Wrist support for use with an office machine having a keyboard

• US 4,545,554 A
• Filed: 08/31/1981
• Issued: 10/08/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wright Line, Inc. (Enerpac Tool Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Wright Line, Inc. (Enerpac Tool Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Latino, Richard M., Crabbe, David K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britts, Ramon S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lechok, Sarah A.
• Application Number:
  US06/298,134
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 248/188.4, 248/188.1, 248/188.2, 248/118, 248/118.1, 248/118.3, 248/118.5, 108/43, 84/469, 84/328
• US Class Current: 248/118.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0392 height adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/0371 Platforms for supporting wrists

Abstract

This invention relates to office machines and accessories therefor, and more particularly to a wrist support for use with office machines having a keyboard such as a computer terminal keyboard. The wrist support described and claimed herein is a device which is designed to fit horizontally against the front of the keyboard thus providing means of support for the operators arms.

Claims

1. A wrist support for use with a keyboard, comprising a base, an elongate support bar having a top and bottom surface, first and second spaced apart rotatable means, means for securing said first and second rotatable means to said base for preventing axial movement therebetween while permitting rotational movement relative thereto, said first and second rotatable means each including a cylindrical portion having an exterior threaded surface, and a knob operable separately from said securing means, disposed adjacent to said base and fixedly connected at a first end of said cylindrical portion, said bottom surface of said support bar having therethrough an internally threaded bore which extends axially from said bottom surface toward though not to said top surface, said bore being sized to receive a second end of said cylindrical portion in threaded engagement therewith, wherein manual rotation of said knob turns said cylindrical portions therewith relative to the support bar causing the support bar to screw or unscrew on the cylindrical portions, and thereby adjusts the height of the support bar relative to the base without disassembly therefrom.

2. The wrist support of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a proximal portion to which is secured said rotatable means and a distal portion connected to and substantially coplanar with said proximal portion and extending therefrom and beyond said support bar, said base being adapted and configured to support said support bar and said distal portion to slide beneath the keyboard.

3. The wrist support of claim 1 further comprising means for preventing accidental disassembly of the support bar from the rotatable means.

4. The wrist support of claim 1 wherein the bore in said support bar is defined by a threaded cylindrical surface and a surface perpendicularly connected to said cylindrical surface at the axial extent thereof closest to the top surface of the support bar and in spaced-parallel relation thereto, and said support bar further includes a relief defined within said perpendicular surface, said relief having a threaded bore for receiving a threaded shank of a bolt.

5. The wrist support of claim 4 wherein each rotatable means includes an inner and an outer cylindrical portion, said outer cylindrical portion having a threaded outer cylindrical surface, said inner cylinder being concentric to and within said outer cylinder, said inner cylinder having a bore therethrough and a top surface substantially parallel to the top surface of said support bar, said top surface of said inner cylinder having a hole therethrough sized to receive the shank of the bolt with a clearance fit, but smaller in diameter than said head of said bolt, whereby when said knob is rotated in a direction which vertically raises said support bar relative to said base, said vertical movement is limited beyond a predetermined point by the action of the head of the bolt against the hole in the top surface of the inner cylinder.

6. The wrist support of claim 1 wherein the securing means includes an elastically deformable snap feature, said base has a hole;

and said snap feature, when deformed, extends through said hole with a clearance fit and when no longer deformed, returns to its nondeformed configuration which prevents the removal of the snap feature from the hole.