GB2191394A - Body member with adjustably hinged support leg - Google Patents

Abstract

A generally flat body member (10), preferably the base of a computer keyboard, has a support leg (30) hinged along one edge (32) to the body member, to support the body member at one of a number of different heights. The pivotal position of the support leg (30) is controlled by a manually-operable locking mechanism (46, 47) which slides transversely of the support leg (30). The locking mechanism (46, 47), is indexed at specific transverse positions by sliding lengthwise of the support leg (30) into a locked position at which lands (475) on the locking mechanism (47) interlock with corresponding lands (110) on the body member (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Body member with adjustably hinged support leg The invention in one aspect, relates to an assembly comprising a body member having a support leg, the leg member being adjustable and lockable in different positions. This aspect of the invention is particularly useful where the assembly forms the base of a computer keyboard, the support leg then serving to adjust the height of one edge of the base of the keyboard. The invention, in a second aspect, relates to a keyboard with a support leg pivotally adjustable between different positions.

According to a first aspect, the invention provides an assembly comprising a body member having a support leg hinged thereto about a pivot axis for supporting the body member, and a propping member comprising a supporting link for propping the support leg against the body member and a slide component pivotally connected to the supporting link, slideable on the body member and lockable thereto so as to lock the supporting link to the body member at any selected one of a plurality of positions spaced from the pivot axis and corresponding to different respective inclinations of the support leg about the pivot axis.

Where the body member, for example the base of a computer keyboard, rests on a flat surface, the support leg may be used to raise an edge of the keyboard to a desired height: the propping mechanism is capable of adjusting this height between any number of different values, for example between five discrete values.

With this particular use in mind, the body member preferably has a generally flat underside to which the supporting leg is hinged and against which the supporting link is propped, and the slide component is slideable on the said underside transversely of the pivot axis.

Preferably, the slide component is pivotally connected to the supporting link by means of a hinge parallel to the pivot axis.

For ease of manufacture, the propping member is preferably an integral plastics moulding with the said hinge formed integrally between the slide component and the supporting link.

Preferably, the supporting link is pivotally connected to the support leg about an axis parallel to and spaced from the said pivot axis.

Further, the supporting link is preferably pivotally connected to the support leg by means of a hinge at one end edge of the supporting link.

These preferred features of the propping member provide particularly simple arrangements for achieving the desired adjustable propping action. A particularly desirable feature is to arrange for the slide component also to be slideable parallel to the pivot axis between a locking position, at which transverse movement of the slide component is prevented, and a free position at which the said transverse movement is permitted. This means that the locking action and adjustment of the support leg position may be effected together, the propping member performing both functions itself.

Preferably, the slide mechanism has a profiled surface which co-operates with a corresponding adjacent surface of the body member when in the locking position, to effect the said locking action.

Advantageously, the said profiled surface and the said corresponding adjacent surface overlap parallel to the underside of the body member, and each is provided with a series of spaced lands parallel to the pivot axis, the series of lands on the body member facing and interleaving with those of the profiled surface.

In preferred forms of the invention, the support leg, which is advantageously rectangular, extends along the full length of the body member substantially at one edge thereof; the propping member is preferably substantially at the centre of the support leg in the direction of the pivot axis.

According to a further aspect, the invention provides a keyboard having a support leg hinged thereto about a pivot axis and adjustable between at least three predetermined, angularly-spaced positions about the pivot axis such that the support leg is capable of supporting the keyboard at a corresponding number of different heights.

Preferably, the support leg is adjustable between the said positions by means of a propping member comprising a flat supporting link, a flat slide component and a hinge parallel to the pivot axis connecting the supporting link to the flat slide component which is slideable along an underside of the keyboard, the supporting link being hinged to the support leg parallel to the pivot axis, and the slide component being lockable to the said underside at any of at least three positions spaced transversely of the pivot axis and corresponding to the said predetermined positions of the support leg.

In order that the invention, in both its aspects, may be better understood, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a computer keyboard embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an underneath plan view of the keyboard of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an underneath plan view, to an enlarged scale, of a central portion of the keyboard of Figures 1 and 2, showing the keyboard locking mechanism in its locked position; Figure 4 is an underneath plan view corresponding to Figure 3, but with the locking mechanism in its free position; Figure 5 is a plan view from above corresponding to the plan view of Figure 4, partially broken away to reveal the locking mechanism;;, Figure 6 is a tranverse section through the keyboard of Figure 1, taken along the lines VI to VI of Figure 3, with the keyboard leg in its retracted position; and Figure 7 is a transverse section corresponding to Figure 6, but with the keyboard leg in an extended position.

