Wrist rest assembly

• US 5,641,369 A
• Filed: 05/07/1996
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Inventors: Kirchhoff, Kenneth J., Wolf, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SELLS, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US08/646,414
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 156/73.1, 156/290, 156/292, 156/293, 156/308.2, 156/308.4, 156/309.6, 264/442, 264/443, 264/445
• US Class Current: 156/73.1
• 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: 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 method of making a wrist rest assembly for use along the front edge of a device to be operated by a person'"'"'s hands or fingers comprising:

providing a base assembly having an elongate upper pad support surface and a groove adjacent and extending around the upper surface;

positioning an elongate layer of gel along an elongate bottom layer of polymeric material;

positioning a flexible liquid impervious covering layer on the side of the layer of gel opposite the bottom layer;

positioning the resultant laminate along the upper pad support surface of the base assembly with portions of the bottom layer and the covering layer around the periphery of the layer of gel extending over the groove;

pressing a sealing member into the groove so that the sealing member carries with it the portions of the bottom layer and the covering layer around the periphery of the layer of gel; and

attaching the sealing member to the base assembly.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said step of attaching the sealing member to the base assembly comprises sonic welding the sealing member to the base assembly through the portions of the bottom layer and the covering layer around the periphery of the layer of gel.