Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DYNAMIC iNiOUSE TRAY
This invention relates to ergonomic components for use with a computer mouse
or other
input device and more particularly to an ergonomic tray that continuously
tilGs while
being operated to provide continuous motion of the wrist in varying directions
depending
on the position of the hand on the tray.
BACKGROUND
A mouse provides a means for producing a two dimensional dispiacement signal
that is
used to control the position of a screen cutsor as needed to highlight, niove
or select
icons, text or the like, as well as for drawing and other uses. A typical
mouse provides
the signal by moving over a surface or mouse pad and has one or more
pushbuttons.
The use of a computer mouse is prevalent in the workplace, however, extended
operation
of a computer mouse can be hazardous to the i.iser. Typically, the user
operates the mouse
by moving his or her arm with the wrist in one constant position either bent
or inline with
the forearm with very little or no inoveinent of the wrist, which can cause
the tendons and
muscles in the wrist and forearm to become strained or stiff, often resulting
in discomfort.
In addition, the lack of movement in the wrist decreases blood tlow to the
wrist and
forearm, further resulting in negative impacts on the body.
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Tilt adjustable mouse trays are known. Some mouse trays are capable of tilting
in one
direction, some tilting forward and rearward and others tiltittg left and
right, while other
mouse trays tilt in all directions relative to a fixed point. These mouse
trays do not
continuously tilt while in use, but remain in a fixed position. Usually, mouse
trays that
tilt forward and rearward are attached to a keyboard platform and the purpose
of tilt'vig
the mouse tray is to ensure that it remains horizontal when the keyboard
platform has
been tilted forward or rearward. Another purpose of mouse trays that tilt in
one direction
either forward and rearward or left and right or mouse trays that tilt in all
directions is to
allow the user to adjust the tray to a tilt angle that is most comfortable for
them.
The problem with the mouse trays mentioned above is that when in use the trays
remain
in one position. People often do not make any adjustments to the mouse tray
while others
do make an initial adjustment before the first use, but after the adjustment
is made, the tilt
of the mouse tray remains the same and never changes during the operation of
the mouse.
Although it is not typically done, it is possible for people to adjust the
mouse trays
periodically to vary the position of their wtist. The mouse trays that tilt
only in one
direction have a limited amount of variation, while the mouse trays that can
be tilted in all
directions offer a greater range of motion, but in all previous trays, from
the time the tilt
is adjusted until the subsequent time it is adjusted, the mouse tray remains
in the same
position. What is needed is a mouse tray that continuously tilts, providing
constant
motion for the wrist and forearm.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mouse tray that
overcomes problems
in the prior art.
In a first embodiment the present invention provides mouse tray apparatus
comprising a
substantially planar mouse tray pivotally mounted at a bottom mid-portiorl
thereof to a
base, and at least one bias element operative to exert a bias force that
resists tilting of the
mouse tray away from a substantially horizontal neutral position. The bias
force is such
that as an operator moves a mouse over a top surface of the mouse tray, a
weight of the
operator's hand on the mouse overcomes the bias force and causes the mouse
tray to tilt
downward in a direction corresponding to a location of the mouse on the mouse
tray.
In a second embodiment the present invention provides a mouse tray apparatus
comprising a substantially planar mouse tray pivotally mounted at a bottom mid-
portion
thereof to a base such that as an operator nioves a mouse over a top surface
of the mouse
tray, a weight of the operator's hand on the mouse causes the tray to tilt
downward in a
direction corresponding to a location of the mouse on the mouse tray.
The present invention allows the user's wrist to be in continuous motion in
all directions
while using a mouse or other similar input device. In this disclosure, all
such inrput
devices will be generally termed a mouse.
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The present invention consists of a tray that is conveniently and typically
horizontal when
not in use to prevent the mouse from sliding off the tray. The tray rests on
an upward
protruding member that is attached to a base below the tray, the tray tilts in
all directions
5 relative to the fixed point resting on the protruding member, in the
preferred embodiment,
the fixed point is the center of a circular tray, thereby providing an equal
allowance of tilt
on all sides of the tray. The present invention also has bias devices to
anchor the tray; in
the preferred embodiment, metal springs are used as the bias device because of
their
durability and longevity. The bias devices are in constant tension and are
placed around
the fixed point of the tray, keeping the mouse tray horizontal. Thus the mouse
tray is
biased into a horizontal orientation above the base.
