Subject of the invention

The subject of the invention is a palm rest for a user's hand, more specifically a movable palm rest.

Technical problem

The technical problem is to configure a movable palm rest to prevent and reduce pain in the wrist area and thus carpal tunnel syndrome of the user, which will provide continuous support of the palm independent of hand movement and follow the movement of the user's hand without time delay independent of the magnitude of the hand movement.

Prior Art

Prolonged use of a computer keyboard and/or computer mouse is known to cause injury to the wrist and to create carpal tunnel syndrome due to pressure on the median nerve of the wrist. The pressure on the median nerve can be reduced by the use of different hand or palm supports. The purpose of such a support is to raise the user's hand adequately off the ground, thereby reducing the pressure on the median nerve.

There are different types and shapes of palm rests, which can be formed as part of a computer mouse pad, or as rests with special connecting members which are used to couple them together with a computer mouse that has such coupling enabled. Standalone palm rests are also known that the user brings closer to the computer keyboard or to the computer mouse. The applicant's palm rest described in patent application SI25994A (Tauses et al.) is of this type as well. A common disadvantage of all these types of rests is that only those hand movements that are performed with the wrist without the rest of the hand being involved provide adequate support for the hand. This means that if the hand movement is greater than an order of magnitude of the wrist movement, there is a problem of providing support for the hand with the palm rest. In the case of stand-alone rests, this problem is attempted to be solved by placing a layer with a very low coefficient of friction on the under surface of the rest in contact with the substrate. The sliding layer allows the user to move the rest and the mouse with a relatively small force at the same time as moving, for example, a computer mouse. The problem is that the user has to ensure constant contact of the palm with the rest. If the user picks up the mouse and moves it to another place, the contact between the palm and the rest is interrupted. As a result, the palm rest remains in its original position and the palm is no longer supported. The user has to move the palm rest to a new location or lift and move the mouse back to its original location.

Solution to the technical problem

The technical problem is solved by a movable palm rest, the main features of which are defined in the first claim. Further features are defined in dependent claims.

A palm rest, preferably a movable palm rest, comprises a support member, whether of a single piece or multi-part, and a fastening strap. The support member has a first end and an opposing second end, the first end having a moulded lug thereto and the second end comprising a magnet. The fastening strap has a first end which is clamped in the lug of the support member and a second end which is free and comprises a magnet which interacts with the magnet of the support member to form a loop.

The magnet of the support member is embedded in the peripheral part of the second end. The first end of the fastening strap has teeth arranged on a face facing the support member, which teeth engage in each other when the first end of the fastening strap is inserted in the lug to form a loop.

The support member is provided with cut-outs which increase elasticity and thus allow the support member to be more adaptable to the user's hand. At the same time, they also prevent the user's hand from sweating.

The advantage of the movable palm rest according to the invention is that it allows continuous support of the user's hand, regardless of how the user moves the hand. The palm remains supported even when the user grasps the mouse, picks it up and moves it to a new location. This way of using the mouse is particularly typical for computer game players who make long and fast movements with the mouse. For such users, it is particularly important to have continuous support for the hand without the need to move the rest, due to the prolonged use of the computer mouse. The palm rest according to the invention provides continuous palm support even if the use of the computer keyboard and mouse is changed.

Attaching the fastening strap to the support member using magnets is quick and easy because it does not require fine adjustment and is therefore not time-consuming.

The palm rest according to the invention will be described in more detail below by way of an embodiment and two drawings showing

Fig. 1 Palm rest

Fig. 2 Palm rest, top view

Relative terms such as front, back, top, bottom, left, right, etc. are defined in the description from the perspective of the user of the palm rest when it is in a functional state. A palm rest 100 comprises a support member 1 made as a single member or of several parts, which supports, during use, a part of the user's hand, that is to say the back of the hand closer to the wrist. The support member 1 has a length substantially equal to or greater than the width of the user's palm. The width of the support member is less than its length. Due to the different sizes of the palms of the users, the support member 1 and therefore the palm rest 100 are usually made in different sizes.

An upper face 2 of the support member, on which part of the user's hand rests during use, is essentially shaped as the negative form of part of the palm. A lower face 3 of the support member, which is flat and adheres to the substrate, comprises a sliding element 4, either in the form of a layer, plate, tiles or plugs, made of a material having a low coefficient of friction, which allows the support member 1, and therefore the palm rest, to slide over the substrate. The support member 1 may, however, be made entirely of a material having a low coefficient of friction.

The support member 1 is provided with a moulded lug 7 at its first end 5, preferably at its left end, for receiving a fastening strap 9 or its first end 10. A second end 6 of the support member, preferably at its right end, comprises a magnet 8. The magnet 8 is mounted in the area of the second end 6, in its peripheral part.

The palm rest 100 further comprises a fastening strap 9 with a first end 10 attached in the lug 7 of the support member and a second end 11 that is free. The first end 10 of the fastening strap has teeth 13 arranged on a face facing the support member 1 so that they engage in one another when the first end 10 of the fastening strap is inserted in the lug 7 to form a loop 14. The first end 10 of the loop is additionally fixed in the lug 7 by a ring 14. The second end 11 of the fastening strap comprises a magnet 12 which interacts with the magnet 8 of the support member when the fastening strap 9 is connected via the support member 1. The fastening strap 9, which is connected via the support member 1, is fixed to the support member 1 with its second end 11 by a magnetic force applied between the magnet 8 of the support member and the magnet 12 of the fastening strap.

In the non-use state of the palm rest, the fastening strap 9 is usually attached to the support member 1 with both ends 10, 11 for storage purposes. Prior to use, the user moves the second end 11 of the fastening strap comprising the magnet 12 to allow the palm to be placed on the palm rest or the support member 1. The user places the fastening strap 9 over the hand and places it, with the second end 11 , on the periphery of the opposite second end 6 of the support member. The magnetic force between the magnets 8, 12 causes the second end 6 of the support member to move into the immediate vicinity of the magnet 8 of the support member. The connected fastening strap 9 creates, in effect, a loop in which the palm of the user's hand is held. So the user's palm has an uninterrupted contact with the support member 1. The magnetic force between the magnets 8, 12 is greater than the force of the weight of the support member 1, so that the palm rest remains positioned on the user's palm even when the user moves his hand away from the substrate. The palm rest according to the invention enables the user to have a properly supported palm at all times when using a computer mouse or keyboard, independently of any movement of the hand. Whether the user moves the computer mouse with very rapid movements or by lifting, the palm rest follows the user's hand at all times and, as a result, the hand is properly supported at all times. Continuous support of the hand is also ensured when changing between computer keyboard and mouse use. As a result, the user-unfriendly hand position is eliminated or reduced, leading to reduced or even eliminated pain.

Prolonged contact between the hand and the support member can lead to sweating of the palm, despite the use of user-friendly materials. Therefore, cut-outs 15 may be provided in the support member 1 to allow the hand to come into contact with air.