With reference to Figure 1, a computer keyboard comprises a base 10 connected to an upper portion 20 having an arrangement of keys 21. The base 10 rests on a front pair of feet 13, and another pair of feet 31 depending from a support leg 30 at the rear, to be described below in greater detail.

The base 10 is shown more clearly in Figures 2, 6 and 7. The base 10, which is generally flat, is secured to the upper section 20 by means of the inter-engagement of three slots 301 with corresponding lugs (not shown) on the upper section 20, and three screws (22, Figures 3 and 4) extending through corresponding holes 300 in the base 10 and received in threaded holes (not shown) in the upper section 20.

A generally rectangular, elongate keyboard support leg 30 is hinged along one of its edges 32 to a rear edge portion of the flat underside of the base 10. The support leg 30, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, has a raised lip 32 extending lengthwise along the leg and having at its end a semi-circular cross-section 33. The lip 32 is received in a part-cylindrical bearing formed as a recess 104 in the base 10, the recess 104 having an internal surface with a radius of curvature slightly larger than the external surface 33 of the lip 32, so that the lip 32 and the recess 104 together constitute the hinge 32. The lip 32 is retained in the recess 104 by means of four T-Shaped lugs 34, 35 disposed along the length of the hinge 32. Each T-shaped lug consists of a bar 34 extending lengthwise of the hinge and a stem 35 connecting the mid-point of the bar to the lip 32.As shown most clearly in Figure 5, the recess 104 and the adjacent portion of the base 10 are formed with four slots 106 through which the stems 35 of respective Tshaped lugs 34, 35 travel as the support leg 30 pivots about its hinge. Each slot 106 includes an elongate aperture 105, extending lengthwise of the leg 30, through which the corresponding bar 34 may be inserted on assembly of the hinge.

As shown most clearly in Figures 6 and 7, the support leg 30 is pivoted about its hinge 32 between a retracted position, at which the support leg is flush with the underside of the base 10, and an extended position at which the support leg 30 defines an acute angle with the underside of the base 10. With the support leg 30 in its retracted position, as shown in Figure 6, the base 10 is supported on a flat surface (not shown in Figure 6) by means of the four feet 31, 13. With the support leg 30 in an extended position, for example the position shown in Figure 7, the pair of feet 31 on the support leg 30 is redundant, and the base 10 is supported on the flat surface 50 by means of a curved end surface 311 of the support leg 30, remote from the hinge 32, and by the front edges of the pair of feet 13 on the base 10.

The base 10, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, includes a rectangular frame 11 raised slightly from the surface of the surrounding portion of the base, for supporting an identification plate, for example.

As shown in Figures 3 to 7, the support leg 30 is maintained in one of a series of different pivotal positions by means of a propping member 40 which, in this example, consists of a single plastics moulding. The propping member 40 consists of a flat rectangular supporting link 46 hinged to a flat slide component 47. As shown in Figure 3, the hinge between the link 46 and the slide component 47 is formed integrally, and consists of two narrowed portions 44 separated by an elongate aperture 45.

The link 46 is hinged, along one edge, to a central portion of the support leg 30, lengthwise of the support leg and at a position spaced from the hinge 32 of the support leg.

The hinge between the link 46 and the support leg 30 consists of a hollow cylinder 41 integral with the link 46, through which cylinder 41 extends a hollow, cylindrical bush 42, through which bush extends a bar 43, the ends of which bar 43 are retained in corresponding recesses in the base 10.

The slide component 47 is retained in the base 10 such that it is slideable lengthwise of the support leg (as shown by the arrow Al in Figure 3), and also transversely of the support leg (as shown by the arrow A2 in Figure 4).

The base 10 effectively provides a track transverse to the leg 30, the track being sufficiently wide to accommodate limited lengthwise movement (Al) of the slide component 47.