When the user's hand is placed on the mouse, the weight of the hand causes the
adjacent
section of the tray to tilt downwardly, but the bias devices have enough
tension to prevent
the edge of the tray from tilting too far and coming in contact with the base.
When the
mouse is slid over the fixed center point or the hand is lifted off the mouse,
the tray
returns to the horizotital position. So the tray tilts in all directions
relative to the fixed
point, depending on where the hand and mouse is positioned, thereby providing
continuous movement, as well as numerous degrees and axes of tilt.
The constant tilting of the tray causes the wrist to continually be in motion,
thereby
exercising the various ranges and directions of the wrist, reducing injuries
related to
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stiffness and lack of movement. The constant movement of the muscles and
tendons also
promote.s circulation in the wrist and hand.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Whife the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred
embodiments
are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best
understood in
conjLuiction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the
several
diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
l0
FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustrating the parts used for the assembly of the
base of an
embodiment of the mouse tray apparatus of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a blown up perspective view of the conical pylon of the base;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled base;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the parts used for the assembly of the
upper tray;
FIG. 5 is a blown up cross section view illustrating the shape and depth of
the conical
recess of the upper tray, taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a peispective view of the assembled upper tray;
FIG. 7 is a blown up view of the metal spring used to attach the upper tray to
the base;
FIG. $ is an exploded view illustrating the assembly of the upper tray to the
hase joined
by the metal springs;
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FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the fully assembled tray apparatus;
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting right, and schematically
indicating the
corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 11 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting forward-right, and
schematically
indicating the corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would
cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 12 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting forward, and schematically
indicating the
corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 13 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting forward-left, and
schematically indicating
the corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 14 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting left, and schematically
indicating the
corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 15 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting rearward-left, and
schematically indicating
the corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 16 is a rear view of the tray shown tilting rearward, and schematically
indicating the
corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would cause the
illustrated tilt;
FIG. 17 is a rear view of the tray shown tiltutg rearward-right, and
schematically
indicating the corresponding location of the mouse on the tray that would
cause the
illustrated tilt;
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FIG. 18 is a rear view of the tray shown in the neutral (horizontal) position,
aud
schematically indicating the corresponding loc:ation of the mouse on the tray
that would
cause the illustrated tilt;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an alteniate embodiment of the invention with
a base
plate designed to attach to a keyboard platform or other surface;
FIG. 20 is a plan view of the base plate in FIG. 19;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a variation of the invention with a base
designed to hold
a coinputer keyboard and optionally a wrist pad;
FIG. 22 is a plan view of the base plate in FIG. 21.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EIVIBODIlbLENTS
Figs. I - 9 illustrate an embodiment of a mouse tray apparatus 10 of the
present
invention. The apparatus 10 comprises a substantially planar mouse tray 40
pivotally
mounted at a bottom mid-portion thereof to a base 30 such that as an operator
moves a
mouse over a top surface of the mouse tray 40, a weight of the operator's hand
on the
mouse causes the tray 40 to tilt downward in a direction corresponding to a
location of
the mouse on the mouse tray 40.
The base 30 of the illustrated apparattts 10 comprises a pylon 32 extending
upward from
a base plate 20, and a top end of the pylon 32 pivotally engages the bottom of
the mouse
tray 40 at a location substantially in a center of the mouse tray 40. Thus it
can be seen
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that the weight of the operators hand on the mouse will tilt the mouse tray 40
down,
depending on where the hand and mouse are located.
While it is contemplated that this movement of the tray 40 alone will provide
the desired
variation in hand and wrist position during u.se of the mouse, it is preferred
to bias the
mouse tray 40 toward a substantially horizontal neutral position, such that
there is a
counteracting force opposing downward movement caused by the weight of the
operator's hand. The bias force is calculated such that as an operator moves a
mouse
over a top surface of the niouse tray, a weight of the operator's hand on the
mouse
overcomes the bias force and causes the mouse tray to tilt. With such a bias
force being
exerted the mouse tray 40 will move more smoothly and also will be neatly
oriented in
the neutral position when not in use. Typically the bias force used would also
be
sufficient to substantially prevent tilting of the mouse tray away from the
neutral position
when the mouse is resting on any portion of the top surface of the mouse tray.
