U.S. patent application number 11/490827 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-24 for work station.
Invention is credited to Yun-Fei Wang.
Application Number | 20080017080 11/490827 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38970224 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080017080 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang; Yun-Fei |
January 24, 2008 |
Work station
Abstract
A work station suitable for a notebook computer is disclosed.
The work station comprises a base plate and a front plate. The
front plate is pivotally connected to the base plate by a hinge.
The base plate and the front plate comprise elevation means
disposed on rear side thereof and stretchable walls on two sides
thereof. The front plate comprises a stopper bent upwards disposed
on a front side thereof.
Inventors: |
Wang; Yun-Fei; (Beijing,
CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YUN-FEI WANG
P.O. BOX 1-195
YUNG HO, TAIPEI HSIEN
235
omitted
|
Family ID: |
38970224 |
Appl. No.: |
11/490827 |
Filed: |
July 24, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 2023/049 20130101;
A47B 23/043 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
108/6 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/12 20060101
A47F005/12 |
Claims
1. A work station, suitable for a notebook computer, comprising: a
base plate; and a front plate, pivotally connected to said base
plate by a hinge, wherein said base plate and said front plate
comprise elevation means disposed on rear side thereof and
stretchable walls disposed on two sides thereof, and wherein said
front plate comprises a stopper disposed on a front side
thereof.
2. The work station suitable for a notebook computer according to
claim 1, wherein said elevation means comprises an automatic
elevation means comprising a motor disposed on said base plate, a
bi-directional shank coaxially connected to an output axle of said
motor, two threaded elements disposed on said bi-directional shank,
two arms are pivotally connected to each other by a hinge disposed
below said front plate, and wherein at least one of said two arms
comprises a balancing bar positioned parallel to said two arms and
two distal ends of said balancing bar are pivotally connected to a
lower side of said front plate and said thread elements.
3. A work station suitable for a notebook computer according to
claim 1, wherein said elevation means comprises a manual elevation
means comprising a bi-directional shank disposed on said base
plate, two thread elements disposed on said bi-directional shank,
two arms pivotally connected to said two thread elements, and said
two arms pivotally connected to each other by a hinge disposed
below said front plate, wherein at least one of said two arms
comprises a balancing bar positioned parallel to said two arms and
two distal ends of said balancing bar are pivotally connected to a
lower side of said front plate and said thread elements, and
wherein said bi-directional shank comprises a speed shifter having
a movable handle.
4. The work station suitable for a notebook computer according to
claim 2, wherein said hinge connected to said two arms is securely
positioned to a rotatable long axle having two distal ends
penetrated through an axial base to position said hinge below said
front plate.
5. The work station suitable for a notebook computer according to
claim 1, further comprising fan shape walls respectively disposed
on an upper side of said base plate and a lower side of said front
plate respectively, and a distal end of said fan shape walls
comprise arch shape walls covering around each other.
6. The work station suitable a notebook computer according to claim
1, wherein said front plate comprises a plurality of holes for
dissipating heat.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to a work station
suitable for a electronic device, and more particularly to a height
adjustable work station suitable for a notebook computer.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] The notebook computer has become a very popular electronic
device, and accordingly many documents are formatted in the
electronic files for reading on the display of the computer. Even
the desktop computer has become commonly used information tool.
However, the desktop computer is heavy and bulky compared to a
notebook computer. Thus, the application of a notebook computer is
much higher than that of a desktop computer. The notebook computer
can be used both indoor and outdoor, which is its main advantage
over the desktop computer. Conventionally, office desks are usually
designed according to the height of the desktop computer, and
because the desktop computer display device is being mounted on a
base and has a certain height, the display device can be positioned
right in front of the user, and the user need not head the head
down to read the document displayed on the display device. The
notebook computer also has the advantageous features of lighter,
thinner and smaller. The height of a conventional office desk is
not suitable for a notebook computer as the height of the display
of the notebook computer is roughly equal to the height of the
desktop computer display device without the base. Even when the
display of the notebook computer is adjusted to a most ideal angle,
the user still has to bend down head to view the information
displayed on the notebook computer display. This may cause health
problems to, such as eye sight, pain in the neck, back and the
like, due to long time use.
