Wrist support for use with an office machine having a keyboard

(24) Running day (62) Number of the application (86) International filing day (86) Filing date for European patent application (30)

87-11-02

82-05-11 (11) Publication number

457 817

Application received as:

Q Swedish patent application □ Completed international patent application with number □ converted European patent application with number

81-08-31 US 298134 (71) Applicant Wright Line Inc, Worcester Mass US (72) Inventor R M. Latino, 0 K. Crabbe, Worcester, West Millbury

Mass (74) Representative Grahn Patent Office (54) Designation Vertically adjustable support for wrist when working with a keyboard (56) Published publications: DE 1 913 287 (B41J 29/00), DE 2 430 036 (B41J 29/00) (57 ) Summary:

A vertically adjustable wrist rest (10) for use with an office machine with a keyboard has a support rail (12) in front of the keyboard. The support rail is supported on a fixed base plate (16) by at least one rotatable member (14) abutting the base plate comprising a disc-shaped button (30) and an upwardly cylindrical portion (32) which engages a bottom thread (112) on the support rail. By rotating the button (30), the support rail is raised or lowered relative to the base plate.

DB 647289

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The numbers in brackets indicate international identification code, INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code

4S1 817

The present invention relates to office machines and their accessories, and in particular to a wrist support for use with office machines with keyboards such as the keyboard of a computer terminal.

Working at such a keyboard for a long time involves extensive activation of the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. The fact that the whole arm is used without support leads to greater physical effort than necessary. It requires more effort to keep your arms outstretched than to operate the keyboard. The result is in the form of fatigue and reduced productivity.

Adjustable orthopedic support devices for use with a keyboard are known.

DE-A-2 430 036 thus shows a vertically adjustable armrest for use in typing. This support is made in the form of a separate support device for each forearm and arranged to be adjusted vertically as well as horizontally to and from the typewriter and further arranged to be adjusted in different angular positions relative to the horizontal plane. For the latter purpose, the armrest is mounted on a ball joint at the upper end of a screw spindle engaging in a horizontally displaceable base. The support preferably serves to relieve elbows and shoulders and requires a special locking device to be held in the set position.

DE-A-1 913 287 discloses a support rail for use with a typewriter. This support rail is supported on a horizontal shaft in front of the typewriter, which shaft at each end at the sides of the machine is stored at the upper ends of vertically adjustable screw spindles which engage the base plate of the machine. The publication does not specify how the vertical adjustment of the support rail can be carried out.

The invention has for its object to provide a vertically adjustable support for the wrist when working with a keyboard, which was comprised of a long positioned in front of the keyboard.

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451 817 stretched support rail which is vertically adjustable over a threaded joint relative to the keyboard. This support shall allow the operator to comfortably adjust the support rail without the aid of any tool and without any actual interruption in the work.

This vertically adjustable support is characterized in that the support rail is supported on a relatively base base plate by means of at least one rotatable member abutting against the base plate, comprising a disc-shaped cylindrical button with a coaxially connected upwardly directed cylindrical portion with an outer surface of an inner surface outgoing threaded bore with an inner bottom surface of the support rail at a distance from the top of the support rail.

By this embodiment of the rotatable adjusting means of the support rail, a very convenient adjustment of the support rail is achieved and the whole device obtains a design suitable for the working environment. The adjusting member is for the most part built into the support rail and can easily be provided with internal stops which ensure certain end positions of the support rail without the risk of the rail being unscrewed. The rotatable adjusting means can easily be made with a relatively large diameter so that its thread pitch can be adjusted to a suitable self-inhibiting value. The adjusting means thus does not require any kind of locking in the set position. The disc-shaped cylindrical button of the adjusting member enables easy and accurate vertical adjustment of the support rail.

The vertically adjustable support according to the invention is preferably provided with two rotatable means arranged at each end of the support rail.

In a preferred embodiment, the base plate has a support rail adjacent portion on which the rotatable member is stored and an extended portion connected to said adjacent portion and arranged to be inserted under the keyboard.

To prevent accidental tearing of the support rail from the rotatable member, this preferably has a coaxially inner cylindrical portion with the outer threaded portion of the member. The inner cylindrical portion has one from

451 817 of the lower side of the member exiting coaxial bore with an inner bottom surface. A screw with a skull exits the support rail via a hole in the inner bottom surface of said bore and the screw shell forms abutment to the bottom surface for vertical movement of the support rail to an upper end position.

The support rail may advantageously be made of plastic, for example molded foam plastic;

The invention is described below in the form of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a palm rest according to the invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the support of Figure 1 with the support rail in a higher position relative to the base plate. Figure 3 is a side view of the support of Figure 1 with the support rail in a lowered position relative to the base plate. Figure 4 is an end view of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 1. Figure 6 shows, partly in section, a rotatable member for lifting and lowering the support rail relative to the base plate. Figure 7 shows the underside of the rotatable member. Figure 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 3, on a larger scale. Figure 9 shows the upper side of the rotatable member, on a larger scale.

