The guiding surface of the annular guide is configured to be increasingly displaced outwardly from the path of the ball receiving portion in the direction of throwing the ball. Accordingly, the ball can be held on the ball receiving portion in loose engagement therewith while being prevented from dropping out therefrom to thereby assure the projection of the ball with less spin.

Abstract: A vibratory massage device with a heating element is disclosed. The device includes a housing with an upwardly extending shaft means, an applicator head connected by the shaft means to the housing so as to be supported thereby, and a heating element arranged within the applicator head. The applicator head has a top face generally perpendicular to the axis of the shaft means and a side face generally parallel to that axis, and is driven to effect vibrations transverse to that axis with respect to the housing. The top face of the applicator head, when placed against the area of a human body, will move substantially in the plane of that portion during the above vibratory motion so as to apply a rubbing massage action thereto, while the side face, when placed against the body, will vibrate in the direction generally perpendicular to the area of the body so as to apply a tapping massage action thereto.

Abstract: A massage apparatus having a movable massaging assembly is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises a front open boxlike base member molded from plastic to have a closed bottom and side walls extending forwardly from the lateral sides thereof. A front cover closing the front opening of the base member is cooperative therewith to define a space for receiving therein the massaging assembly. The plastic base member is provided at its lateral sides with racks each of which extends longitudinally of the base member to be in meshing engagement with each one of the pinions provided on the massaging assembly, such that the assembly is guided along the racks to move in the longitudinal direction of the base member by applying a massaging force through the front cover to the back of a user resting on the front cover.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward an orthopedically improved chair that is designed so as to prevent pain in the waist or back of the user. In one embodiment of the present invention, the chair is adaptable for use as either a squat chair or a conventional type chair. The chair of this embodiment is characterized by a seat that is freely forwardly downwardly inclinable to a point about 20.degree. below the horizontal; and a forwardly protruding cross-bar portion that provides support for the lumbar region of the spine. In addition, this chair can be adapted for use as a conventional type chair by merely moving the downwardly inclinable seat into its vertical position and then using the base of the chair as a seat.

Abstract: Massaging element for mechanical massaging device comprises an inner ring fixed eccentrically to a main driven shaft and an outer ring fitted around the inner ring through an antifriction bearing, and the outer ring comprises many arcuate and elastic plate-spring parts extending substantially spirally outward as formed integrally with a ring body and a soft material layer formed around the body embedding therein the plate-spring parts. The element initially provides a soft touch to a human body and then gradually harder touches with the modulus of elasticity increased stepwise, whereby a pressing massage action similar to that manually given by a skilled massagist can be obtained.

Abstract: A liquid sprayer comprises an ultrasonic vibrator, a liquid supply chamber, and a liquid absorber for absorbing liquid from the liquid supply chamber and feeding it to the ultrasonic vibrator. The liquid absorber abuts against the lateral side of the utmost end of the ultrasonic vibrator in the vibration direction thereof and projects at the front surface thereof ahead of the utmost end of the ultrasonic vibrator.

Abstract: A massaging apparatus comprises a pair of massaging wheels obliquely and eccentrically attached to a main shaft, a shifting mechanism for shifting the massaging wheels and main shaft in the direction of the length of a chair back rest or a bed, and a spacing changing mechanism for changing the spacing between the massaging wheels. The apparatus is designed to detect the position of the pair of massaging wheels and the spacing therebetween. It further comprises position selecting switches associated with the neck, shoulders, back and waist of the human body. When any one of these position selecting switches is operated, the shifting mechanism and the spacing changing mechanism as well as the rotative direction of the main shaft are automatically controlled in accordance with the detected shifted position and spacing of the massaging wheels.

Abstract: A control apparatus of an automatic door is adapted such that a time period required for opening a door to a full-opened state is stored and a target time period required for opening the door to a half-opened state or to a 3/4-opened state is determined by evaluating the stored time period for opening the door to a full-opened state. In an operation mode for opening the door to a half-opened state or a 3/4-opened state, comparison is made of a lapse time period of the current operation for opening the door and the target time period is calculated, in advance whereupon a motor is brought to a stop upon coincidence thereof.

Abstract: A running machine is provided which comprises a mat member which is actuated by the tread of an exerciser so as to produce an output signal. A running circuit processes this output signal and produces a first signal when the OFF time interval of the output signal is longer than a predetermined time interval, thereby distinguishing "running" from "walking". A flying time defining circuit, included in the running circuit, defines the predetermined time interval in order to adjust the quantity of motion to be spared in the stepping and an indicating section processes the first output signal from the running circuit to indicate the number of steps.

Abstract: A massage apparatus performable massaging actions substantially in the same mode as of manual actions by massagers is provided. In driving mechanism for massaging attachments with which massaging force is applied to user's suffering body part, driving and driven side gears are arranged to provide an unequal velocity ratio so that rotating velocity of the driven side gear will be varied as rotated by the driving side gear, whereby the massaging attachments are pushed toward the suffering body part when the velocity of the driven side gear is low and thus with a slowly gradually increased force whereas the pushed attachments are released from the body part when the velocity is high and thus with a quickly decreased force.

Abstract: An instrument for giving patting treatment to a user's shoulder or the like body part to promote blood circulation in stiffened muscle. In a housing of the instrument's body having an aperture, stationary electromagnet part defining an axial space is fixed aligning the space with the housing aperture and freely movable plunger is disposed to extend in the axial space so that, as electromagnetically attracted at an end inside the housing to a magnetized core end due to energization of coil of the stationary electromagnet part, the plunger extracts out of the housing with the other end located in the housing aperture and having a treating attachment with which the instrument is butted to the body part substantially vertically with its weight applying to the latter through the attachment, so as to raise the instrument's body relatively upward and, upon de-energization of the coil, the instrument's body falls down to hit upon the attachment to give the patting treatment to the body part.

Abstract: A massaging apparatus wherein electric driving means rotates a tubular driving shaft to which opposing disk elements of massaging means is mounted eccentrically as inclined with respect to the shaft's axis and movably in its axial direction. Means for adjusting massaging range determined by mutual distance of the disk elements is mounted on an inner shaft disposed coaxially within the driving shaft and coupled at an end thereto through a clutch. Upon manual operation of the clutch, the inner shaft is disconnected from the driving shaft and the massaging range adjusting means shifts along the inner shaft as rotated by the driving shaft being rotated to move the disk elements toward and away from each other. All the components are compactly mounted onto a single support frame except manual operating means for the driving means and clutch which is remote from apparatus body.