This invention concerns a mouse pad and in particular a plate-like pad, on which it is possible to move and keep a mouse.

There are several types of mouse pad known at present. The most common are formed by a plate-like component, the upper surface of which is covered with a suitable material on which the ball of the mouse rolls and usually also a cushion¬ like raised section, on which it is possible to support the wrist of the hand using the mouse. At its simplest, however, a mouse pad is a piece of plastic sheet on top of which the mouse is moved.

A drawback with state-of-the-art mouse pads is their fixed location. Pads are almost invariably placed on the desk surface next to the keyboard of a computer, where they take up space and remain in the selected location, until the place is changed. Changing the location of a mouse pad by peeling it off the desk and placing it elsewhere is an unpleasant task, because it has usually been made difficult to slide the pad, to ensure that it remains in place.

Various mouse pads that can be moved from the operating position are also known. According to one type, the pad moves by means of a separate system of rails, and in another type, rotation takes place round an anchoring spindle. The anchoring spindle is, in turn, placed in a loop-like component, permitting attach¬ ment to the edge of a desk.

All of the solutions described above are complicated in some way, and are thus expensive in terms of manufacturing costs, some of them very expensive.

The intention of this invention is to create an improvement in the detrimental features of the state-of-the-art mouse pads, and to create a mouse pad which is extremely simple but nevertheless highly functional.

The advantages of the invention are achieved by a solution, the characteristic

features of which are stated in the accompanying Claims.

The invention is described in greater detail in what follows, with reference to the accompanying schematic diagram, which shows a side view of one embodiment of a mouse pad according to the invention.

The invention shown in the drawing is only an example of one realizable soluti¬ on. There may indeed be other equivalent solutions, as will be explained in the following text.

The form and proportions of the pad section 2 proper, which is possibly covered with a suitable material, and which is essential for moving the mouse according to the invention, have been selected in an appropriate manner. One generally used shape is nearly circular or oval. A wrist support component 3 can be at- tached to the pad or left off.

In order that the mouse pad 1 according to the invention operates in the desired manner, it is advantageous for the pad to be rotatable from the working position, shown in the figure, to the storage position, which means a position in which the pad 2 is rotated beneath the desk or similar flat board 5. According to the inven¬ tion, this is arranged so that rotation occurs round a joint 6. It should be noted that the arrangement of the pad 2 and the attachment component may be diffe¬ rent; i.e. the pad component 2 may be located beneath attachment component 4.

Another suitable requirement for good operation is that the mouse, which rests on the upper surface of the pad, will also fit in place in the storage position. According to the invention, this has been arranged by forming a bend in attach¬ ment component 4, as a result of which pad component 2 lies at a level clearly below the under-surface of the desk top 5.

In general, the attachment component 4 is a bent plate of sufficient strength, in particular a metal plate, one end of which is attached by means of screws 7, or corresponding fasteners, to the underside of the desk, and the other end to plate

2 of the mouse pad 1 , in a manner permitting rotation. Rivet-type solutions are especially suitable for securing the latter attachment, but a simple nut-and-bolt combination can also be suitably used.

The construction of a mouse pad according to the invention is thus extremely simple: two components 2 and 4, which are attached to one another. The pad is reliable and cheap to manufacture.

As stated above, the figure shows only one embodiment of a mouse pad 1 ac- cording to the invention. Attachment component 4 may have a different shape to that shown in the figure. The attachment component may be, for example, U- shaped. This is a practical shape when there is some obstacle beneath the desk, which prevents the attachment component being taken very far. The U- shape is also suitable when it is intended to locate a mouse pad 1 according to the invention on top of a board-like component, such as a desk or keyboard support board or similar. In this case, one branch of the U of the attachment component can be screwed, for example, onto the under-surface of the board, even though the pad 2 is on top of the board. The shape of the attachment com¬ ponent, as such, is of no significance to the invention. Rather, the scope of its protection naturally encompasses all adaptations that fall within the scope of the protection created by the accompanying Claims.