Figures 1 to 5 show a wrist support 10 according to the invention, in perspective. The support comprises a support rail 12 mounted on a number of rotatable means 14 for parallel movement of the support to and from a base plate 16. (The parallel movement in the vertical direction is indicated by arrows 17 in Figure 2).

The support rail 12 may, for example, be made of molded foam plastic. Its outer geometric shape conforms to the shape of an elongated box with generally rectangular top, bottom, front and back, respectively designated 18, 19, 20 and 21. The top 18 is at an inclination of, for example, 5 ° away from the bottom or bottom 19, and extends from the front side 19 to the back side 20. The width of the top surface 18 from the side surface 22 to the side surface 23 is adapted to prepare space for one or both of the operator's hands, and may be, for example, 20-30 centimeters. For example, the side surfaces 22 and 23 are inclined 10 ° from the vertical line towards each other upwardly towards the upper side 18. The backside 21 extends vertically over a greater distance than the front side 20 due to the slope of the upper side 18. The edges 24 and 25 between the upper side 18 and the front side 20 and the rear side 21 respectively are rounded with a radius of about 4

451 817 about 1 centimeter. This radius, as well as the slope of the upper surface 18, are arranged to provide convenient support to the operator's wrists. Conveniently, the edges 26 at the side surfaces 22 and 23 are rounded with sufficient radius, and the corners 28 are similarly rounded to avoid damage.

Each rotatable member 14 consists of a button 30 and a cylindrical portion 32, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. For example, the rotatable member may be made of molded plastic. The knob 30 is intended for manual rotation and may be provided with a lightened outer annular surface 33 which increases friction to facilitate rotation of the knob. Each rotatable member 14 is positioned in the vicinity of the side surfaces 18 and 20 to obtain balanced and stable support for the rail 12. Although two such rotatable members 14 with each of a button 30 are shown, according to the invention a single button 30 or more than two buttons may be used, depending on the desired length of the upper surface 14 (between the side surfaces 18 and 20), material selection and the required strength of the support rail 12 and the rotatable members 14.

For example, the base plate 16 for the support 10 may be a 1.3 millimeter thick steel plate, arranged to abut against a work surface (not shown) with a horizontal plane extension and substantially parallel to the top surface 18 of the support rail 12. Each rotatable member 14 is secured to a nearby portion. 34 of the base plate 16. An additional portion 36 of the base plate 16 extends from said portion 34 in the direction of the rear of the support 10 and terminates at a trailing edge 37. For example, the width of the extended portion 36 is such that the portion can be inserted under a keyboard not shown. The length of the extended portion 36 from the adjacent portion 34 should be sufficient to prevent the support 10 from wobbling or tilting during use, and may be, for example, 15 to 20 centimeters. In the preferred embodiment with two rotatable members 14, the base plate 16 is generally T-shaped, the rotatable members 14 being secured to the adjacent portion 34 as described below. For example, this adjacent portion has the same length and width as the top surface 18 of the support rail 12. To prevent sliding of the base plate 16 on the work surface (not shown), cork plates 38 may be glued or otherwise secured to the underside 40 of the base plate 16.

Figure 6 shows the rotatable member 14 in more detail. The cylindrical portion 32 consists of a thin-walled outer cylinder 50 with an outer thread 52, and a thin-walled inner cylinder 54 which is concentrically disposed within the outer cylinder and has a central

451 817 bore 56 is limited by an upper end surface 58 having one aperture 60 which is substantially coaxial with bore 56 and has a smaller diameter than that. Between the outer cylinder 50 and the inner cylinder 54 there is an annular space 62. A number of circumferentially radial flanges 64 are located in the space 62 and connect the inner cylinder 50 with the outer cylinder 52. The flanges 64 can be, for example, substantially flat. The inner cylinder 54 is open at its end 66 facing away from the end surface 58. The inner cylinder 54 extends axially past the outer cylinder 50 at its said end 66 sufficiently for the surface 68 of a snap member 70 to be substantially the same height as but at a distance from the lower end 72 of the outer cylinder 50. 68 on the snap member 70 extends radially outwardly from the outer cylindrical surface 73 of the inner cylinder 54 and is substantially parallel to the end surface 58 of the bore 56. The snap member 70 further has an underside 74 of the end 66 and an inclined surface 76 extending from the underside 74 to the surface 68 at an angle of about 30 ° to 45 °. The lower end 72 of the outer cylinder 50 is connected to the button 30. The button 30 extends radially outside the outer thread 52 parallel to the end surface 58 and perpendicular to and away from the inner cylinder 54. The knob 30 is substantially annular and consists of an edge 80 and a substantially flat member 82 between this edge and the lower end 72 of the outer cylinder. The knob 30 may further be provided with an annular reinforcing flange 84. The edge 80 extends, for example, at a 45 ° angle from the flat member 82 in a downward direction. The outer end 86 of the edge 80 terminates at the same axial height but at a radial distance from the reinforcing flange 84 and the underside 74. The outer annular surface 33 of the edge 80 may have spaced recesses or ridges 88 or be relieved to achieve better friction upon manual rotation of the button 30. The rotatable member 14 may be integrally formed or consist of separately formed and then connected parts. such as the button 30 and the cylindrical portion 32.

