Touch pad guard with optional wrist pad

• US 6,756,971 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnny Jaskot, Steven E. Ramey
• Original Assignee: Johnny Jaskot, Steven E. Ramey
• Inventors: Ramey, Steven E., Jaskot, Johnny
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/575,032
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/169, 345/179, 345/173, 361/683, 361/212, 361/687
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2217/034 Support for hands or arms

Abstract

A touch pad guard is used to guard a touch pad on a portable computer to prevent inadvertent contact with the touch pad by the user'"'"'s hand. The touch pad guard includes a guard member having one or more closed side regions for preventing the user'"'"'s hands from contacting the touch pad. The guard member also has an open bottom region and one or more open side regions for allowing the user'"'"'s fingers to access the touch pad for controlling the cursor on the computer. In one embodiment, the touch pad guard further includes an attachment device that removably attaches the guard member to a surface of the computer keyboard housing. An optional wrist pad can be coupled to the touch pad guard for supporting the user'"'"'s wrists while using the keyboard. The touch pad guard can also be integrally attached to the surface of the keyboard housing. The touch pad guard can also be retractable such that the touch pad guard moves to a retracted position when a portable computer is closed and moves to an in-use position when the portable computer is opened.

Claims

1. A touch pad guard comprising:

a bottom region adapted to be disposed generally about a portion of a perimeter of a touch pad on a keyboard such that said bottom region generally does not contact said touch pad;

a top region having a portion adapted to be disposed on top of at least a portion of said touch pad such that while said touch pad guard is disposed on said keyboard, said top region prevents a user'"'"'s hand from inadvertently contacting said touch pad while providing said user'"'"'s hand generally unrestricted access to a plurality of keys of said keyboard; and

an open region adapted to receive at least one finger of a user and to allow said user to deliberately access to said touch pad while said touch pad guard is disposed on said keyboard wherein said touch pad guard does not overlie any portion of said plurality of keys and prevents accidental contact with said touch pad.

2. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said touch pad guard further includes at least two support members extending generally from a first and a second side region of said touch pad guard.

3. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said touch pad guard further includes an attachment device for attaching said touch pad guard to said keyboard.

4. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said top region is generally closed.

5. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 4 wherein said closed top region is rounded.

6. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said touch pad guard further includes three closed side regions.

7. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 1 wherein said open region is disposed generally in a front region of said touch pad guard.

8. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 7 wherein said open region faces generally towards a first side region of said touch pad guard.

9. A touch pad guard comprising:

a bottom region adapted to be disposed generally about a portion of a perimeter of a touch pad on a keyboard such that said bottom region generally does not contact said touch pad;

a top region having a portion adapted to be disposed on top of at least a portion of said touch pad such that while said touch pad guard is disposed on said keyboard, said top region prevents a user'"'"'s hand from inadvertently contacting said touch pad while providing said user'"'"'s hand generally unrestricted access to a plurality of keys of said keyboard;

an open region adapted to receive at least one finger of a user and to allow said user to deliberately access to said touch pad while said touch pad guard is disposed on said keyboard; and

at least two support members extending generally from a first and a second side region of said touch pad guard, wherein said touch pad guard does not overlie any portion of said plurality of keys and prevents accidental contact with said touch pad.

10. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 9 wherein said touch pad guard further includes three closed side regions.

11. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 10 wherein said open region is disposed generally in a front region of said touch pad guard.

12. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 11 wherein said open region faces generally towards a first side region of said touch pad guard.

13. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 9 wherein said top region is generally closed.

14. The touch pad guard as claimed in claim 13 wherein said closed top region is rounded.