CA2101030A1 - Keyboard support - Google Patents

Keyboard support

Info

Publication number
CA2101030A1
CA2101030A1 CA002101030A CA2101030A CA2101030A1 CA 2101030 A1 CA2101030 A1 CA 2101030A1 CA 002101030 A CA002101030 A CA 002101030A CA 2101030 A CA2101030 A CA 2101030A CA 2101030 A1 CA2101030 A1 CA 2101030A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
support
keyboard
base
enclosure
operator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002101030A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Steven H. Aldrich
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to US07/846,031 priority Critical patent/US5242139A/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA002101030A priority patent/CA2101030A1/en
Publication of CA2101030A1 publication Critical patent/CA2101030A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B21/00Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards
    • A47B21/03Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards with substantially horizontally extensible or adjustable parts other than drawers, e.g. leaves
    • A47B21/0371Platforms for supporting wrists
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2217/00Facilitation of operation; Human engineering
    • H01H2217/034Support for hands or arms
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10STECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S248/00Supports
    • Y10S248/917Video display screen support
    • Y10S248/918Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A support for use with a keyboard for supporting the wrists of an operator. The support includes a base having a front, sides, and a back. The base is contoured to receive and support a keyboard. A pad member is secured to an upper surface of the base along the entire front. The pad member provides cushioning support for the wrists of the operator. An enclosure is also provided and includes a mounting platform which is slidably mounted along a lower surface thereof. The keyboard and support are placeable upon the mounting platform so as to be withdrawn from the enclosure. A computer terminal may be appropriately placed atop the enclosure so as to be optimally positioned with respect to the keyboard operator.

Description

~ ` 2101030 ;

ASH-lOO~A/Ol KEYBOARD SUPPORT
Backqround of the Invention ~ I. Field of the Invention:
8 The present invention relates to a support, and 5~ more particularly, to a computer keyboard support for supporting the wrists and forearms of the keyboard's ope r a to r .
~ II. Description of the Prior Art:
8 Various supports are known in the art for 0w supporting and protecting the wrists and forearms of keyboard operators. The purpose of the 6upports is to minimize the unsupported wrist and arm movements of the ~ operator which contribute to fatigue and possible physical O injury. A common condition arising from such movements is 153 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
U. S. Patent No. 5,004,196 issued to Gross discloses a pad support for each wrist of a keyboard o operator. The pads are adjustable vertically, transversely, ~ and pivotably relative to the keyboard so as to minimize the 20~ unsupported wrists and arm movements of the operator.
.; ~
Gross, however, does not provide a pad support extending the entire width of the keyboard for supporting the wrists and y forearms of the keyboard operator, nor does it provide a ~ supporting structure for optimal angular positioning of the 250 keyboard with respect to the pad support.
SummarY of the Present Invention The present invention provides a support for use . with a keyboard for supporting the wrists of an operator.
The support includes a base baving a front, a top, :' : - 1 - ':
.. ,., . .. . ., _.. ..., . , ! 2101030 , ~

and a back. The base has a generally ~Z~-shaped configuration and provides a downwardly angled edge along the front and an upwardly angled edge along the back. The ~ oppositely directed edges cause the top portion of the base to be sloped downwardly from the front towards the back.
The contours of the support permit the keyboard to be placed such that its rows of keys are arranged along a horizontal I plane to provide easier access to the keyboard operator.
Z~ A pad is secured to an upper surface of the base and extends along the entirety of the front. The pad extends a predetermined distance above the horizontal plane of the keys and provides comfortable cushioned support for the wrists of the operator. ~he horizontal arrangement of the keys of the keyboard in combination with the elevated 153 support provided by the pad further reduces stress on the 3 operator's wrists and forearms.
An enclosure may be provided for the keyboard support. The enclosure includes a platform slidably o receivable within the enclosure. The keyboard support is 20 D placeable upon the platform such that it may be slidably withdrawn from within the enclosure and returned therein for o storage. A computer terminal may conveniently be set atop the enclosure so as to be accessible to the operator when ' using the keyboard.
25~ Brief Description of the Drawinq O A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like ~0 parts throughout the several views, and in which:

' 2i~103~ ' ~IG. 1 is a perspective view of the keyboard 8 support of the present invention;
IG. 2 is a side view of the keyboard support and ~ showing an enclosure into which it may be slidably inserted;
5 8 and I FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the connections ~ .
~ between the pad member and the base cf the keyboard support I of the present invention.

