The present invention relates to an improvement in computer keyboard supports that provides adequate wrist support for the user of a computer keyboard. Although the invention is primarily disclosed as being a computer keyboard support, it will also find use with any type keyboard.
The prior art computer keyboard support can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,556 issued to Berke et al. and comprises a support assembly that was attached to a table or other piece of furniture. The support assembly comprised a wrist support member and a body support member that supported the computer keyboard. The keyboard would sit on the body member in such a way that the operator's wrist could rest on the wrist support while typing on the keyboard.
The main feature of the prior art computer keyboard support assembly was the wrist support that attempted to solve carpal tunnel syndrome and physical disabilities secondary to lack of manual ergonometric considerations. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a major problem faced in the modern-day office and is widely described in the medical literature. This is a problem faced by operators of any keyboard-type mechanism and consists of pain within the wrist due to the unnatural positions that the wrist must be held in in order to type for a period of time due to repeated flexion and extension movements of an unsupported wrists, leading to entrapment of a swollen median nerve between the distal heads of the radius, ulna and carpal bones posteriorly and the transverse volar carpal ligament anteriorly. By providing the wrist support, the operator can rest his or her wrists upon the wrist support and avoid the carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as arm, neck and shoulder symptoms resulting in loss of work and temporary or permanent disability.
The prior art computer support assembly was not entirely successful in eliminating carpal tunnel syndrome. Two problems have been identified in the prior art computer keyboard support assembly. First is the fact that some prior art computer keyboard supports were attached to the furniture. That is, the support assembly was bolted or somehow attached to the operator's table or desk. This proved impractical in the modern office environment. In the modern office environment, a worker often is seated in a work station that surrounds him. His phone may be on a desk to his left, while his computer keyboard and computer terminal is directly in front of his seat. Also, there may be records or other papers on a desk to the right. In such an environment, a worker must swivel around and work in many positions or on all three desks. As a result, the worker would frequently move the computer keyboard around with him as he swiveled in his work station. Due to this fact, the computer keyboard was often found separated from the computer keyboard support assembly mount or askew from a support fixed to the furniture. Therefore, the operator was not gaining the benefit of the wrist support. Since these workers were not using the wrist support, they still experienced the carpal tunnel syndrome and other potentially avoidable physical disabilities or complaints, such as arm, neck or shoulder symptoms.
Another problem of the prior art computer keyboard support assembly was that the wrist support was at a fixed height and distance from the operator edge of the keyboard. In reality, computer terminal operators are of course of a variety of body sizes, torso heights and have various size hands. In addition, many of them may have long fingernails. Due to these variables, as well as the possibility that different operators may successively use the same computer keyboard, the computer keyboard wrist support would often be at an improper height and thus of limited use to the operator. In a situation such as this, the operator would not fully benefit from the beneficial effects of the wrist support and would still experience carpal tunnel syndrome and upper extremity afflictions.
The present invention seeks to solve these problems in the prior art by providing a computer keyboard support assembly that will be mounted upon the computer keyboard and thus be moved with it by the operator. In addition, the present invention discloses an adjustable wrist support that can be adjusted by the operator to suit his or her individual needs.