Wrist rest support

• US 5,407,156 A
• Filed: 10/27/1993
• Issued: 04/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Curtis Computer Products Incorporated (ACCO Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Curtis Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Hotaling, Bryan R., Rossman, Jon R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US08/143,863
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 248/118, 248/118.1, 248/118.3, 248/118.5, 248/918, 400/715
• US Class Current: 248/118.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/0371 Platforms for supporting wrists
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/918 Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen

Abstract

A wrist rest support for the wrist of a user engaged in repetitive motions of the fingers and hands, which wrist rest support comprises a support section having a top and bottom surface, the top surface having a surface area with a detachable, flexible, plastic wrist-cushioning sheet material thereon and a shape to provide support to the wrist of the user, a base section having a top surface to be detachably secured to the bottom surface of the support section, and a plurality of extending lugs on the support section and a plurality of lug-receiving spaces on the base section and aligned with and adapted to receive the lugs therein of the other section in a snug-fitting, detachable relationship to secure the support section to the base and to permit easy detachment of the sections from each other to enable the user to replace the flexible, plastic wrist-cushioning material if desired, and an outwardly extending planar section on the base section adapted to be grasped by the user for positioning the wrist rest support and for detaching the top section from the base section.

Claims

1. A wrist rest support for the wrist of a user engaged in repetitive motions of the fingers and hands, which wrist rest support comprises:

a) a support section formed of a molded plastic material having a top and an open bottom surface, the top surface having a surface area and a shape to provide support to the wrist of the user;

b) a base section formed of molded plastic material having a top surface;

c) detachable securing means which comprises a plurality of extending lugs on the top surface of the base section or the bottom surface of the support section and a plurality of lug-receiving spaces on the other respective base or support section surface and aligned with and adapted to receive the lugs therein of the other section in a snug-fitting, detachable relationship to secure the support section to the base section and to permit easy detachment of the sections from each other; and

d) a flexible, wrist-cushioning sheet material which extends over the top surface area of the support section in a taut condition, and which sheet material extends into the open bottom surface of the support section and is secured in a removable manner between the bottom surface of the support section and the top surface of the base section.

2. The support of claim 1 wherein the base section has planar dimensions generally the same as the planar dimensions of the bottom surface of the support section.

3. The support of claim 1 wherein the base section includes a pair of spaced-apart, elongated rib elements secured to the top surface of the base section and wherein the support section includes a flexible, wrist-cushioning sheet material wrapped around the top surface thereof and over the top surface of the parallel rib elements, the rib elements placed to secure the flexible sheet material to the top surface.

4. The support of claim 1 wherein the base section has on one side thereof an outwardly extending planar section adapted to be grasped by the user for positioning the wrist rest support.

5. The support of claim 1 wherein the top surface area of the support section has a generally sectional ellipsoidal shape.

6. In a combination, a work station on a work surface and the wrist rest support of claim 1 positioned in front of the work station for use by a user.

7. The support of claim 1 wherein the flexible plastic sheet material comprises a generally rectangular foam plastic wrist-cushioning sheet material having opposite edges which extend over the top surface and to the bottom surface of the support section.

8. The support of claim 7 wherein the flexible plastic sheet material is detachably secured about the top surface area of the support and wherein the opposite edges are frictionally secured between the support and bottom sections without the use of adhesives.

9. The support of claim 1 wherein the lug-receiving spaces and the lugs comprise in number from about 2 to 6, and which lug-receiving spaces and lugs are generally uniformly spaced throughout the length of the respective aligned support section and base section.

10. The combination of claim 6 wherein the work station comprises a computer keyboard.

11. The support of claim 1 wherein the support section includes slightly raised end sections at either end of the support section, and which support section includes a flexible wrist-cushioning plastic sheet material placed on the top surface area of the support section and extending between the end sections.

12. The support of claim 1 wherein the sheet material has anti-static properties and includes a wire connection means for connection to a ground.

13. A wrist rest support for the wrist of a user engaged in repetitive motions of the fingers and hands, which wrist rest support comprises:

a) a support section of a molded plastic material having a top and bottom surface, the top surface having a top surface area and a curvilinear shape to provide support to the wrist of the user, and the bottom surface having a plurality of spaced-apart, downwardly extending lug-receiving spaces therein;

b) a base section of a molded plastic material having planar dimensions generally matching the planar dimensions of the bottom of the support section, and having a generally flat top surface with a plurality of spaced-apart, upwardly extending lugs, the lugs adapted to be aligned with and received in a friction fitting engaging manner within the lug-receiving spaces of the support section to secure the support section to the base section, whereby the support section is detachably secured to the base section and may be positioned in use by a user in front of a work station;

c) the support section having raised end sections at either end; and

d) a detachable, flexible, wrist-cushioning sheet material having outer edges and extending generally in a taut condition over the top surface area of the support section and generally between the end sections and secured detachably between the bottom surface of the support section and the top surface of the base section.

14. The support of claim 13 wherein the base section has an outwardly extending, generally centrally positioned oval section on one side to permit the oval section to be grasped by a user.

15. The support of claim 13 wherein the base section includes a pair of elongated rib elements on either side and the support section includes an elongated rib receiving space to receive the elongated ribs of the base section, the ribs receiving the outer edges of the wrist-cushioning sheet material to engage frictionally the wrist cushioning sheet material in a taut condition without adhesive on the top surface of the support section.

16. The support of claim 13 wherein the wrist-cushioning sheet material comprises an anti-static, carbon particle-containing, foam sheet material and wire grounding means to connect the anti-static sheet material to a ground in use.

17. A wrist rest support for the wrist of a user engaged in repetitive motions of the fingers and hands, which wrist rest support comprises:

a) a single support section integrally formed of a molded, hard plastic material having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface having a surface area and shape to provide support to the wrist of the user;

b) a single base section integrally formed of a molded, hard plastic material having a generally flat bottom surface and a top surface, the base section having planar dimensions generally the same as the planar dimensions of the bottom surface of the support section;

c) detachable securing means which comprises a plurality of spaced apart, generally vertically extending, tapered lugs on the top surface of the base section or the bottom surface of the support section, and a plurality of lug-receiving spaces on the other respective base section or support section and aligned with and adapted to receive the lugs therein in a snug, detachable, friction-engaging relationship to secure in a releasable manner the support section to the base section; and

d) a flexible, wrist-cushioning sheet material extending over and secured to the top surface area of the support section.

18. The support of claim 17 wherein the lugs are positioned on the top surface of the base section and are generally uniformly spaced apart substantially along the length of the base section.

19. The support of claim 17 wherein the lugs are generally multipetal lugs, and the lug-receiving spaces are generally cylindrical spaces.

20. The support of claim 17 which includes raised end sections at either end of the support section.

21. The support of claim 17 wherein the base section has an open bottom surface and the sheet material extends over tho top surface area and into the open bottom surface and is detachably retained in a taut condition over the top surface area between the secured base section and the support section.

22. The support of claim 17 wherein the base section includes a generally centrally positioned, outwardly extending, planar section on one side adapted to be grasped by the user for positioning the wrist rest support.