Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-28
2002-12-03
Shalwala, Bipin (Department: 2673)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S157000, C248S118000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06489947
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to devices for minimizing work-related injuries caused by the use of computers, and more particularly relates to ergonomic computer-pointing devices such as an ergonomic computer mouse.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that the extended use of a computer-pointing device, such as a computer mouse, can cause a computer user to suffer from cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) or repetitive strain injuries (RSI). Computer users are often afflicted with pains in the hands and the wrists caused by excessive wrist movements such as flexion and hyperextension of the wrist. Computer users can also suffer from soreness and fatigue in the shoulders and the neck due to excessive arm and shoulder motions associated with use of computer-pointing devices.
Long period of repetitive motion associated with the use of the computer mouse coupled with incorrect hand posture while using the mouse may cause disorders in the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the numbness, tingling and loss of strength of the hand and wrist, and is caused by stress on the wrist induced by repetitive wrist and finger motions. Repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, can be disabling and are costly, in terms of both medical expenses and lost work time.
The prior art includes several support devices that were used in conjunction with the computer pointing device, such as a computer mouse, to reduce the stress and risk of injury associated with the frequent and repetitive motion necessary in the use of the computer mouse. As described more completely below, typical support devices include stationary or movable apparatus supporting the hand, the wrist or the palm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,020 to Smith et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,655 to Garcia et al. disclose examples of stationary wrist support devices, also called wrist rests. Wrist rests are typically pads placed in front of the keyboard or the mouse. The height of the pad is selected to support the wrist to elevate the hand to be level with the forearm. Wrist rests alleviate the stress on the wrist by avoiding prolonged bending up and down of the wrist. However, studies have shown that pressure on the underside of the wrist can irritate wrist tissue and increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Furthermore, wrist rests do not protect the wrist from excessive side-to-side bending, which can cause injuries to the tendons in the wrist. Thus, stationary wrist rests are not a satisfactory means to protect computer users from repetitive stress injuries.
Other types of stationary support devices include a palm rest disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,407 to Rice, and a computer mouse support having an upwardly inclined orientation disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,845 to Moore.
Prior art support devices also include movable apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,647 to Rice discloses an example of a movable hand support also called a palm rest. Movable palm rests such as that disclosed by the Rice '647 patent tend to fall over easily during use and at best support the palm indirectly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,067 to Martin et al. discloses a movable hand and wrist support
110
for computer mouse
112
as shown in FIG.
1
. Support
110
holds mouse
112
within a retainer
114
. The user rests hand
113
on support
110
such that hand
113
is on the same plane as mouse
112
.
Movable hand and wrist support
110
disclosed by Martin et al. has several disadvantages. First, support
110
has a raised area
116
near the center of support
110
intended to apply gentle pressure on the palm of hand
113
. As mentioned previously in reference to palm rests, applying pressure to the center of the palm can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and is highly undesirable. Second, fine mouse movements are made more difficult because the user must move mouse
112
and support together
110
. Third, support
110
does not maintain hand
113
in a neutral position because the user has to twist his/her wrist to place hand
113
on the flat surface of support
110
.
In addition to the disadvantages described above, prior art support devices are not satisfactory because such devices tend to force the user to focus movement of the user's hand and shoulder in one field of motion only. Stationary palm rests restrict arm and shoulder movement, and force the user to move the wrist only in manipulating the mouse. The movable wrist/hand support disclosed by Martin et al. completely eliminates wrist motion, thereby forcing the user to move the arm and shoulder exclusively in manipulating the mouse. Extended and repetitive motions focused on either the wrist or the shoulder can cause cumulative trauma disorders.
Another problem with wrist pads is that a movable wrist pad is not easily manipulated by the user. Consequently, as the mouse is moved about, either the mouse or the movable wrist pad must be repositioned to maintain the movable wrist pad in the proper relationship to and separation from the computer mouse.
One solution to this problem has been to attach the computer mouse to the movable wrist pad using a spring loaded tether. The tether is contained in the wrist pad and is attached to the head of the computer mouse using a VELCRO fastener. VELCRO is a registered U.S. trademark of Velcro U.S.A. Inc. and is a synthetic material having complementary parts, which adhere to each other when pressed together.
This configuration has several shortcomings. First, the configuration is still a computer mouse and a wrist pad and so the configuration suffers from the same basic shortcomings as the wrist pads described above. Second, the combination does not assist the user in using different muscle groups.
In particular, if the wrist pad and the computer mouse are moved to keep the two together, only the arm and shoulder muscles are used. To avoid this the user must pull the mouse away from the wrist pad, and maintain enough pressure on both the mouse and the wrist pad to maintain the separation. This adds additional unnatural stresses on the user's hand, fingers and wrist, and causes the user to attempt to manipulate the mouse using the fingers while maintaining pressure on the wrist pad with the wrist so that is does not move. If the user lifts the wrist, the spring-loaded tether moves the wrist pad against the mouse. This combination also reduces user efficiency because each time the user reaches for the mouse, the user must apply pressure on the wrist pad, and then move the mouse a sufficient distance from the wrist pad so that the mouse can be used. All of these motions are unproductive and only add to the stresses associated with using the combination device.
Also, the VELCRO fastener is not a fixed connection and if the user simply continues to move the mouse when the tether is fully extended, the VELCRO fastener may pull loose. Finally, the combination is bulky and requires sufficient desk area to facilitate moving both the wrist pad and the computer mouse. In fact, the combination is difficult to move to another location on the desktop, and difficult to move for cleaning the desktop. Users have also indicated that the combination makes it more difficult to clean the mouse ball.
Another combination simply used a VELCRO fastener to affix a palm rest to the computer mouse. The palm rest was supported by a small square bottom that did not move easily and the palm rest put pressure on the center of the hand, which as described above is undesirable. This combination suffers from the same shortcomings as an ergonomic mouse in that the combination does nothing to encourage the user to use vary the muscle groups used in manipulating the computer mouse. In fact, the combination can only be moved about using the arm and shoulder muscles, which can result in elbow and other injuries. Also, this combination makes fine control of the cursor, which is normally done using the fingers, extremely difficult.
To eliminate the problems with the var
Boetzer Kenneth D.
Hesley William P.
Summit Scott W.
ErgoDevices Corp.
Gunnison Forrest
Gunnison McKay & Hodgson, L.L.P.
Said Mansour M.
Shalwala Bipin
LandOfFree
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