Method and apparatus for adjusting height of keyboard

A computing system having a keyboard that is supported from a work surface by one or more support members. The positions of the support members relative to the keyboard are varied in accordance with a predetermined timed sequence, causing corresponding variances in the height of the housing portions corresponding to the support members. The intervals between height variances are such that the latter variances are not noticeable by the user of the system.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The invention relates generally to the field of computers, and more 
particularly to a computing system including a computer and a keyboard 
that is adjustable to prevent discomfort with extended use. 
BACKGROUND 
A great majority of computing systems on the market today come with a 
computer and a separate keyboard which is connected to the computer. It is 
generally believed that extended use of the keyboard can be uncomfortable 
due to repetitive motions. 
"Ergonomic" keyboards have been introduced to the market that attempt to 
solve this discomfort, including designs that allow the user to set the 
keyboard up into a more "neutral" posture, that is, a posture that adapts 
to various parts of the body, including wrists, forearms and shoulders. 
These type of designs permit the adjustment of height for wrist, forearm 
and shoulder extension/flexion, slope for wrist extension/flexion, tenting 
for wrist pronation/supination, and/or splay for ulnar/radial deviation 
(wrist). 
However, although these keyboard designs allow the user to customize the 
specific position of the keyboard, the position, once set, still subjects 
the user to prolonged discomfort. 
Therefore what is need is a computer having a keyboard that is adjustable 
but is not subject to prolonged discomfort. 
SUMMARY 
Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to a 
computing system having a keyboard and one or more support members 
connected to a lower portion of the keyboard. The height of each support 
member is varied in accordance with a predetermined timed sequence to vary 
the height of the housing portion accordingly without requiring the user 
to make constant mechanical adjustments to the keyboard. Each of the 
adjustments would slowly change over a relative long period of time to the 
extent that they would not be noticed by the user during use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 of the drawings depict the computing system of the present invention 
which includes a computer 10 which can be in the form of desktop computer 
or a tower computer. The computer 10 includes a chassis 12 (shown in 
phantom lines) in which a motherboard 14 is mounted. A processor 16, a 
plurality of memory modules 18, and two input/output (I/O) devices 20 are 
mounted on the motherboard 14. Two buses 22a and 22b are also provided on 
the motherboard 14 that connect the processor 16 to the memory modules 18 
and to the input/output devices 20, respectively. A power supply 24 is 
connected to the motherboard 16 and a pair of cable assemblies 26a and 26b 
connect the motherboard 14 to a disk drive unit 28a and a hard drive unit 
28b, respectively. It is understood that other components, electrical 
traces, electrical circuits and related devices (not shown) are provided 
in the chassis 10. Since these are all conventional, they will not be 
described in any further detail. 
A keyboard 30 is provided and is connected to one of the input/output 
devices 20 by a cable 33. The keyboard 30 includes a housing 32 having a 
front end 32a, a rear end 32b, and two sides 32c and 32d. A plurality of 
keys 34 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 32 for inputting 
data into the computer 10 where it is received by the one I/O device 20, 
it being understood that the housing 32 contains proper conventional 
electrical circuits and components to permit this. 
FIGS. 2 and 3 depict the various positions that the housing 32 can take 
according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to 
FIG. 2, a starting or "normal" position of the housing 32 is shown in 
solid lines. This position can be set at the factory or by the user in a 
manner to be described. According to an embodiment of the present 
invention, the front end 322 can be raised and lowered to and from the 
normal position, as shown, for example, by the phantom lines. Similarly, 
the rear end 32b of the housing can be raised and lowered to and from its 
normal position, as also shown by example by the phantom lines. As shown 
in FIG. 3, the side ends 32c and 32d can be raised and lowered to and from 
their normal positions, also shown, for example, by the phantom lines. It 
is understood that the front end 32a, the rear end 32b, and the sides 32c 
and 32d can each be lowered and raised independently from each other, and 
that the positions of the housing shown by the phantom lines are for the 
purposes of example only and are infinitely variable within a 
predetermined range, as will be described. 