As shown in Figure 6, the base 10 consists of a single plastics moulding, with an inclined rear wall 104 connected to a rear base portion 102, which is connected to a middle base portion 108, which in turn is connected to a front base portion 103. The front base portion 102 includes the bearing recess 104 for the support leg 30, and is itself recessed, relative to the front base portion 103 and the major part of the middle base portion 108, for housing the support leg 30 in its retracted position, as shown in Figure 6. The middle base portion 108 is recessed at its longitudi nal centre, relative to the front base portion 103, and forms a central recess for the propping member 40, as shown in Figure 6, but is otherwise flush with the front base portion 103.Transverse edge portions 107 (Figures 3, 5 and 6) of the middle portion 108 of the base 10 adjacent to the recessed middle portion 108 are not recessed and provide sliding support for corresponding edge portions of the undersurface of the slide component 47. An upper surface of the slide component 47 slides against, and is retained by, an undersurface of the recessed part of the middle portion 108 of the base 10. The depth of the central recess in the middle portion 108 is just sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the slide component 47. The slide component 47 is thus constrained to slide in a plane parallel to the undersurface of the base 10.

Tranverse sliding motion of the slide component 47 causes pivotal motion of the support leg 30, since these components are linked by the link 46 which is hinged to both of them.

The slide component 47 is gripped manually by means of a rectangular raised handle 470 which has a rectangular depression 476 at its centre, the depression 476 being provided with grips 471.

As shown in Figure 6, the pivot axis of the link 46 on the support leg 30 is slightly below the undersurface of the rear portion 102 of the base, so that, in the fully-retracted position of the support leg, there is a small acute angle between the link 46 and the slide component 47. This enables a turning force to be exerted on the link 46 by a transverse force on the slide component 47, allowing the support leg to be pivoted indirectly by sliding the slide component 47.

The propping member 40 is slideable longitudinally between a locking position, as shown in Figure 3, and a free position, as shown in Figure 4. In the locking position, transverse sliding movement of the propping member 40 is prevented, and thus the support leg is locked in its pivotal position, by means of the inter-engagement of lands 474, 475 on the extreme edge portions of the slide component 47, with corresponding lands 110 formed on the adjacent edges 107 of the middle section 108 of the base 10. The slide component 47 has, at each end, a pair 474, 475 of lands formed as fingers extending lengthwise of the support leg 30. The adjacent edge portions 107 of the middle section 108 of the base 10 have a transversely-extending series of corresponding lands 110, also formed as fingers extending lengthwise parallel to the support leg 30.Each pair 474, 475 of lands on the slide component 47 is capable of interdigitating with adjacent corresponding lands 110 on the base 10, in each of several transverselyspaced positions. In this example, there are five such positions, since there are six gaps between adjacent lands 110 of the series.

The propping member 40 is slideable lengthwise, in the direction of the arrow Al in Figure 3, to the free position shown in Figure 4, at which the lands 474, 475 are disengaged from the corresponding lands 110 on the base 10, enabling the locking component 47 to be slid transversely in the direction shown by the arrow A2 in Figure 4.

The extremes of longitudinal and transverse movement of the propping member 40 are limited by stops. In particular, a part-rectangular frame 109 (Figure 5), extending upwards from the middle section 108 of the base 10 so as to be level with the upper surface of the recessed portion thereof, serves to provide a stop by engaging the slide component 47 at its extremes of motion. In addition, the rectangular side of the raised handle 470 of the slide component 47 provides the necessary stopping action at extremes of movement of the slide component by abutting against transverse edges 1071 (Figure 3) and 1072 (Figure 4) of the edge portions 107 (Figure 6) of the middle section of the base 10.Further still, in order to prevent the slide component sliding transversely out of its track with the support leg over-extended, a pair of plate stops 302 are provided on the underside of the rear base section 102 for engagement with rear edges of the edge portions of the slide component 47.

The position at which the propping member 40 is indexed is indicated visually by means of a pair of oppositely-pointing arrows 472, 473 (Figure 3) formed in the surface of the handle 470 of the slide component 47, and a pair of scale markings 60 on the underside of each edge portion 107 of the middle section of the base 10. In each of the five possible indexed positions of the propping member 40, the arrow 473 points to a different one of the scale markings 60. Similarly, as the slide component 47 is slid transversely in the direction of the arrow A2 (Figure 4) to select an indexing position, the selection is facilitated by aligning the arrow 472 with one of the corresponding scale markings 60 on the other edge portion 108.When the arrow 472 is aligned in this way, the propping member 40 will be slideable lengthwise to assume its locking position, the lands 474, 475 sliding into engagement with the corresponding lands 110 on the base 10.

The height of the rear edge of the keyboard is adjusted as follows. The keyboard is first raised to reveal the underside of the base 10.

The propping member 40 is then slid to its free position (Figure 4), and is then slid transversely to cause the support leg 30 to pivot to one of the five possible indexed positions. The propping member is then slid into the locking position (Figure 3), securing the support leg 30 at the selected pivotal position. The keyboard is then replaced on the support surface, ready for use.

