US Patent 7140067 Vacuum cleaner handle and stiffening element

A household appliance, particularly a vacuum cleaner, has a housing of rigid material and formed with at least two interconnected housing parts and a handle that is also made of a rigid material. The household appliance is rendered especially rigid and the risk of losing grip of the handle of the appliance is reduced by integrating the handle into a stiffening element that is disposed at the intersection of the housing parts and by providing the handle with a cover that is made of a softer material.