Sharper Image Corporation

Charles Edwin Taylor

Shek Fai Lau

Rene C Pinchuk

Richard J Thalheimer

A personal groomer includes a hand-holdable housing within which is disposed a battery operated motor coupled to a cutting head assembly that protrudes at least partially from a distal end of the housing. An impeller fin assembly is attached to a lower portion of the cutting head assembly for rotation therewith when the motor is energized. Preferably the lower portion of the cutting head assembly and the impeller fin assembly are surrounded by a thimble-shaped member defining sidewall vents and having an opening in its upper surface, through which a distal portion of the cutting head assembly protrudes. A light source is mounted in the housing so as to focus light on hairs to be cut with the groomer. The groomer is cleaned by submerging the distal end of the housing assembly in water and energizing the motor. The resultant impeller fin rotation draws water into the cutting head assembly, and expels the water along with cut hairs and any other debris out the vents in the thimble-shaped member. A housing-mounted switch, preferably a pressure switch or a toggling switch, permits user activation of the personal groomer.

Turbo cleaning illuminated personal groomer

A lost article detector unit includes a microprocessor programmed to execute adaptive actuation signal recognition that discerns desired activation sounds from noise. Preferably the desired activation sounds include a sequence of four adjacent spaced-apart hand claps made by the same user. A transducer provides amplified sound signals to the microprocessor, which then analyzes and stores pattern information associated with the first clap-pair. Signals from a second clap-pair are then analyzed and compared with stored pattern information from the first clap-pair, using the algorithm. The adaptive use of such pattern information permits imposing timing tolerances that are sufficiently tight to reduce false triggering, without requiring the user to memorize a rigid sequence pattern of clapping. Upon microprocessor-recognition of desired activation sounds, the microprocessor causes the transducer to provide a locating signal that may be visual and/or audible. Audible locating signals may include synthesized human speech (in more than one language and/or voice), songs, music, among other signals. The activation signal permits a user to locate the detector unit and small objects attached thereto.

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Sebastapol, CA, United States of America

Charles Edwin Taylor