User Interface Support, And Chair In Combination Therewith
A user interface support effective to be easily attached to an office chair. The user interface support includes a horizontal support, a vertical support, and a pad surface. The pad surface is attached to the horizontal and vertical supports. The user interface support may be combined with a chair having an arm rest including a base and a cushion. A user may unscrew screws from the base to remove the cushion therefrom. Nuts may be installed into the base so that screws may attach the horizontal support to the base and to the cushion through the use of the nuts. The vertical support and pad surface may then be attached to the horizontal support.
This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/767,451 filed Mar. 28, 2006, entitled “Ornamental Design for a Chair Mounted Mouse Pad or Digitizer Pad Support Assembly”, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to a support for a user interface effective to be attached to a chair.
Computer mouse pads are known and are used to support a mouse and to define a usable surface for movement of the mouse. In a typical arrangement, a simple flexible pad is placed on a desk and the mouse is used on top of the pad. Other arrangements include a support attached to a desk or a keyboard so that the mouse may be moved near the desk or keyboard and the user need not locate an additional flat surface. These arrangements provide some desired flexibility but the user is still required to sit near his desk or keyboard to use the mouse. Moreover, the user's arms must be extended to reach the mouse—a position which may not be ergonomically desired and may cause back pain in the user.
There are some known structures for attaching a mouse support to a chair. However, these prior art supports require specially designed chairs or complex arrangements with many parts. Moreover, these supports cannot be simply attached to some modern chairs and do not take advantage of the chair's existing design.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a user interface support at can be simply attached to a chair.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the invention is a combination of a chair and a user interface support. The combination comprises a chair, the chair comprising a base, a scat attached to the base, and at least one arm rest attached to the base. The combination further comprises a user interface support, the user interface support comprising a horizontal support screwed to the at least one arm rest, a vertical support attached to the horizontal support, and a pad surface attached to the vertical support.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for attaching a support to a chair, the chair comprising a base, a seat attached to the base and at least one arm rest attached to the base, the arm rest including a base screwed to a cushion. The method comprises unscrewing screws connecting the base of the arm rest to the cushion; screwing a horizontal support of a user interface support to the base of the arm rest; attaching a vertical support of the user interface support to the horizontal support; and attaching a pad surface of the user interface support to the vertical support.
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In this way, if a cordless mouse and keyboard are used, for example, a user is liberated from the confines of his desk and is able to interact with a computer with significantly more freedom and flexibility. As a polyethylene pad support may be used, the user interface support is made of a flexible, scuff resistant material that does not easily damage surrounding furniture when the user's chair moves. The user interface support can also be simply adapted for use with other chairs simply by moving the screw holes and/or changing the length of the horizontal support. The user interface support is implemented with fewer parts that prior art devices and so it is simpler to manufacture and install.
Having described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that the scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto and obvious modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A combination of a chair and a user interface support, the combination comprising:
- a chair, the chair comprising a base, a seat attached to the base, and at least one arm rest attached to the base; and
- a user interface support, the user interface support comprising a horizontal support screwed to the at least one arm rest, a vertical support attached to the horizontal support, and a pad surface attached to the vertical support.
2. The combination as recited in claim 1, wherein:
- the arm rest includes a cushion support; and
- the pad surface includes an end conforming with a cross-section of the cushion support.
3. The combination as recited in claim 1, wherein the pad surface is a mouse pad.
4. The combination as recited in claim 1, wherein the horizontal support is screwed to the at least one arm rest at two locations.
5. The combination as recited in claim 1, wherein the pad surface is made of polyethylene.
6. A method for attaching a support to a chair, the chair comprising a base, a seat attached to the base and at least one arm rest attached to the base, the arm rest including a base screwed to a cushion, the method comprising:
- unscrewing screws connecting the base of the arm rest to the cushion;
- screwing a horizontal support of a user interface support to the base of the arm rest;
- attaching a vertical support of the user interface support to the horizontal support; and
- attaching a pad surface of the user interface support to the vertical support.
7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein:
- the pad surface includes an end conforming with a cress-section of the cushion.
8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the pad surface is a mouse pad.
9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the horizontal support is screwed to the base of the arm rest at two locations.
10. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:
- inserting nuts into screws holes of the base of the arm rest; and wherein
- the screwing includes screwing the horizontal support of the user interface support to the base of the arm rest, to the nuts, and to the cushion.
11. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the attaching the pad surface includes attaching the pad surface to the horizontal support using a screw.
12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the pad surface is attached to the vertical support using a pem nut.
13. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the pad surface is made of polyethylene.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 28, 2007
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2008
Inventors: Matthew Kagan (Beverly Hills, CA), Randall Jason Rothgeb (Austin, TX)
Application Number: 11/692,507
International Classification: A47C 7/62 (20060101);