Keyboard with wrist support

• US 5,826,839 A
• Filed: 02/12/1997
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Silitek Corporation (Lite-On Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Application Number:
  US08/797,923
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 248/118, 248/118.1, 248/118.3, 248/118.5, 248/918, 403/154, 403/316, 400/472, 16/381
• US Class Current: 248/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0221 Arrangements for reducing keyboard size for transport or storage, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F3/0216 takes precedence; for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1666
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/034 Support for hands or arms

Abstract

A keyboard with wrist support comprising a wrist support having a plurality of connecting plates at the rear end surface of said wrist support is provided. The connecting plates are provided with a pair of connecting arm at both ends respectively. Each of the connecting arms is provided with a pin shaft. The bottom of the front end surface of the keyboard is provided with a pair of connecting slots corresponding to the connecting plates of the wrist support. The side walls of the connecting slots are provided with pin holes corresponding to the pin shaft of the connecting arms such that the pin shaft can be pivotally engaged with the pin holes of the connecting slots of said keyboard. By this arrangement, the wrist support can be pivotally and removably attached to the keyboard. Consequently, the wrist support can be readily attached to the keyboard for application or removed therefrom for storage or packing.

Claims

1. A keyboard with wrist support, comprising:

the wrist support having a plurality of connecting plates at a rear end surface thereof, said connecting plates each being provided with a pair of connecting arms, each of said connecting arms being provided with a pin shaft;

the keyboard, a bottom of a front end surface of said keyboard being provided with a plurality of connecting slots at locations corresponding to said connecting plates of said wrist support, a side wall of said connecting slots defining pin holes at locations corresponding to said pin shaft provided on each of said connecting arms, each pin shaft being pivotally received in one of said pin holes of said connecting slots of said keyboard; and

a sliding slot disposed below each pin hole of said keyboard for guiding said pin shaft into said pin hole.

2. The keyboard with wrist support as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said connecting arms of said wrist support are provided with pin holes and said side wall of said connecting slots are provided with pin shafts and said pin shafts are pivotally received within said pin holes of said connecting arms of said wrist support.

3. A keyboard and wrist support combination, comprising:

the keyboard having a front end portion and a bottom surface, at least a part of said front end portion having a curved contour shape;

the wrist support having a rear end portion, at least a part of said rear end portion having a curved contour shape; and

coupling means for pivotally and releasably coupling said wrist support and said keyboard such that said curved contour shape of said front end portion at least partly overlaps with said curved contour shape of said rear end portion.

4. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 3, wherein:

said front end portion is a front end protruding portion and said rear end portion is a rear end recessed portion, and

said front end protruding portion is at least partly received in said rear end recessed portion.

5. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 4, wherein:

said curved contour shape of said front end protruding portion is spatially disposed from said curved contour shape of said rear end recessed portion.

6. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 4, wherein:

said coupling means includes a pin and recess connector.

7. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 4, wherein:

said coupling means includes at least one connecting plate fixed with the rear end recessed portion of the wrist support and at least one connecting slot defined in the bottom surface of the keyboard, said connecting slot defining at least one pin hole and said connecting plate having a connecting arm supporting at least one pin shaft, said pin shaft being pivotally and removably received in said pin hole.

8. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 7, wherein:

said connecting slot further defines a pin shaft entry slot, said pin shaft entry slot being connected with said pin hole.

9. The keyboard and wrist support combination defined by claim 4, wherein:

said coupling means includes at least one connecting plate fixed with the rear end recessed portion of the wrist support and at least one connecting slot defined in the bottom surface of the keyboard, said connecting slot having at least one pin shaft extending therefrom and said connecting plate having a connecting arm defining at least one pin hole, said pin shaft being pivotally and removably received in said pin hole.