[0003] Meanwhile, if the position of the notebook computer on the
desk is adjusted to a horizontal level, the keyboard is also
position along the horizontal level, which is a inconvenient
position as most users prefer to use the keyboard at certain
convenient angle, which is definitely not horizontal level. Thus,
the conventional office desk is not user-friendly.
[0004] Accordingly, the present inventor has designed various types
of reading tools to avoid the user to bend down the head for
viewing information displayed on the display of a notebook
computer. So far there are no similar tools available for viewing
information on a notebook computer display, and therefore, the
users still have to bend down the head to view information
displayed on the notebook computer display and input information
using the keyboard positioned at a inconvenient horizontal
level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Accordingly, in the view of the foregoing, the present
invention provides a work station capable of properly positioning
the notebook computer thereon in order to improve the
viewing/reading on the notebook computer display and inputting
information using the keyboard and thereby provide comfort and
convenience to the user.
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, the work
station comprises a base plate and a front plate. The base plate is
pivotally connected to the front plate by a hinge. An elevating
device is disposed on a rear side of the base plate and the front
plate. Stretchable walls are respectively disposed on two sides of
the base plate and the front plate. The front plate has a stopper
positioned at the front side that is bent upwards.
[0007] The elevating device can be automatically operated and
comprises a motor disposed on the base plate. A bi-directional
shank coaxially connected to the motor. Two threaded elements are
positioned on said bi-directional shank, two arms are connected to
the two thread elements, and the two arms are pivotally connected
to each other by a hinge. The hinge connected to the two arms is
securely positioned under the front plate. At least one of the two
arms has a balancing bar positioned parallel to the arms. Two
distal ends of the balancing bar are pivotally connected to the
lower side of the front plate and the thread elements.
[0008] The elevating device may be manually operated and comprises
a bi-directional shank positioned on the base plate. Two thread
elements are positioned on the bi-directional shank. Two arms are
connected to the two thread elements, and two arms are pivotally
connected to each other by a hinge. The hinge connected to the two
arms is securely positioned under the front plate. At least one of
the two arms has a balancing bar positioned parallel to the arm.
Two distal ends of the balancing bar are pivotally connected to the
lower side of the front plate and the threaded elements. The
bi-directional shank has a speed shifter having a removable manual
elevation handle.
[0009] The hinge connected to the arms is securely positioned on a
long axle having two distal ends penetrated through the axial base
and rotatably positioned beneath the front plate.
[0010] The above stretchable walls are positioned on two sides of
the front plate and the base plate. A fan-shape wall is positioned
on the upper side of the base plate and the lower side of the front
plate. The distal end of the fan-shape walls comprise arch shape
walls. The arch shape walls positioned on the base plate and the
front plate may cover around each other.
[0011] The above front plate has a plurality of holes for
dissipating heat.
[0012] The elevation device is adopted for automatically/manually
adjusting the angle of the front plate to enable the user to adjust
an inclination angle of the notebook computer disposed on the work
station. Thus, the keyboard of the notebook computer can be
positioned at an angle that allows the user to comfortably operate
to input information into the notebook computer. Thus, straining of
the user hands can be reduced due to the better operation position.
Meanwhile, the display of the notebook computer can be elevated to
a certain height such that the user can view the information
displayed on the display without bending the head. Thus, the
problems such as pain in eyes, necks, back and the like, due to a
long time use of the notebook computer, can be effectively
reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] For a more complete understanding of the present invention,
reference will now be made to the following detailed description of
preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the following
accompanying drawings.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work station according to
a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a side view of the work station according to the
first embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the work station according to the
first embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the work station according to a
second embodiment of the present invention.
DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, the work station of the present
invention comprises a base plate 7 and a front plate 3. The base
plate 7 is pivotally connected to the front plate 3 by a hinge 2.
