Wrist rest assembly

• US 20050092871A1
• Filed: 12/13/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Kirchhoff, Kenneth J., Wolf, Robert J., Darvell, Wayne K., Barnidge, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US11/010,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20050092871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 248/118.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0378 filled with liquid or gel
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0392 height adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/0371 Platforms for supporting wrists
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/009 Keyboards associated with mousepads
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0093 Wrist pad cover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0395 Mouse pads
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/034 Support for hands or arms

Abstract

A wrist rest assembly for use along the front edge of a device to be operated by a person'"'"'s hands or fingers, such as in front of a computer keyboard, including an elongate base on which is supported an elongate pad comprising a layer of gel within the covering. The pad has sufficient thickness between its top and bottom surfaces and width between its edges to afford supporting a users wrists on said top surface with a portion of the layer of gel beneath and conforming to the supported wrists and to afford significant motion of the top surface of the pad with the supported wrists relative to the bottom surface in a plane generally parallel to the upper surface of the base. The base has a top portion supporting the pad, a bottom portion adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface; and structure that allows the top portion to be supported on the bottom portion with the top surface of the pad at a predetermined one of several different distances above that horizontal surface.

Claims

1. A wrist rest assembly for use in supporting a person'"'"'s wrist while using an input device such as a computer keyboard or mouse, said wrist rest assembly comprising:

a. a base having an upper surface and an opposite bottom surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface; and

b. a pad comprising a layer of stable elastomeric polymer gel, said pad having opposite top and bottom surfaces, opposite longitudinally extending edges, and opposite longitudinally spaced ends, the bottom surface of said pad being supported on the upper surface of said base, said pad having a sufficient thickness between said top and bottom surfaces and width between said edges to afford supporting a users wrists on said top surface with a portion of the layer of gel beneath and conforming to the supported wrists and to afford significant motion of the top surface of the pad with the supported wrists relative to the bottom surface of the pad in a horizontal plane.

2. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pad comprises an elongate generally tubular layer of flexible polymeric material around the gel, said tubular layer being sealed at said ends of said pad to retain the gel within the tubular layer and to provide a flexible barrier to the escape of liquids from within the gel.

3. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said assembly further includes an outer layer over the top surface of the pad of soft conformable material adapted for comfortable contact with a users wrists.

4. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pad comprises an elongate generally tubular layer of flexible polymeric material around the gel, said tubular layer being sealed at said ends of said pad to retain the gel within the tubular layer and to provide a flexible barrier to the escape of liquids from within the gel;

and said assembly further includes an outer layer over the top surface of the pad of soft conformable material adapted for comfortable contact with a users wrists.

5. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said base comprises a top portion having said upper surface supporting the bottom surface of said pad;

a bottom portion having said bottom surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface; and

means for supporting said top portion on said bottom portion with the top surface of said pad at a predetermined one of several different distances above said bottom surface of said base.

6. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said pad is in the range of about ⅛

inch to 5 inches thick between said top and bottom surfaces and said top surface is in the range of about ½

inch to 10 inches wide between said edges.

7. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein the motion of said top surface of said pad with a supported wrist relative to said bottom surface of said pad in a plane generally parallel to the supported surface of the base allows that wrist to move in any direction in a generally circular area having a diameter of at least about one-half inch.

8. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein the motion of said top surface of said pad with a supported wrist relative to said bottom surface of said pad in a plane generally parallel to the supported surface of the base allows that wrist to move in any direction in a generally circular area having a diameter of about one inch.

9. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 further including a base plate attached along and having a portion projecting from the surface of said base, said projecting portion of said base plate being adapted to support the device.