As better shown in FIG. 4, four actuators 36, 38, 40 and 42 are mounted to 
the bottom of the housing 32 near the four corners thereof in any known 
manner. The actuators 36-42 are of a conventional design and, as such, 
include motors 36a-42a, internally threaded screw jacks 36b-42b and 
externally threaded shafts 36c-42c, respectively. Referring to the 
actuator 36 for the purposes of example, at least a portion of the 
threaded shaft 36c is disposed in the screw jack 36b in threaded 
engagement therewith. The design is such that, upon actuation of the motor 
36a, the screw jack 36b rotates, causing corresponding axial movement of 
the shaft 36c in an upward or downward direction as viewed in FIG. 4, 
depending on the direction of rotation of the motor 36a and the screw jack 
36b. The actuators 38-42 are identical to the actuator 36 and, since the 
actuators 36-42 are conventional, they will not be described in any 
further detail. 
The actuators 38-42 are mounted relative to the bottom wall, or base, of 
the keyboard housing 32 in a conventional manner so that the shafts 
36c-42c extend perpendicular to the bottom wall and, as such, form support 
members, or "feet", for the housing 32. When the keyboard 30 is placed on 
a flat work surface in the general position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the 
shafts 36c-42c support the keyboard 30 in an elevated position from the 
work surface. Upon actuation of each actuator 36-42, a corresponding 
corner of the housing 32 can be raised and lowered independently of the 
others to one of an infinitely variable number of positions between a 
fully retracted and a fully extended position of the shafts 36c-42c. 
Referring to FIG. 4, a controller 46 is electrically connected to the 
motors 36a-42a of the actuators 36-42 by conventional electrical cabling 
for continuously varying the retraction and extension of the shafts 
36c-42c. A timer 48 is operatively connected to the controller 46 for 
controlling the operation of the controller 46, and therefore the 
corresponding retraction or extension of the shafts 36c-42c, in accordance 
to a predetermined timed sequence. The controller 46 and the timer 48 can 
be mounted in the chassis 12, in the housing 32, or outboard of both in a 
separate housing (not shown). It is understood that the controller 46 
includes a micro-processor, or the like, that controls actuation of each 
motor 36a-42a independently of the others and the timer sets a 
predetermined timed sequence of operation. This causes corresponding 
continuous retraction or extension of the shafts 36c-42c a number of times 
over a set period of time and thus varies the height of the keyboard 30 
accordingly. 
In operation, the controller 46 and the timer 48 are set so that, when the 
computer 10 and the keyboard 30 are in use, the shafts 36c-42c of the 
keyboard housing 32 continuously vary the heights of the corresponding 
corners of the housing across a preset or user programmed range. 
Preferably, the height variations of the shafts 36c-42c slowly change over 
a relative long period of time to the extent that they would not be 
noticed by the user during use. 
The embodiment of the present invention described above thus enjoys the 
advantage of requiring the user to vary his or her posture several times 
over a predetermined period of time while using the keyboard 30, and thus 
reduce discomfort without having to make constant mechanical adjustments 
to the keyboard. This allows normal operation of the keyboard while 
assuring that the user's hands, wrists, forearms and shoulders will not be 
in the same position/posture for extended periods of use. 
In the event the user does not want the height of the keyboard 30 to 
continuously vary in accordance with the foregoing, the controller 46 can 
be turned off when the keyboard is in a preferred position, and the 
keyboard can thus can be used in a "static" mode. 
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without 
departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the embodiment 
described above is not limited to use with a desktop computer as described 
above by means of example, but is equally applicable to any type of 
self-contained computer, such as laptop computers, notebook computers, and 
the like. Also, the particular mechanisms for raising and lowering one or 
more portions of the keyboard can be varied within the scope of the 
invention. Further, the number of support members, or "feet," formed by 
the shafts 36c-42c can be varied within the scope of the present 
invention. 
It is also understood that the embodiment of the assembly of the present 
invention described above is intended to illustrate rather than limit the 
invention, and that the mounting assembly can take many other forms and 
embodiments within the scope of the invention.