Auxiliary device for supporting stepless movement of an arm during computer operation

This invention concerns an auxiliary device for supporting stepless movement of an arm and for removing stress conditions of muscles in the arm and shoulder and in the region of the neck, for instance during computer operation, which auxiliary device comprises a suspending support groove.

Keyboard working and transfer movement of a mouse during computer operation will cause a user muscular pain, stress conditions and tendinous synovitis. A reason to such caused pains is continuous carrying of the hand and the arm causing stress conditions not only in the arm, but also in the region of shoulder and neck.

Different kinds of auxiliary devices have been used in order to remedy the current condition. Patent protection has been applied for tens of different kinds of devices. Most common are different kinds of pads intended to be positioned under the hand of an operator. However, the use of such pads has not been able to remove muscular stresses. Hand carrying grooves at articulated rods to be fixed to a working desk allow movement of the hand, but they do not completely support the arm. In all presently used solutions the most troublesome and pain causing property is that the hand will not be able to freely rest in different working stages. The arm must be repositioned into the auxiliary device when changing working stage.

The US patent specification No. 6,086,024, published on 11 ^th of July 2000, discloses an auxiliary device wherein the hand or the hands during computer operation is/are supported in suspended grooves. Suspensions of the grooves are short and fixed to moving rods. Such equipment is clumsy to use and is difficult to be positioned in working environs of a computer.

The US patent application No. 2002/0070318 Al, published on 13 ^th of June 2002, discloses a device intended to support the hands during computer operation. The short suspension of the hand supports provides i.a. height differences for the fingers when touching different regions of the keyboard, which will render writing more difficult. Tube constructions being an essential part of said device are not often suited for computer environs. Mounting and taking the device into use require a professional assembler.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the previously mentioned problems and to provide a simple auxiliary device being easy to use. This is achieved with an auxiliary device being characterized in that the support groove is suspended in at least one long and inelastic suspension rope or ball chain to be fixed to a ceiling or the like.

The use of an auxiliary device according to the invention will eliminate muscular stress, the device is easy to use and move, and it is well suited for mass production. The inelastic suspension rope or ball chain of the support groove enables resting of the muscles in the arm and the shoulder during working. When the suspension rope or ball chain is fixed e.g. to the ceiling, no lateral forces are acting at the hand or arm due to the long suspension length. A real frame is not necessary. Due to the long suspension length of the auxiliary device a horizontal movement of the hand will only insignificantly affect the vertical position of the working hand, so in order to avoid disadvantages with height differences at the working site, the movement of the working arm is adjustable by means of the length adjustment of the suspension rope or suspension ball chain of the support groove.

The arm or the elbow is placed into the support groove, and the suspension point in the ceiling is preferably positioned diagonally backwards above the head of the operator. Hereby the muscles in the shoulder and the neck will be less stressed than when any other type of auxiliary device is used. The wrist of the hand can also be moved vertically, which will facilitate the use of the keyboard, the keys, the clutches or another free-hand instrument.

The invention is described more in detail below by means of an example with reference to the drawing, wherein

Fig. 1 shows an example of an auxiliary device according to the invention during computer operation,

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the position of an arm in a support groove during working,

Fig. 3 shows an example of the structure of an support groove and the fastening of a suspension rope in two different positions and

Fig. 4 shows the fastening of a suspension ball chain in an upwardly narrowing hole in the support groove.

The auxiliary device disclosed in the figures comprises a support groove 1 having an inside provided with an upholstery 2 for the arm. Both end sides of the support groove 1 is provided with fastening holes 3 for two suspension ropes 4 or with narrowing fastening holes for a suspension ball chain 4 of the auxiliary device. One end of the suspension ropes 4 or suspension ball chains is fixed to the ceiling by means of a common eye-screw or hook 5.

A working arm 6 is preferably placed into the support groove 1 in such a way that the arm is supported close to the elbow as shown in figure 2.

According to one embodiment, fastening of the support groove 1 to the suspension rope 4 is achieved by means of three adjacent holes 3 in both end sides of the support groove 1, through which holes said suspension rope 4 is brought in turn so that the suspension rope 4 is first passed through the middle hole and then in turn through the holes 3 at both side of the middle hole.

Fastening of the suspension ball chain 8 is preferably realized by providing a fastening hole in both side edges of the support groove I ₅ through which hole the suspension ball chain 8 is passed in such a way that the suspension ball chain 8 is pressed into the narrowing upper eye of the fastening hole 7.

Fastening of the suspension rope 4 and the ball chain 8 is easy and the fastening method enables an adjusted height level to remain unchanged. The height level is easily varied downwards or upwards by loosening or tightening the suspension rope 4 or the ball chain 8 of the support groove 1. The support groove 1 will remain at an adjusted height when the suspension rope 4 or the ball chain 8 is tight.

According to a preferable embodiment the support groove 1 is a flexible sheet being substantially horizontal in a non-loaded state, said sheet having a hole 3 for the suspension rope 4 in its two opposite side edges. By tying the suspension ropes 4 below the sheet acting as a support groove 1 said support groove 1 can easily be set at a desired working height for the arm.

When the arm 6 to be supported is placed into said flexible sheet shaped support groove 1, said sheet will be changed to a groove following the shape of the arm 6. In the case the arm 6 is raised a bit, the support groove will open, whereby the arm can easily be removed.

The support groove 1 is preferably produced from conventional mouse pad blanks, having a soft ground layer and a smooth upper face provided with figures and/or text. The soft ground layer is preferably turned towards the arm 6. At the opposite smooth side advertising texts or installation instructions may be printed.

The mouse pad blank having a size of a conventional mouse pad can be delivered to a customer so that it can be used as a mouse pad, if desired, but it can be divided at the middle into two equally sized support grooves 1, for which purpose the opposite edges of which are provided with fastening holes 3 for a suspension rope 4. The auxiliary device can preferably be delivered to the customer for instance as an advertising gift in an A4 envelope.

During daily test uses of the auxiliary device according to the invention already appeared neck stress and pains in the over arm have disappeared. The use of the auxiliary device has given moving of the hand and the arm a feeling of non-preventing gliding.