Figure 7 shows the underside of the rotatable member 14. The outer cylinder 50 with its outer thread 52 and the inner cylinder 54 with the two snap members 70 and 90 are illustrated in the figure. Further, the reinforcing flange 84, the underside 74, the upper side 58 and the opening 60 are found. The snap members 70 and 90 are identical. Each snap member extends arcuate about the underside 74 over about a quarter of the circumference, and is diametrically opposite to the other member. The snap members 70 and 90 are provided with gripping holes

451 817 and 94 respectively, the information of which is explained below.

Figure 8 shows a section through the assembled support 10.

The inner cylinder 54 of each rotatable member is inserted into a suitably positioned hole 100 in the adjacent portion 34 of the base plate 16. The hole 100 has a slightly larger diameter than the outside diameter 73 of the inner cylinder 54 and less than the diametrical distance between the outer radial edges of the surfaces 68 and 69 of respective snap members 70 and 90. The gripping holes 92 and 94 extend axially a distance approximately equal to but less than the height of the snap members 70 and 90 in the direction from the underside 74 of the inner cylinder 54 in the direction of the upper surface 58 of the cylinder. These holes allow insertion of a gripper plier (not shown) for to facilitate assembly. The gripper plunger deforms the inner cylinder 54 by moving the gripping means 70 and 90 towards one another a sufficient distance to allow the gripping means to pass through the hole 100. Upon release, the resiliently deformable inner cylinder 54 returns to its previous diameter and is thereby axially locked in the hole 100 in the base plate 16 through the gripping means 70 and 90, but still rotatable in the hole. As desired, and depending on the material, shape and dimensions, any number of gripping means may be provided. Other techniques for locking the rotatable member 14 at the base plate may also be used.

An expansion sleeve 102 with an axial thread bore 104 is secured to a cylindrical recess 106 in an inner end wall 108 of a bore 110 in the support rail 12. Alternatively, the recess may have an axial internal thread. The bore 110 extends axially from the underside 19 of the support rail 12 in the direction of its upper surface 18, without, however, reaching it. The cylindrical wall 112 of the bore 110 is threaded to receive a corresponding thread on the outer cylinder 50 of the rotatable member 14. The rotatable member 14 is screwed into the bore 110 by rotation of the button 30. The figure shows the support 10 with the support rail 12 in its lower position, i.e. the vertical position in which the support rail is closest to the base plate 16. Vertical alignment of the support rail 12 relative to the base plate is easily accomplished by manual rotation of the outer annular surface 33 of the button 30, which in mounted condition extends beyond the front face 20 of the support rail and is thereby readily accessible. In the example shown, the support rail 12 is lowered by clockwise rotation of the button 30, viewed from the top of the support, while rotation counterclockwise raises the support rail.

To limit the vertical setting and. prevent accidental disassembly of the support rail 12 from the rotatable member 14

451 817, a locking screw 114 may be provided. The shaft 116 of the locking screw 114 is inserted through the bore 110 and the aperture 60 and engages in the threaded bore 104. The length of the shaft 116 between the top 58 and the skull 120 of the locking screw 114 should be less than the axial length of the outer thread 52 on assembly. the outer cylinder 50. The diameter of the screw shell must be greater than the diameter of the opening 60. As a result, the screw shell 120 comes into contact with the upper side 58 when the support rail 12 is in its upper vertical position, and then further prevents rotation of the button 30 in a direction that would otherwise lift the support rail 12 from the base plate. This prevents unintentional tearing of the support 10.

It will be appreciated that the recess 106, the thread bore 104, the inner cylinder 54, the outer cylinder 50 and the opening 60 are all coaxial.

In practical application of the invention, two substantially identical assemblies of Figure 8 are used in the form of two rotatable members 14 for the support 10.

Figure 9 shows the top surface of the rotatable member 14. The flat flanges 64 extend from the inner cylinder 54 to the outer cylinder.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the support 10 is not connected to the office machine or work surface. It is designed so that the required stability and support is obtained without such connection. For example, those working at the keyboard of a computer terminal (not shown) may place the support 10 closer or further from the keyboard to accommodate convenient working position. Since the support 10 rests only on the work surface, such an adjustment can easily be performed. If you wish to connect the base plate to the keyboard, the base plate can of course be easily adapted for this. For example, the base plate may be made integrally with the housing or frame of the keyboard (not shown) or screwed to the underside of the keyboard or to the work surface. These variants are within the scope of the invention.

451 817