The front plate 3 comprises a stopper 1, which is bent upwards at
the front portion and is for stopping the notebook computer from
sliding off when placed on the work station. The front plate
comprises a plurality of holes 4 for dissipating heat. For better
appearance, the front plate 3 and the base plate 7 comprise
stretchable walls 5 and 6 respectively positioned on two sides of
the front plate 3 and the base plate 7. The stretchable walls
comprise fan shape walls such as an arch shape walls at the back
side thereof and cover the inner mechanical structure to provide
better appearance.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, for adjusting the angle of the
front plate 3, an auto-elevation device is disposed on the rear
side between the front plate 3 and the base plate 7. The elevation
device comprises a motor 17, right and left axles 16, a
bi-directional shank 10, a threaded element 15 and an arm 9. The
bi-directional shank 10 comprises a right threat 18 disposed on a
left portion, a left threat 20 disposed on a right portion and a
smooth portion 19 disposed on a center portion. The bi-directional
shank 10 is positioned between the right and left axles 16 secured
on the base plate 7. The motor 17 is securely positioned on the
base plate 7, and the output axle of the motor 17 is coaxially
connected to the bi-directional shank 10. The bi-directional shank
10 has a thread element 15 on two sides thereof, and two sides of
the bi-directional shank 10 have opposite threads to enable the two
thread elements 15 move towards both directions when the
bi-directional shank 10 rotates. The two thread elements 15
comprise hinges 14 and two arms 9 penetrate through the hinge 14.
Two distal ends of the arms 9 are pivotally connected to each other
by a hinge 13. The hinge 13 is securely positioned on the round
long axle 8 disposed under the front plate 3, and the long axle 8
is positioned on the front plate 3 and is supported by two axial
bases 11. Thus, the rear side of the front plate 3 and the base
plate 7 can be elevated by the operation of the motor 17. When the
motor 17 rotates the bi-directional shank 10, the two thread
elements 15 moves towards or away from each other and thereby
enable the two arms 9 to position the front plate 3 at a desired
inclination angle and an elevation level. As the front plate 3 is
pivotally connected to the base plate 7, the angle of the front
plate 3 can be adjusted to adjust the angle of the notebook
computer disposed thereon according to the user need.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, for stabilizing of elevation of the
front plate 3, a balancing bar 12 may be disposed between the
thread elements 15 and the long axle 8 below the front plate 3. The
upper end portion of the balancing bar 12 is pivotally connected to
the thread elements 15 of the long axle 8. The balancing bar 12 is
parallel to the arm 9 to symmetrically position the two sides of
the front plate 3.
[0021] The work station of the present invention may also comprise
a power supply and a switch. The power supply may be a battery or
an external power connection, and the switch may be disposed on the
surface of the work station.
[0022] The operation of the work station of the present invention
is described as follows. First, the notebook computer placed on the
front plate 3, and the display of the notebook computer is flipped
open. Next, the switch is activated to control the motor 17 to
adjust an inclination angle of the front plate 3, a height of the
display of the notebook computer is adjusted to a desired reading
position and the inclination angle of the keyboard of the notebook
computer that is comfortable for the user to operate the notebook
computer. To restore the work station of the present invention, the
front plate 3 is adjusted to the lowest position to reduce the
space occupation. Thus, the work station of the present invention
is capable to adjust the height of the display and the angle of the
keyboard in a manner that are comfortable to the user to operate
the notebook computer.
Embodiment 2
[0023] Referring to FIG. 4, the structure of the work station of
the second embodiment of the present invention is similar to that
of the first embodiment described above except for speed shifter
and the removable handle instead of the motor 17. The handle can be
assembled to the work station for manually adjusting the height of
the display and the angle of the front board 3 in a manner so that
the use can comfortably operate the notebook computer thereon.
[0024] While the invention has been described in conjunction with a
specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is
intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and
variations in which fall within the spirit and scope of the
included claims. All matters set forth herein or shown in the
accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and
non-limiting sense.
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