Wrist rest assembly

• US 5,547,154 A
• Filed: 10/18/1994
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Kirchhoff, Kenneth J., Wolf, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin-Shue, Alvin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAN, KO HUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/324,734
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 248/118, 248/118.1, 248/118.3, 248/118.5, 248/918, 248/911, 248/188.2, 400/715
• US Class Current: 248/118.3
• 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: Y10S 248/918 Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen

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 assembly on which is supported an elongate pad. The base assembly 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 two different distances above that horizontal surface by switching ends of the top portion with respect to the ends of the bottom portion.

Claims

1. A wrist rest assembly for use along the from edge of a device to be operated by a person'"'"'s hands or fingers, such as in front of a computer keyboard, computer mouse or other input device, said wrist rest assembly comprising:

a base assembly having an upper pad support surface and an opposite bottom supported surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface along the front edge of the device; and

an elongate pad comprising a layer of gel, said pad having opposite top and bottom surfaces, opposite longitudinally extending edges, and opposite longitudinally spaced ends, the bottom surface of said elongate pad being supported on the upper pad support surface of said base assembly, 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 in a horizontal plane;

said base assembly comprises an elongate top portion having said upper surface supporting the bottom surface of said elongate pad and first and second ends; and

_a bottom portion comprising an elongate part having said bottom supported surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface, and first and second ends;

the length dimensions between said ends of said elongate top portion and between said ends of said elongate part of said bottom portion being parallel to each other and said elongate top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion having engaging parts adapted for engagement in a first relative orientation with said first ends of said top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion adjacent one another, said second ends of said top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion adjacent one another, and with the top surface of said elongate pad supported at a first predetermined level with respect to said bottom supported surface, and adapted for engagement in a second relative orientation with said first end of said top portion adjacent the second end of said elongate part of the bottom portion, with said second end of said top portion adjacent the first end of said elongate part of the bottom portion, and with the top surface of said elongate pad supported at a second predetermined level with respect to said bottom supported surface.

2. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said bottom portion includes a tray adjacent said elongate part having an upper surface adapted to support a computer keyboard;

in said first relative orientation the top surface of the pad is about 1 inch above the upper surface of the tray; and

in said second relative orientation the top surface of the pad is about 1.4 inches above the upper surface of the tray.

3. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said bottom portion has a peripheral wall having outer and inner surfaces and a channel along said inner surface, said top portion has a lip projecting at generally a right angle to said upper pad support surface adapted to be received in said channel in either of said relative orientations, and has a plurality of support members projecting at generally a right angle to said upper pad support surface, and said bottom portion has a plurality of first support surfaces adapted to be engaged by and to support said support members in said first relative orientation, and a plurality of second support surfaces adapted to be engaged by and to support said support members in said second relative orientation.

4. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said top portion has a groove in said lip adjacent and extending entirely around said upper surface, said pad comprises a flexible liquid impervious cover layer around the side of the gel opposite the upper pad support surface and a layer of polymeric material along the side of the gel adjacent the pad support surface with portions of said layers around the layer of gel being in said groove, and said wrist rest assembly includes a sealing member in the groove on the side of said layers opposite said top portion, and means for attaching said sealing member to the top portion to retain said portions of the layers in the groove.

5. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 4 wherein said cover layer includes an outer layer defining the top surface of the pad of soft conformable material adapted for comfortable contact with a users wrists.

6. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 1 wherein said gel is a stable elastomeric block polymer gel.

7. 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, computer mouse or other input device, said wrist rest assembly comprising:

a base assembly having an upper pad support surface and an opposite bottom supported surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface along the front edge of the device; and

an elongate pad having opposite top and bottom surfaces;

said base assembly comprises an elongate top portion having said upper surface supporting the bottom surface of said elongate pad and first and second ends; and

a bottom portion comprising an elongate part having said bottom supported surface adapted to be supported on a horizontal surface, and first and second ends;

the length dimensions between the ends of said elongate top portion and between said ends of said elongate part of said bottom portion being parallel to each other and said elongate top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion having engaging parts adapted for engagement in a first relative orientation with said first ends of said top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion adjacent one another, said second ends of said top portion and said elongate part of said bottom portion adjacent one another, and with the top surface of said elongate pad supported at a first predetermined level with respect to said bottom supported surface, and adapted for engagement in a second relative orientation with said first end of said top portion adjacent the second end of said elongate part of the bottom portion, with said second end of said top portion adjacent the first end of said elongate part of the bottom portion, and with the top surface of said elongate pad supported at a second predetermined level with respect to said bottom supported surface.

8. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 7 wherein said bottom portion includes a tray adjacent said elongate part having an upper surface adapted to support a computer keyboard or similar device;

in said first relative orientation the top surface of the pad is about 1 inch above the upper surface of the tray; and

in said second relative orientation the top surface of the pad is about 1.4 inches above the upper surface of the tray.

9. A wrist rest assembly according to claim 7 wherein said bottom portion has a peripheral wall having outer and inner surfaces and a channel along said inner surface, said top portion has a lip projecting at generally a right angle to said upper pad support surface adapted to be received in said channel in either of said relative orientations, and has a plurality of support members projecting at generally a right angle to said upper pad support surface, and said bottom portion has a plurality of first support surfaces adapted to be engaged by and to support said support members in said first relative orientation, and a plurality of second support surfaces adapted to be engaged by and to support said support members in said second relative orientation.