Thus the
mouse can be left on the mouse tray without sliding off.
It is contemplated that the bias force could be provided in a number of
different ways.
For example the mouse tray could be connected to the pylon by a resilient
plastic or like
material that allows the desired tilt, but also tends to move the tray to the
neutral
horizontal position. Described below is one embodiment of the apparatus 10 to
illustrate
the general principles of the present invention.
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Referring to FIG. 1, the base 30 of the present invention is constructed using
base plate
20, which is circular in the preferred embodiment, but can be constructed
using several
shapes and sizes; a few possible variations are shown in FIG. 19-22. Base
plate 20 should
be wide enough to provide a stable base, unless the base will be finnly
attached to a
5 stable surface. The preferred embodiment and the variations shown in FIG. 19-
22 are
meant to illustrate possible examples but are not meant to limit the scope of
possible
variations, additional variations are possible and would be apparent to those
skilled in the
art.
10 Returning to FIG. 1, screw 38 is inserted through the bottom of base plate
20 in through-
hole 22 and washer 34 is placed over screw 38 to stabilize a conical fixture
illustrated as a
conical pylon 32, which can be seen in a perspective view in FIG. 2. If base
plate 20 is
constructed in a sufficiently hard material, washer 34 may not be necessary.
Conical
pylon 32 is attached to screw 38. Other upward protruding members or different
shaped
pylons can be used in place of conical pylon 32, but the thin rounded point
and stable
base of the conical pylon is economical and well suited for the current
application as will
be discu.ssed later. For example a ball and socket connection could be
suitable in some
applications, however would likely be more costly.
Eye screws 36n are inserted in holes 24n situated at the top of base plate 20
around
through-hole 22. Holes 24n are deep enough to support eye screws 36n but do
not go all
the way through base plate 20. ln the prefer--ed embodiment, there are 12 eye
screws 36n
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bitt the number of eye screws can vary. The illustrated configuration has been
found to
provide satisfactory stability and smoothness of operation. These parts
combine to form
base 30 shown in FIG. 3.
Referring to FIG. 4, mouse tray 40 of the present invention is conveniently
circular.
Other variations are possible, but a circular shape is easily manufactured and
effectively
accommodates the numerous angles of tilt, some of which are shown in FIG. 10-
18. The
size of mouse tray 40 can vary in respect to base plate 20, but in the
preferred
embodiment as displayed in FIG. 9, mouse tray 40 is slightly larger then base
plate 20,
thereby hiding base 30 when being viewed from above.
Returning to FIG. 4, conical recess 42 goes part way through the bottom of the
tray 40,
shown in more detail in the cross section blow up in FIG. 5, taken from line 3-
3 in FIG.
4. The purpose of the conical shape of recess 42 is to accommodate conical
pylon 32 of
base 30 as will be discussed later. If an upward protruding member of a
different shape
were used in place of conical pylon 32, the shape of recess 42 would be
adjusted
accordingly. Eye screws 52n are inserted in holes 44n situated around conical
recess 42
at the bottom 40' of the tray. Holes 44n are deep enough to support eye screws
52n but
do not go all the way through mouse tray 40. The number of eye screws 52n
should equal
the number of eye screws 36n which are attached to base plate 20, but should
be situated
at a larger radius from conical reoess 42, then the radius of eye screws 36n
are from
through hole 22 (see FIG. 1-2), the difference in radius being displayed in
FIG, 8-9. The
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difference in radius allows elastic bias devices 54n shown in FIG. 7-9 to be
long enough
to offer sufficient resistance with a smaller percentage of stretch on the
bias devices,
thereby reducing tensile strain and prolonging the life of bias devices 54n.
Mouse tray 40
and eye screws 52n combine to form upper tray member 50. Other devices could
be used
in place of eye screws, eye screw are used for illustrative purposes.
Referring to FIG. 7-8, upper tray member 50 rests over conical pylon 32
aligned under
conical recess 42 (conical recess not shown in FIG. 8, refer to FIG. 4-6). The
purpose of
conical recess 42 is to center conical pylon 32 under upper tray member 50,
the angle of
the point of conical recess 42 should be larger than the angle of the point of
conical pylon
32 so that it doesn't impede the tilting of tray niember 50. The thin rounded
point of'
conical pylon 32 is ideal for the present invention because it allows for a
small surface
contact area with upper tray member 50, thereby providing smoother movement by
reducing the friction between tray member 50 and conical pylon 32. Bias
devices 54n
attach with one end to eye screws 36n, while the other end is attached to eye
screws 52n.