Although the first aspect of the invention has been illustrated in the form of a computer keyboard with the detailed configuration shown in the drawings, many modifications are possible, still within the scope of the invention. The base 10 and support leg 30 could, for example, form part of a unit other than a keyboard, and indeed the base 10 could instead be any body member, preferably generally flat, whether it is normally used horizontally, vertically, or inclined to the vertical.

The propping member could take a different form, and need not be an integral moulding, provided that it propped the leg against a surface of the body member remote from the hinge, and were lockable to that surface at a plurality of transversely-spaced positions. Similarly, the manner in which the propping member is locked need not take the precise form described, provided that it is lockable in each of a plurality of discrete positions each causing the support leg to be moved to a differently angled position relative to the body member.

Further, although the second aspect of the invention has been illustrated in this particular form, the keyboard with its pivotally-mounted support leg could be made adjustable in height between a plurality of different positions by other mechanisms. For example, a locking mechanism similar to that described above could instead be slideable aong the surface of the support leg to provide the necessary adjustment.

Finally, although the slide component is shown as sliding at 900 to the support leg hinge to effect the adjustment of the leg inclination, it should be understood that this socalled transverse movement is intended to include movement at a different angle which achieves the same result.

Claims (20)

1. An assembly comprising a body member having a support leg hinged thereto about a pivot axis for supporting the body member, and a propping member comprising a supporting link for propping the support leg against the body member and a slide component pivotally connected to the supporting link, slideable on the body member and lockable thereto so as to lock the supporting link to the body member at any selected one of a plurality of positions spaced from the pivot axis and corresponding to different respective inclinations of the support leg about the pivot axis.

2. An assembly in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the body member has a generally flat underside to which the supporting leg is hinged and against which the supporting link is propped, and the slide component is slidea ble on the said underside transversely of the pivot axis.

3. An assembly in accordance with Claim 2, wherein the slide component is pivotally connected to the supporting link by means of a hinge parallel to the pivot axis.

4. An assembly in accordance with claim 3, wherein the propping member is an integral plastics moulding, the said hinge being formed integrally between the slide component and the supporting link.

5. An assembly in accordance with Claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the supporting link is pivotally connected to the support leg about an axis parallel to and spaced from the said pivot axis.

6. An assembly in accordance with Claim 5, wherein the supporting link is pivotally connected to the support leg by means of a hinge at one end edge of the supporting link.

7. An assembly in accordance with any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the slide component is also slideable parallel to the pivot axis between a locking position, at which transverse movement of the slide component is prevented, and a free position at which the said transverse movement is permitted.

8. An assembly in accordance with Claim 7, wherein the slide mechanism has a profiled surface which co-operates with a corresponding adjacent surface of the body member when in the locking position, to effect the said locking action.

9. An assembly in accordance with Claim 8, wherein the said profiled surface and the said corresponding adjacent surface overlap parallel to the underside of the body member, and each is provided with a series of spaced lands parallel to the pivot axis, the series of lands on the body member facing and interleaving with those of the profiled surface.

10. An assembly in accordance with any of claims 2 to 9, wherein the support leg extends along the full length of the body member substantially at one edge thereof.

11. An assembly in accordance with any of claims 2 to 10, wherein the propping member is substantially centrally disposed of the support leg in the direction of the pivot axis.

12. An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the slide component has a grip for it to be slid manually along or transversely of the pivot axis.

13. An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the support leg is generally rectangular and is hinged to the body member along an edge of the support leg.

14. A base for a keyboard comprising an assembly in accordance with any preceding claim.

15. A keyboard having a base in accordance with Claim 14.

16. A keyboard having a support leg hinged thereto about a pivot axis and adjustable between at least three predetermined, angulariyspaced positions about the pivot axis such that the support leg is capable of supporting the keyboard at a corresponding number of different heights.

17. A keyboard in accordance with Claim 16, in which the support leg is adjustable between the said positions by means of a propping member comprising a flat supporting link, a flat slide component and a hinge parallel to the pivot axis connecting the supporting link to the flat slide component which is slideable along an underside of the keyboard, the supporting link being hinged to the support leg parallel to the pivot axis, and the slide component being lockable to the said underside at any of at least three positions spaced transversely of the pivot axis and corresponding to the said predetermined positions of the support leg.

18. A keyboard in accordance with Claim 17, wherein the propping member is a plastics moulding, the said hinge between the support link and the slide component being formed integrally.

19. An assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A computer keyboard substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.