Chairs and seats – With table – desk – or easel – Extensible from within or beneath seat component
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-25
2001-08-14
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
With table, desk, or easel
Extensible from within or beneath seat component
C297S188160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273502
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ergonomically designed chair for, inter alia, enabling convenient use of the latest wireless computer keyboard technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ergonomically designed chair having a keyboard support arrangement that is adjustable to individual workers, and which may be stored within the armrests of the chair when the keyboard is not in use.
2. Background of the Invention
With the recent arrival of “the information age,” the need has increased for workers in many fields to use computers to assist them in widely differing types of work. Not only have the numbers of workers using computers greatly increased, the amount of time a typical worker spends per day using a computer has greatly increased as well. Therefore, issues relating to worker comfort have taken on much greater importance. This is particularly true of the issue of prevention of long term injury to workers from radiation, especially to the eyes, from computer monitors, and wrist and arm strains such as carpal tunnel syndrome from repeated keyboard use.
Another trend in computer use has been towards two or more workers sharing the same computer. This is especially true of businesses having 24 hour operations, such as technical support or customer service, or international operations spanning differing time zones. The same computer may be used by several people on different shifts to avoid the waste of buying unnecessary computers. This has created additional comfort issues for workers of differing sizes and shapes using the same workstations with fixed keyboard adjustments.
Further, with the advent of wireless keyboard technology, the keyboard operator has been freed from the necessity of being in close proximity to his or her computer and monitor when giving keyboard commands. As a consequence, separate support arrangements divorced from the usual desk setup for the computer keyboard are useful in many environments and considerations such as space savings and aesthetic appearance make keyboard support arrangements that can be stowed out of sight increasingly attractive. Of course, with a common pair of keyboard and mouse extension cables, a non-wireless keyboard and mouse can also be used with the present invention as described below.
There have been attempts in the prior art to address some of these issues. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,706 to Bryan discloses a chair with vertically adjustable arms and foldable support tables on which a keyboard may be placed. The adjustment mechanism in the Bryan patent is such that the keyboard can only be adjusted in a vertical direction, which is not always sufficient to allow a user to locate the keyboard in a comfortable position. Further, the twin support tables do not provide support to the entire keyboard, so that the keyboard is in some danger of sliding or falling off the small supports. In addition, the keyboard must be removed whenever the user wishes to leave the chair, which can be a time consuming and awkward task, and increases the risk of damage to the keyboard.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a chair that includes a stowable keyboard support arrangement and which is capable of independently supporting a computer keyboard while providing a wide range of adjustment of the keyboard location to suit the needs of each individual user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, an ergonomically designed chair is provided which includes a stowable computer keyboard support arrangement that affords a wide range of adjustment of the keyboard location to suit the individual needs of each user. The support arrangement fully supports the keyboard while also enabling simple movement of the keyboard out of the way so as to permit convenient entry to and exit from the chair.
According to one aspect of the invention, a chair is provided that comprises a seat and a pair of armrests. Each armrest includes a compartment located therein, and each of the compartments includes a compartment door, a vertical support member disposed in the compartment, and a multi-link extendable support arm rotatable at one end about the support member for movement, when said door is open, between a storage position within the compartment and a support position outside of the compartment. One of the compartments also contains a keyboard support frame and means for storing said support frame within the compartment when the support frame is not in use. The support arms, when in the support position, are extendable to support the support frame therebetween at a desired location relative to the door. The support frame, when in use, is anchored to the support arms so as to support a computer keyboard.
Preferably, the keyboard is stored by using at least one support bracket located on an interior side wall of a door. Advantageously, the doors are located on the outer sides of the armrests and each armrest includes a hinge for mounting the associated door, so that the doors open rearwardly away from the front of the chair.
Preferably, an adjustable means is provided for mounting each of the multi-link support arms for vertical movement along the respective support member so that the arms can be vertically adjusted. The adjustable means include a plurality of vertically spaced slots in the vertical support member and a spring carried by each respective arm at the one end for releasably engaging a selected slot so as to retain the arm at a desired vertical height along the support member determined by the selected slot engaged by the spring.
Advantageously, the multi-link arm is comprised of three links. A first link is rotatable about the support member, and movable vertically therealong. A second link is pivotably connected to the first link and a third link is pivotably connected to the second link. Preferably, the multi-link arm is further comprised of two adjustable joints. A first adjustable joint pivotably connects the first and second links and a second adjustable joint for pivotably connects the second and third links. The joints each comprise a yoke end of one of the links and a rod end of another link, with the rod end being received in the yoke end, and a tightening means being provided for securing the yoke end and rod end together in a selected, fixed relation. Each multi-link arm further comprises an anchor element located on the free end of the third link for securing the keyboard support frame to the arm.
Advantageously, each of the compartments further comprises an opening, located at the front of the associated compartment, for enabling the respective arm to extend outside of the compartment in its support position when the compartment door is closed.
In preferred implementation, the keyboard support frame comprises a plurality of sliding rails that enable adjustment of the length and width of the keyboard frame. Advantageously, the sliding rails comprise two parallel sliding rails extending along the width of the frame, and three parallel sliding rails extending along the length of the frame. The center rail of the three parallel rails has first and second spaced openings therein for receiving an anchor element of a respective support arm, and one of the openings comprises an elongated slot. Preferably, the keyboard support frame further comprises ball bearings for providing a gliding action between the rails. Advantageously, means are provided for supporting a computer mouse at one end of the keyboard support frame.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in, or will be apparent from, the detailed description of a preferred embodiment which follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1888525 (1932-11-01), Callaway et al.
patent: 2518381 (1950-08-01), Runkles
patent: 2741300 (1956-04-01), Tubbs et al.
patent: 2845113 (1958-07-01), Keel
patent: 2947348 (1960-08-01), Peckham
patent: 4834449 (1989-05-01), Engelman
patent: 4852940 (1989-08-01), Kanigowski
patent: 5022706 (1991-06-01), Bryan
patent: 5217277 (1993-06-01), Rasnick et a
Jr. Milton Nelson
Larson & Taylor PLC
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