Bias devices 54n are provided in the illustrated embodiment by metal springs
for strength
and durability, but other elastic or resilient bias devices could
alternatively be used.
All parts combined comprise the apparatus 10 of the present inveution
displayed in FIG.
9. A mouse or other similar input device is placed on the top of mouse tray 40
and as the
user moves the input device across the tray, the adjacent section of tray 40
tilts
downwardly under the weight of the user's hand, while metal springs 54n exert
a bias
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force to prevent mouse tray 40 from tilting too far and coming in contact with
base 30.
Metal springs 54n return tray 40 to the neutral, substantially horizontal,
position
displayed in FIG. 9 and 18 when the niouse is slid across the lixed point
directly above
conical pylon 32, or when the user's hand is lifted off the input device, the
springs being
strong enough to hold the tray 40 in the neutral position under the weight of
the mouse
alone.
The operation of the illustrated embodiment is shown in FIG. 10-18, the
apparatus being
viewed from both the rear and the top. A mouse is used in the figures to
illustrate the
interaction of an input device with the apparatus of the invention. The user's
hand has
been omitted from FIG. 10-18 to better display the function of the invention
but as
mentioned above, the upper mouse tray and springs are configured so that the
mouse tray
will not tilt under the weight of the input device alone without the
additional weight of
the hand. The upper tray tilts in all directions while in use, some of which
are displayed
in the following drawings: FIG. 10 (right), FIG. 11 (forward-right), FIG. 12
(forward),
FIG. 13 (forward-left), FIG. 14 (left), FIG. 15 (rearward-left), FIG. 16
(rearward), FIG.
17 (rearward-right), FIG. 18 (neutral). The constant tilting of the upper tray
causes the
wrist to continually be in motion, thereby exercising the various ranges and
axes of the
wrist, reducing injuries related to stiffness and lack of movement. The
constant
movement of the muscles and tendons also promotes circulation in the wrist and
hand.
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With the mouse tray 40 pivotally mounted to the base 30 at a bottom mid-
portion thereof
that is about in the center of the mouse tray 40 as illustrated, the tray 40
and thus the
user's hand will tilt down to the right and left and forward and rearward as
the mouse
moves over the sLuface of the mouse tray 40 providing a wide range of
movements. If
the mid-portion where the tray 40 is attached is located more to one side or
to the front or
rear, the ratige of movement will he reduced somewhat as the downward force of
the
hand will tilt the tray 40 only when between the attachment point to the base,
for example
at the top end of the pylon 32, and the edge of the tray 40.
Two of many possible variations to the present invention are shown in FIG. 19-
22. Base
plate 60 in FIG. 19-20 is similar to base plate 20 of the preferred embodiment
shown in
FIG. 1; through-hole 62 and holes 64n are constructed in the satne manner as
holes 22
and 24n respectively. What differs in base plate 60 is that it has an
extension at one end
with hole 66 that is used to attach base plate 60 to a keyboard platform or
othcr surface,
allowing the invention to be swiveled to the user's desired position. If base
plate 60 is
attached to a keyboard platform that tilts, a tilting mechanism should be used
that allows
the present invention to tilt independently of the keyboard tray. The tilting
mechanism
should be attached with one end to hole 66 of base plate 60 and the other end
to the
keyboard platform, so that the tilt of the present invention could be offset
from the tilt of
the keyboard platform, ensuring that upper tray member 50 is substantially
horizontal
when in the neutral position (see FIG. 18).
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The other variation shown in FIG. 21-22 is a base that is also used as a
keyboard
platform. Base assembly 80 is comprised of tray 70 with through-hole 72 and
holes 74n
which are constructed in the same manner as holes 22 and 24n respectively (see
FIG. 1).
The computer keyboard would be placed on the surface of tray 70, while a soft
wrist pad
5 82 could optionally be attached to provide cushioning for the wrist while
typing.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those
skilled in
the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction
and operation
10 shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or
modifications in
structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within
the scope of
the claimed invention.
