Integrated wrist rest

Details Integrated wrist rest Integrated wrist rest

1999-06-24

2001-04-17

Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)

Supports

Armrest or headrest

C248S118100, C248S118500, C400S715000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06216988

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of portable computers and other electronic, information devices, and more particularly, to an integrated wrist rest for such devices.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Current portable computers (laptops and notebooks) and other electronic information devices with keyboard-type user interfaces do not offer much in the way of wrist rests. These devices typically have no wrist rest at all, or they may have a surface area on the lower portion of the molded keyboard bezel that includes a sprayed or painted coating, or a glued-on foam-like or plastic material. Unfortunately, the materials used on these wrist rest areas in current devices are prone to tearing off, bubbling-up, scratching, or wearing off through normal use. When this happens, the wrist rest material cannot be replaced by the user. Rather, the user is required to either continue to use the device with the damaged or worn wrist rest area, or send the device back to the manufacturer and have the entire keyboard bezel replaced.
Moreover, packaging difficulties in portable electronic devices have forced designers of current integrated wrist rests to sacrifice user comfort and wrist rest functionality. A sprayed-on or painted-on coating in the wrist rest area does not significantly increase the user's comfort, and offers little protection from wrist and hand injuries due to repetitive keystroking.
A padded wrist rest that is integral to the device would improve the marketability of portable computers and other devices because it would make the use of that device more convenient and more comfortable, particularly for frequent users who may be susceptible to repetitive-motion type injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. An integral wrist rest is preferable to an after-market, detachable wrist rest, because an integral wrist rest allows the user to simply open the device and begin typing. In contrast, detachable wrist rests for laptops and notebook computers are commonly attached to the computer by the user after it is opened, and must be removed in order to close and store the computer. Detachable wrist rests are much less convenient, because they must be assembled with the computer for use, and because they add to the cords, batteries, disks, and other computer paraphernalia that must be carried around by the portable computer user. In addition, users may find the attachment/removal process of removable wrist rests so inconvenient that they forgo using them at all.
The present invention addresses these deficiencies by providing an integrated wrist rest for use in portable electronic devices, where the wrist rest is padded for the user's comfort and protection. Moreover, the present invention is more convenient than existing integral wrist rests used in portable electronic devices, because it can be removed by the user and replaced when it becomes worn or damaged. Finally, the present invention can be constructed from a material that sinks unwanted heat from the user and provides shock protection for the electronic device's display area.
SUMMARY
The present invention is an integral, padded wrist rest that is designed for use with a laptop or notebook computer, or other electronic device that employs a user interface that requires extensive or repetitive hand or finger movements. The wrist rest is integral with the electronic device, meaning that the wrist rest is sold with the device and does not have to be removed from the device to close and store the device. While the present invention is not intended to be removed in the normal course of use, it can be removed and replaced by an ordinary user with ordinary mechanical skills, using either no tools or ordinary household tools.
The present invention comprises a pad preferably manufactured from encapsulated gel, which also serves to sink unwanted heat away from the user, or it can be manufactured from closed-cell foam, fabric-covered padding, vinyl-covered padding, or leather-covered padding, that is coupled to the electronic device. These materials may also provide shock protection for the electronic device's display area. The present invention may also include a base having a lower surface and an upper surface, in which case the pad is coupled to the upper surface of the base. The base is then either slid, screwed or snapped into the portable electronic device, which includes structure that captures and holds the base-and-pad assembly to the device.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5570268 (1996-10-01), Selker
patent: 5596481 (1997-01-01), Liu et al.
patent: 5713544 (1998-02-01), Wolf et al.
patent: 5971332 (1999-10-01), Sun et al.
patent: 5980143 (1999-11-01), Bayer et al.
patent: 6017006 (2000-01-01), Cherubini et al.

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