Detailed DescriPtion of a Preferred OeEmbodiment of the Present Invention With reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, a support 10 w for use with a keyboard 8 is shown and includes a base 12.
The base 12 has generally a "Z~-shape consisting of a front ~14, sides 16 and 18, and a back 20. A downwardly angled 15~edge 22 forms the front 14 of the base 12. An upwardly ~ angled edge 24 forms the back 20 of the base 12. The top o surface 15 of the base 12 is, accordingly, downwardly sloped from the front 14 to the back 20. The angle of the inclined z top surface 15 of the base 12 is selected so that the rows 20~ of keys 9 of the keyboard 8 are substantially horizontal when the keyboard 8 is placed thereon, as shown in FlG. 2.
0 Thé base 12 is constructed of a structural plastic or like material, and is preferably transparent.
~ A pad 26 secures to a generally horizontal portion 25~ 28 of the top surface 15 adjacent to the front 14 of the I base 12. The pad 26 preferably extends along the entirety of the front 14 of the support 10. The pad 26 is 0 constructed of a foam or suitable cushioninq material. The ~ exterior of the pad 26 is covered with a vinyl or other suitable material which enables the pad 26 to provide a ,'~

_ ----~ 3 -. .

~ ~ ' 210103~ `
.. :,~
durable yet comfortable cushioning to the wrists and lower arms of the operator. The pad 26 is prefer~bly mounted to a ~ rigid plate 30 by screws 32 or any otber suitable method.
;~ In turn, the rigid plate 30 is secured to the top surface 28 !'58 f the base 12 adjacent the front 14 by any means known in the art, such as screws 34 and wing nuts 36, as shown in ~~ FIG. 2.
!~,. I Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, an enclosure 38 ~ is provided for housing the support 10. The enclosure 38 ilom may include a platform 40 which is slidably mounted so that it may be withdrawn from the inside of the enclosure 38.
w The support 10 and keyboard 8 may be placed atop the platform 40 so that the keyboard may be slidably withdrawn D from the enclosure 38 for access by the operator and 153 returned to the enclosure 38 when not being used. A
-3 computer terminal may be set atop the enclosure 38, so as to be optimally positioned with respect to thé keyboard 8 and U the keyboard operator.
o Having described my invention, many modificstions 20~ thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation fro~ the spirit of tbe o invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims J~ I claim:

;l O

:, ~
~, _

Claims (6)

1. A support for use with a keyboard to support the wrists and forearms of a keyboard operator, comprising:
a base having a front, a top, and a back, said base being contoured to receive and support said keyboard; and a pad secured to an upper surface of said base and extending along the entirety of said front to provide cushioning support for the wrists and forearms of the operator of the keyboard.
2. The support as described in claim 1, wherein said front is a downwardly angled edge of said base and said back is an upwardly angled edge of said base.
3. The support as described in claim 2, wherein a portion of said top of said base between said front and said back is downwardly inclined from said front to said back to conform with the general outline of said keyboard.
4. The support as described in claim 3, wherein said portion of said top is downwardly inclined at an angle such that when a keyboard is placed on said portion of said top, its rows of keys are disposed along a horizontal plane.
5. The support as described in claim 1, further comprising means for slidably mounting said support and said keyboard beneath a computer terminal.
6. The support as described in claim 5 wherein said means for slidably mounting includes an enclosure and a platform slidably mounted within said enclosure, said platform capable of being withdrawn from said enclosure to provide access to said keyboard.
CA002101030A 1992-03-05 1993-07-21 Keyboard support Abandoned CA2101030A1 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/846,031 US5242139A (en) 1992-03-05 1992-03-05 Keyboard support
CA002101030A CA2101030A1 (en) 1992-03-05 1993-07-21 Keyboard support

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/846,031 US5242139A (en) 1992-03-05 1992-03-05 Keyboard support
CA002101030A CA2101030A1 (en) 1992-03-05 1993-07-21 Keyboard support

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2101030A1 true CA2101030A1 (en) 1995-01-22

Family

ID=25676401

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002101030A Abandoned CA2101030A1 (en) 1992-03-05 1993-07-21 Keyboard support

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US5242139A (en)
CA (1) CA2101030A1 (en)

