Abstract: In an appliance having an a.c. series motor, which comprises a rotor coil configuration and two stator coils, switching means are provided for switching the a.c. series motor to different speeds or speed characteristics. Both coil ends of each of the two stator coils are accessible from outside of the a.c. series motor and are connected to the switching means. The switching means connects either one stator coil or both stator coils in series or both stator coils in parallel and in series with the rotor coil configuration.

Abstract: A method for the low-transient power control of electrical loads, particularly temperature-dependent loads electrically divided into essentially equal sub-loads connectable to an a.c. mains in order to receive power. Power control at low power levels utilizes alternately power-off phases, in which none of the sub-loads receive power for at least three a.c. half-waves, and heating phases, in which a temporal concatenation of at least a first and a second basic cycle of three a.c. half-waves supply power to each one of the sub-loads. The first sub-load receives power during one half-wave of the first basic cycle and the second sub-load receives power during one half-wave of the second basic cycle. The power is turned off during the other two half-waves of the first and the second basic cycle. Also disclosed is an electrical heating apparatus which embodies this method.

Abstract: In a massaging apparatus (1) with two rotatable rollers (14, 15), which are spaced apart transversely to their roller axes (16, 17), at least one of the rollers being rotationally drivable by a roller drive motor (25), and with a suction chamber (39) disposed in the area of the two rollers (14, 15) and communicating with a pump (50) via an air-transfer line (49) for generating a vacuum in the suction chamber (39) so as to form a skin fold (57) which is drawn into the suction chamber (39), there has been provided a control device (80), preferably formed by an electropneumatic vacuum switch, which is responsive to a partial vacuum and which communicates with the suction chamber (39), the roller drive motor (25) being adapted to be turned on under control of the control device (80) when a given vacuum is reached in the suction chamber (39).