Armrest apparatus

Supports – Armrest or headrest – Armrest for writer

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C400S715000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06592085

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pivotal armrest apparatus having a pivotal mechanism directly mounted on an anti-slip member. The pivotal mechanism automatically converts with the anti-slip member from irregular finger-movements into stress releasing movements, whereby RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) can hardly be generated on the upper torso, nerves, and muscles. Also, the armrest makes the installation area minimum while it is detachable and used as a comfortable rest means for respite.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, while keyboard users or typists use standard layout keyboards for carrying out e.g. word processing, their fingers are held over the home row position of it with their forearms extending horizontally at the height of the keyboard and their palms in parallel with the surface of it. However, such a standard attitude causes user to be tensioned at the hand, palm, forearm, upper arm, and backs. While the QWERTY-layout is a standard for keyboard, a variety of modified keyboards have been proposed for alleviating the discomfort of muscles, and nerves of users. However, those modifications are not widely accepted because users favor psychologically for the QWERTY-layout. It is thus desired to develop a user-friendly keyboard which can successfully reduce RSI while its design remains not departing from the standard layout.
B1) Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Heisei) 7-200121 describes a keyboard having a pointer and a tilting device for carrying out a pointing action with the hand remaining placed over the keyboard. In particular, the keyboard has an ergonomic arrangement comprising a left key bank and a right key bank separated at an angle of 20 to 36 degrees by an intermediate fan-like shaped sector which extends towards the front of the keyboard and has a track ball provided therein.
B2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,840 (Moss et al) describes a device which is slidably moved while supporting the forearm of a user from bottom.
B3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,896 (Terbrack) describes a device which is longitudinally moved slidably and pivotally moved about z-axis and has a linkage mechanism.
B4) U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,974 (Bergstern et al) describes a chair having armrests for supporting wrists which are adjustable in the height and pivotal about z-axis and also slidable longitudinally.
B5) Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Heisei) 10-211794 describes an arm support for a keyboard-user having a pivot attached to the distal end of a linkage mechanism. The linkage is secured to a desk edge by clamp. The device has a joint (pivot) for allowing the forearm of a user to operate smoothly.
B6) U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,256 (Gross) describes a device moving longitudinally and having an adjustable means in the height of the wrist.
B7) U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,208 (Bonutti) describes a device for a chair having a transfer means mounted on the upper end of an L-shaped support pipe thereof for sliding movement horizontally and rotary movements about three rotational axes independently.
B8) U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,064 (Copeland) describes a manually positionable support device, especially for a work surface, keyboard support or similar support platform.
B9) U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,408 (McAllister, et al) describes a workstation support for a keyboard and a mouse.
B10) U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,301 (McGrath, et al) describes an adjustable, sturdy upper body support assembly for keyboard operators.
B11) U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,064 (Hong) describes a wrist support suitable for use by computer users to reduce RSI comprising a cushion mounted from an articulated strut so as to be rotatable about three axes.
However, all the above described technologies have the following disadvantages. A subjective inventor-side-evaluation (good, medium, low, poor, void) of each technology is shown at the last line as follows; support function of the arm ( ), pivot function ( ), detachable function ( ), anti-RSI function ( ), rest function ( ), size ( ), durability ( ) production cost ( ).
C1) The keyboard described in B1) supports mainly palms but fails to provide any means for lifting the forearm in the air. The static load which results from holding forearms over the keyboard for a long time can hardly be decreased fundamentally.
CB1: support (void), pivot (void), detach (void), RSI (void), rest (void), size ( ), durability ( ), cost ( )
C2) The device described in 840 (Moss et al) has a support movable so as to be: (a) freely pivotable about z-axis; (b) freely slidable along its length. A cradle is supported from the distal end of the support so as to be freely pivotable about a yaw-axis, and in addition to pitch in a fore and aft direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the cradle. The pitch motion is controlled in part by biasing springs which bias the cradle to a neutral pitch position when an out-of-balance force is removed from the cradle. The slide means consisting of a concentric cylindrical form is moved longitudinally, it suffers from a high sliding resistance. The arm support is secured to the top of a table with a vacuum suction plate at its base. The support is used on the outside area of the base, and constantly received a gravity-moment created by the arm to the overturning direction. The required space for the slide movement is large above the top of the table, increasing the overall dimensions of the support. The cradle is supported by biasing springs, the forearm holds to stay substantially at a constant angular attitude, and this causes RSI during a long-term operation. The springs also cause fingers to drift slightly from one location to another, where by the accurate positioning of fingers needs its nerves and muscles being tensioned continuously.
CB2: support (medium), pivot (void), detach (low), RSI (low), rest (void), size (poor), durability (poor), cost (poor)
C3) The device described in 896 (Terbrack) comprises an elongate guide-track and a pair of support assemblies which are adapted to support user's palms adequately. Each of the support assemblies comprises a carriage slidably engaged to the guide-track and a linkage pivotally connected to the carriage. The pivotal connection and the slidable engagement of the carriage facilitates dynamic lateral and longitudinal movement of the support and hence the user's hands relative to the guide track. A pin in the linkage is hardly increased in the diameter, the strength is hardly enough to. The height control along z-axis is hardly considered, the forearm is hardly free from RSI. The rotatable linkage causes fingers to drift slightly from one location to another, the supported arm needs its nerves and muscles being tensioned continuously.
CB3: support (poor), pivot (void), detach (void), RSI (poor), rest (void), size (poor), durability (poor), cost (poor).
C4) The arm support described in 974 (Bergstern) is installed at a desk edge with clamp, and this causes a drawback of the drawer. The support occupies a broad surface of the desk. The sliding shaft of the support is constructed by a point contact, it receives concentrated loads and if worse, will bend down. The support once installed may hardly be removed, and includes a large number of components thus increasing the overall cost.
CB4: support (low), pivot (void), detach (void), RSI (poor), rest (void), size (poor), durability (poor), cost (poor)
C5) The arm support described in B5) has a similar drawback to 974 (Bergston). A linkage to the support occupies a bulky space of the desk, or the clamp shape of the linkage varies very widely matching to the edge shapes of the desks to be attached to. The clamp has a weak strength and impairs the surface of the desk. After a long-term use, the pivot may be impaired slippery thus making the support unstable. In case of mass-production, the compatibility of the pivot may hardly be guaranteed. The support is pivotally connected to the distal end of the linkage constantly receiving a gravity-moment created by the arm to the overturning direction, and causing fingers to slightly drift from one location to another,

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