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US5416498A (en) * 1986-10-21 1995-05-16 Ergonomics, Inc. Prehensile positioning computer keyboard
WO1992013722A1 (en) * 1991-02-01 1992-08-20 Ambrose Frederic C Keyboard positioning system
US5405204A (en) * 1992-02-03 1995-04-11 Ambrose; Frederic C. Keyboard positioning system
JPH05342164A (en) * 1992-05-21 1993-12-24 Internatl Business Mach Corp <Ibm> Information processing system with printing function
FI92370C (en) * 1993-06-07 1994-11-10 Top Cousins Oy mouse pad
US5398896A (en) * 1993-08-06 1995-03-21 Terbrack; William H. Dynamic support device for keyboards
US5407156A (en) * 1993-10-27 1995-04-18 Curtis Manufacturing Company, Inc. Wrist rest support
US5421543A (en) * 1993-10-27 1995-06-06 Curtis Manufacturing Company, Inc. Adjustable wrist rest support and method
GB2285603A (en) * 1994-01-14 1995-07-19 Paul Manley Keyboard support with wrist rest.
US5513824A (en) * 1994-03-03 1996-05-07 Mead-Hatcher, Inc. Neutral positions keyboard/wrist support
US6494418B1 (en) 1996-02-06 2002-12-17 3M Innovative Properties Company Wrist rest assembly
EP0762840B1 (en) * 1994-06-03 1998-09-16 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Wrist rest assembly
US5961231A (en) * 1994-09-16 1999-10-05 Flex-Rest, Llc Keyboard positioning system
US5547154A (en) * 1994-10-18 1996-08-20 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Wrist rest assembly
US5509628A (en) * 1995-06-09 1996-04-23 Noble; Bruce Ergonomic support for keyboard and computer mouse platform
USD428395S (en) * 1995-08-17 2000-07-18 Jensen Reece C Combined computer mouse pad and hand rest
US5709550A (en) * 1995-09-01 1998-01-20 Debra E. Devine Keyboard training apparatus
US6109571A (en) * 1995-12-07 2000-08-29 Hirschovits; Adiel Mouse support
USD383740S (en) * 1996-03-19 1997-09-16 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Wrist rest
USD381016S (en) * 1996-03-28 1997-07-15 Microsoft Corporation Palm rest portion for a keyboard
US5735619A (en) * 1996-04-01 1998-04-07 Myint; Soe Adjustable, curved keyboard
US5845884A (en) * 1996-07-10 1998-12-08 Terbrack; William H. Ergonomic tower support device for using data entry systems
US5892499A (en) * 1996-08-17 1999-04-06 Vulk, Jr.; Joseph Patrick Forearm support for computer interface device
US5980143A (en) * 1996-08-28 1999-11-09 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Wrist rest assembly
SE509792C2 (en) 1996-11-26 1999-03-08 Bohman Information I Hudiksval Keyboard holder device
US5826841A (en) * 1997-03-18 1998-10-27 Lavore; Joseph S. Therapeutic elbow support system
USD415745S (en) * 1997-09-18 1999-10-26 Clark Enterprises Computer keyboard support frame
US6116557A (en) * 1998-07-10 2000-09-12 Acco Brands, Inc. Keyboard support system
US6497391B1 (en) 1999-08-07 2002-12-24 Work-Rite Ergonomic Accessories, Inc. Personal computer keyboard and mouse support having moveable mouse extension
US6749158B2 (en) 1998-08-07 2004-06-15 Work-Rite Ergonomic Accessories, Inc. Computer keyboard and mouse support having moveable mouse extension
US6045098A (en) * 1998-08-07 2000-04-04 Work-Rite Ergonomic Accessories, Inc. Personal computer keyboard support having moveable mouse extension
US6092774A (en) * 1998-11-23 2000-07-25 Acco Brands, Inc. Keyboard positioning system
US6244547B1 (en) 2000-02-01 2001-06-12 Haworth, Inc. Keyboard tray with adjustable wrist support
US7108234B2 (en) * 2004-04-06 2006-09-19 Ritchey Eugene B Keyboard support device and method
US8851431B2 (en) * 2004-09-16 2014-10-07 Marrio Luiz Novaes Avila Anatomic support for hand
US7861984B2 (en) * 2004-09-16 2011-01-04 De Sousa Freitas, Eduardo Luis Bueno Anatomic support for hand and wrist
US20060291946A1 (en) * 2005-06-24 2006-12-28 Microsoft Corporation Ergonomic apparatus for keyboard
US20110278412A1 (en) * 2010-05-17 2011-11-17 Alan Craig Barts Reversible Keyboard Support
WO2018130884A1 (en) * 2017-01-10 2018-07-19 Lashley Gene A multi-purpose desktop accessory for reading, writing and computer usage

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3062609A (en) * 1962-11-06 Process for dyeing wool with metal
US4481556A (en) * 1980-04-04 1984-11-06 Joseph J. Berke Computer terminal support and hand rest
US4483572A (en) * 1983-02-28 1984-11-20 Myrid Concepts Corporation Console for video display unit and detached keyboard
US4913390A (en) * 1988-09-21 1990-04-03 Berke Joseph J Portable adjustable computer keyboard support and hand rest
US4973176A (en) * 1988-12-20 1990-11-27 Dietrich Jeffrey A Appendage rest
US4976407A (en) * 1989-12-13 1990-12-11 Edtech Company Adjustable wrist support
US5048784A (en) * 1989-12-13 1991-09-17 Edtech Company Adjustable inset bracket
US5042761A (en) * 1990-03-30 1991-08-27 Mcbride Donald J Keyboard bracket
US5056743A (en) * 1990-08-17 1991-10-15 Zwar Kurt F Arm support system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US5242139A (en) 1993-09-07

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
FZDE Discontinued