Keyboard wrist support

Abstract

A keyboard wrist support including a platform adapted for being in a first, deployed position adjacent to the keyboard or a second, storage position in a plane below the keyboard. The wrist support further includes a pair of elongated support brackets, each having a first portion coupled to the platform and a second portion movably attached to a base. The wrist support provides the additional benefits of counterbalancing the weight of the computer display when the wrist support is used with a portable computer and providing leverage to the user for stabilization. The platform is pivotable with respect to the support brackets in order to permit the platform to be angled relative to the keyboard for optimum comfort and the base is slidable with respect to the support brackets in order to reduce the footprint of the support when the keyboard is not in use. Also described are embodiments in which the platform is slidable with respect to the keyboard.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A portable computer comprising: 
 a chassis containing a data processor, an alphanumeric keyboard, a display and a support structure;    a wrist support comprising a platform adapted to support a user's palms or wrists, wherein said platform is slidably coupled to the support structure in said chassis and wherein, when in use, said wrist support is movable with respect to said keyboard such that said wrist support moves in a plane above a plane in which the keyboard is disposed and said wrist support can move over a surface of said chassis which is in the same plane as the keyboard, and wherein said wrist support is provided having a width substantially equal to the width of said chassis and having a length such that when said wrist support is in a closed position the wrist support covers a surface of said chassis which is in the same plane as the keyboard; and    a platform which is substantially coplanar with respect to said keyboard.