Keyboard Cabinet With Sliding Tray

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to cabinets for storing computer keyboards or the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of computer keyboards in association with various machines such as copiers and printers is well known. It is also well known to have associated with the keyboard a cathode ray tube (CRT) for viewing data input by the operator. As the keyboards are not always needed, it is known to store them within cabinets upon which the CRT may rest. A sliding tray within the cabinet allows the keyboard to be uncovered from the cabinet so that the operator may walk up to the machine and input instructions to the machine via the keyboard. When the keyboard is not in use, the tray is pushed back into the cabinet and thus does not provide an obstacle to persons walking past the machine. It is also known to provide a raised step adjacent the front of the tray. An operator can support his/her wrists or the heels of his/her hands on this step while operating the keyboard. However, the keyboard trays of this type noted in the prior art lack a cover door to reduce the dust that otherwise tends to collect upon the keyboard.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved cabinet for a computer keyboard that includes a cover door and provides support for an operator's wrists or hands.

A cabinet includes a housing and a slidable tray supporting a keyboard. The tray has attached thereto a housing cover door that is pivotably mounted to the tray. A rear face of the door is pivotable to a generally horizontal position when the tray is extended from the housing for supporting the wrists or hands of an operator of the keyboard.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet for storing a keyboard, the cabinet being shown closed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet showing a tray located therein in an extended position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet showing details of portions of the tray and a dust cover door; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the cabinet with tray extended showing in phantom a CRT, a top of a copier or printer, a keyboard and a hand of a keyboard operator.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, a CRT 10 is shown in phantom resting upon a cabinet housing 20 which in turn rests upon a machine 12 that receives at least some instructions from inputs provided upon a keyboard 14 (also shown in phantom) located within the cabinet 15. The machine may be an electrophotographic copier or printer and a portion of the top surface thereof is also shown in phantom. The cabinet housing is of sheet metal and comprises rectangular top and bottom walls 22, 24 and rectangular side walls 26, 28. Provision is made in the opening 29 at the top rear of the cabinet for providing egress of electrical cables (not shown) to connect to the CRT and the machine that is being instructed. The rear of the cabinet housing may be placed flush against a vertical surface (not shown) of the machine to seal off the rear of the housing.

Secured to the external bottom wall 24 are four rubber buttons or pads 32 for frictionally holding the drawer housing in place against sliding movement relative to the machine. Ribs (not shown) are secured on the inside face of top wall 22 to provide rigidity for supporting the CRT. The ribs extend between the two side walls 26, 28.

A tray 40 is slidably supported within the housing 20 by conventional means which may take the form of elongated channels (not shown) located on both inside faces of the side walls 26, 28 which cooperate with channels (only one of which 44 is shown) secured to upturned side rim walls 46, 48, respectively of the tray. Ball bearings are provided within the slide movement to provide for a smooth sliding between tray and cabinet housing. A suitable sliding mechanism of this type is commercially available and is sold under the trademark ACCURIDE. ACCURIDE is a registered trademark of Standard Precision, Inc. The tray also includes front and rear rim walls 50, 52 between which the keyboard may be positioned. Tabs 54, 56 extend forwardly from side rim walls 46, 48 and are each provided with an arcuate guide slot, one of which 60 is shown in FIG. 3. The slots are each approximately one-quarter segments of a circle.

A dust cover door 62 is pivotally secured to the side rim walls at the tabs by pins or rivets 64, 66. The door may be formed of fiber board or other suitable materials and includes a front face or wall 71 and a rear face or wall 72. The tabs extend into narrow slots 68, 70 formed in the rear wall 72 of the dust cover door. Pins 74, 76 are also located within the door and extend through respective arcuate guide slots. Pins 74, 76 cooperate with the slots to serve as a stop and support the door so that when the door is in is open position the generally flat rear wall 72 is supported approximately horizontally. With a keyboard 14 positioned within the cabinet it has been found that a preferred placement location of the door's rear wall 72 is approximately level with the top surface of the spacer bar 80 on the keyboard 14. The keyboard contains a series of alpha-numeric characters and other keys in various rows or steps placed at different horizontal levels. The spacer bar is on most standard keyboards an elongated bar that is located on the lowermost of these steps. The spacer bar will be located about 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) from the front rim wall 50 and the top surface of the spacer bar key will be about 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the bottom of the tray. When keying or operating the keyboard to provide instructions to the machine 12, the heels of the hands or wrists 16 of the operator (shown in phantom) are supported by the rear wall of the cover door and provide a comfortable means for operating the keyboard.

When the operator is through keying in instructions to the machine, the door may be pivoted 90.degree. to its closed position and the tray moved rearwardly back into the cabinet housing 20 after first releasing conventional detents (not shown) provided along the channel slides. With the tray located within the cabinet housing, the rear face of the door covers the front of the housing to minimize dust collection on the keyboard.

If desired, means may be provided to prevent tipping over of the cabinet while the tray is extended outwardly due to the downward force upon the door in supporting the operator's hands or wrists. One means may comprise providing a VELCRO (trademark) band across the bottom wall of the cabinet at the rear thereto and a complementary securing VELCRO band secured to the machine surface to counter the force on the door. VELCRO bands are a fastener that employ on one fastening surface a series of hair-like hooks and employ on a second fastening surface hair-like loops to which the hooks become detachably engaged.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.