Ergonomic support pad

• US 5,884,879 A
• Filed: 08/12/1997
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CAU Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Marc Gruenenfelder
• Inventors: Gruenenfelder, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berger, Derek J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAXTER, GWENDOLYN WRENN
• Application Number:
  US08/909,835
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 248/118, 248/118.1, 248/118.3, 248/118.5, 248/918, 248/911, 400/715, 400/718, D14/114, 108/69, 108/91
• US Class Current: 248/118
• 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

An ergonomic support pad for supporting the forearm and wrist of a person operating a computer'"'"'s in-out device may comprise bottom, middle, and top layers of open celled polyurethane foam material of substantially uniform thickness, preferably of the type which softens on contact with a warm surface thereby providing uniform pressure distribution and firm, yet fluid, support. The bottom layer has a bottom surface for resting on a supporting surface and the top layer has a top surface for engageably receiving the forearm and wrist of the person. Each layer exhibits different indentation force deflections, the bottom layer being firmest and the top layer being most supple. The support pad is approximately one to two inches thick, preferably four sided, and may be round or oval or of other shapes as viewed in plan. When multi-sided, it may have biased corner surfaces joining adjoining pairs of longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces. Longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces of the top layer are substantially perpendicular to the top surface and longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces of the middle and bottom layers are respectively uniformly angularly disposed with respect to the bottom surface, the bottom surface area being smaller than the top surface area. The support pad may have only two layers or more than three layers and may also be of one or more layers with each layer exhibiting a continuous gradient of values of indentation force deflections.

Claims

1. An ergonomic support pad for receiving and supporting the forearm and wrist of a person operating an in-out device for a computer comprising:

bottom, middle, and top layers of plastic foam material, each of said layers being of substantially uniform thickness, said bottom layer having a bottom surface for resting on a supporting surface, said top layer being exposed and having a top surface adapted for engageably receiving the forearm and wrist of the person, said middle layer being intermediate and sandwiched between said bottom layer and said top layer, said layers exhibiting indentation force deflections, as measured by ASTM D3574 Test B1, which are, respectively, for said bottom layer;

in the approximate range of 488 lbf @ 10°

C., 27 lbf @ 21°

C. and 9 lbf @ 38°

C., for said middle layer;

in the approximate range of 315 lbf @ 10°

C., 10 lbf @ 21°

C. and 7 lbf @ 38°

C., and for said top layer;

in the approximate range of 34 lbf @ 10°

C., 4 lbf @ 21°

C. and 3 lbf @ 38°

C., said ergonomic support pad having a total thickness in the approximate range of one to two inches.

2. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 being of substantially quadrilateral shape as seen in plan view having first and second opposed longitudinal surfaces and first and second opposed lateral surfaces and four corner surfaces being biased and joining, respectively, adjoining pairs of said longitudinal and lateral surfaces.

3. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 being of substantially quadrilateral shape as seen in plan view having first and second opposed longitudinal edge surfaces and first and second opposed lateral edge surfaces, said longitudinal edge surfaces and said lateral edge surfaces extending, respectively, from said bottom surface to said top surface, said longitudinal edge surface and said lateral edge surface, respectively, of said top layer lying in planes which are substantially perpendicular to said top surface, said longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces of said middle and bottom layers being respectively uniformly angularly disposed with respect to said bottom surface, the area of said bottom surface being smaller than the area of said top surface.

4. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 being composed of open celled polyurethane material.

5. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 being composed of open celled polyurethane material of the type which softens on contact with a warm surface thereby providing uniform pressure distribution and firm, yet fluid, support of the person'"'"'s arm and wrist.

6. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1

wherein the combined thicknesses of said bottom and middle layers is approximately equal to the thickness of said top layer.

7. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 being of substantially quadrilateral shape as seen in plan view having first and second opposed longitudinal edge surfaces and first and second opposed lateral edge surfaces and four corner surfaces being biased and joining, respectively, adjoining pairs of said longitudinal edge and lateral surfaces, said longitudinal edge surfaces and said lateral edge surfaces extending, respectively, from said bottom surface to said top surface, said longitudinal edge surface and said lateral edge surface, respectively, of said top layer lying in planes which are substantially perpendicular to said top surface, said longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces of said middle and bottom layers being respectively uniformly angularly disposed with respect to said bottom surface, the area of said bottom surface being smaller than the area of said top surface.

8. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 having a substantially continuous unbroken outer edge surface.

9. The ergonomic support pad as set forth in claim 1 having a substantially continuous unbroken outer edge surface extending from said bottom surface to said top surface, said outer edge surface of said top layer lying in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to said top surface, said outer edge surfaces of said middle and bottom layers being respectively uniformly angularly disposed with respect to said bottom surface, the area of said bottom surface being smaller than the area of said top surface.

10. An ergonomic support pad for receiving and supporting the forearm and wrist of a person operating an in-out device for a computer comprising:

at least bottom and top layers of plastic foam material, each of said layers being of substantially uniform thickness, said bottom layer having a bottom surface for resting on a supporting surface, said top layer being exposed and having a top surface adapted for engageably receiving the forearm and wrist of the person, said layers exhibiting indentation force deflections, as measured by ASTM D3574 Test B1, which are, respectively, for said bottom layer;

in the approximate range of 488 lbf @ 10°

C., 27 lbf @ 21°

C. and 9 lbf @ 38°

C. and for said top layer;

in the approximate range of 34 lbf @ 10°

C., 4 lbf @ 21°

C. and 3 lbf @ 38°

C., said ergonomic support pad having a total thickness in the approximate range of one to two inches.

11. An ergonomic support pad for receiving and supporting the forearm and wrist of a person operating an in-out device for a computer comprising:

at least a single layer of plastic foam material having a bottom surface for resting on a supporting surface and having a top surface adapted for engageably receiving the forearm and wrist of the person, said single layer exhibiting a continuous gradient of values of indentation force deflections, as measured by ASTM D3574 Test B1, which are, respectively, adjacent said bottom surface;

in the approximate range of 488 lbf @ 10°

C., 27 lbf @ 21°

C. and 9 lbf @ 38°

C., and adjacent said top surface;

in the approximate range of 34 lbf @ 10°

C., 4 lbf @ 21°

C. and 3 lbf @ 38°

C., said ergonomic support pad having a total thickness in the approximate range of one to two inches.