Cantilevered, adjustable, portable computer desk

A cantilevered, telescopic, portable and adaptable computer desk to support and self-contain work space including a standard computer tower or desktop computer and all the associated peripherals, such as the keyboard, the mouse, the screen, the printer and other electronic devices. The computer desk provides numerous ways to adjust the position of the work area; the computer screen is adjustable, the desk member is adjustable both in the horizontal and vertical planes, the keyboard is adjustable, the mouse pad is adjustable and the base is adjustable. The computer desk may be used by a person working for long, tiring period at a computer desk or a person needing to be lying in a bed or on a sofa. In addition, the structure adapts to other various body positions. Someone standing up, seated in an upright chair or a wheelchair or resting or reclining in a favorite chair or recliner may use the structure. The disclosure permits the human to interface with the elements of the computer system in the most comfortable, adaptable and ergonomic positions. This unique computer desk is inexpensive to make, aesthetically pleasing and provides the healthy or handicapped user with an unlimited number of variations in adaptability, adjustability, and application.

BACKGROUND-FIELD OF INVENTION
 The present invention relates to a cantilevered computer desk. More
 particularly, the present invention relates to a cantilevered desk surface
 mounted on a movable base by a telescopic support or pedestal. The
 invention permits healthy, disabled or handicapped persons to utilize a
 computer comfortably and conveniently while seated in any type of chair or
 wheelchair, or while standing or while lying in a recliner, on a sofa or
 in a bed.
 BACKGROUND-DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
 The personal computer (PC) is now a common tool in modern society. As
 software development and Internet usage proliferates, it is not uncommon
 for an individual to spend many hours per day working or playing on a
 personal computer. As wonderful as the personal computer is, it is without
 dispute that it also comes with inherent problems. When a person remains
 in the same position for hours at a time, even healthy muscles tend to
 fatigue. Over time, fatigued muscles spasm causing pain and stress related
 injuries. There is a need for an improved computer desk that is
 adjustable, adaptable, portable, selfcontained, and inexpensive to make.
 Furthermore, the personal computer provides disabled or handicapped persons
 hours of productive work or entertainment. Yet many sick, tired, injured,
 disabled or handicapped people are precluded from using a computer since
 they cannot sit in an upright chair for long periods of time. Until this
 invention there was not an easy and inexpensive way to adapt a computer to
 fit each person's unique and changing needs or particular limitations.
 Computer tables are well known in the prior art. While over the years,
 novel adaptations for computer tables have been developed in an attempt to
 address the problems encountered from the explosive growth of the personal
 computer.
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,391 issued to Lee in 1989 was an attempt to invent a
 wheeled adjustment computer desk. While this early attempt at a computer
 table was adjustable and portable, it is limited in its application to
 someone sitting in an upright chair directly in front of the table. One
 could not use the Lee patent while lying in a recliner, on a sofa, or in a
 bed as the stationary legs of the desk prohibit access. While the Lee
 invention attempts to solve the problem of height-adjustment and
 portability, its application is undoubtedly marginal since in the ten
 years since the patent issued, the invention has not met with commercial
 success.
 Another very inferior patent is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,450 issued
 to Huang in 1997. While this is another attempt at a computer desk, the
 invention has no adjustment means or means for moving the desk.
 A different Huang patent, also issued in 1997 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,881,
 is for a computer desk and has swivel wheels for moving, but the invention
 fails to provide any adjustment means and, like all the others, the dual
 or quad stationary legs prohibit access of the desk to many desired
 locations.
 Devices have been disclosed which permit a user to utilize a personal
 computer while bedridden. One such device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,710
 issued to Newman in 1989. While this device may have application to a
 bedridden person, it does not address the issue of a person who is
 ambulatory and merely suffering from muscle strain nor does it address the
 person confined to a wheelchair, setting in various chairs, or using a
 computer while standing.
 Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,566 issued to Case in 1997 describes a
 portable ergonomic workstation. However, this invention is limited to
 holding only a light-weight, flat screen whereas my invention accommodates
 a standard computer tower and standard monitor. In addition, the Case
 patent is expensive to manufacture. It consists of a plurality of
 articulating arm elements. It provides no actual desk space. And, it lacks
 aesthetic appeal as it looks like a handicapped appliance.
 Thus, the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use
 a base and shelving elements to support a computer. However, the prior art
 has not contemplated the provision of a cantilevered, telescopic, movable
 and adaptable device to support and self-contain a standard computer tower
 or desktop computer enclosure, and all the associated peripherals,
 including the keyboard, the mouse, the screen, the printer and any other
 electronic devices, which may be employed by a person working for long,
 tiring periods at a computer desk or a person needing to be in bed, in a
 wheelchair, or other various body positions. Nor is a device contemplated
 which may be employed by a person standing or reclining in his or her
 favorite chair, which permits the human interface elements of the computer
 system to be placed in the most comfortable and ergonomic position during
 use. The foregoing disadvantages are overcome by the unique cantilevered,
 telescopic, adjustable, movable and self-contained computer desk of the
 instant invention as will be made apparent from the following description
 thereof. This unique computer desk is inexpensive to make, aesthetically
 pleasing and provides the user with an unlimited number of variations in
 adaptability, adjustably, and application. Other advantages of the present
 invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident. The teachings
 of the present invention addresses this long-standing and unmet need.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, a cantilevered, telescopic,
 and adjustable computer desk, briefly described, provides a device which
 will permit a healthy or disabled individual to operate a computer in a
 convenient and comfortable fashion from a bed, a wheelchair, or in a
 sitting or standing position. The computer desk is portable and includes a
 variety of adjustable support elements which may hold and support standard
 computer components including the keyboard, the screen, the mouse and pad,
 a workspace area, as well as the computer itself. Other electronic
 elements, such as a power strip, printer, scanner, fax machine, copier,
 television, etc. may be employed with the computer desk as well. The
 computer desk includes a plurality of elements which may be adjusted to
 such a configuration to permit a standing, sitting, or reclining, or lying
 individual to be able to utilize the computer from a bed, a sofa, a
 reclining chair, an upright chair, desk chair or a wheelchair.
 The elements of the preferred embodiment of the cantilevered, telescopic
 computer desk comprise a base assembly, the base assembly having spaced
 apart end members joined by an intermediate member perpendicular thereto.
 The perpendicular member may be fixed or adjustable. Castors are affixed
 to the base assembly, preferably on the underside of the end members to
 support the base assembly above the floor and permit the computer desk to
 be moved about and easily portable. The castor may include braking
 elements that may be locked to secure the computer desk in position.
 Upstanding from one end of the base assembly is a vertical telescopic
 support member which carries a cantilevered desk parallel to the base
 assembly so as to extend in the same direction from the telescopic
 support. Thus, the base assembly may be rolled to or placed underneath a
 bed, sofa, reclining chair, wheelchair or upright chair so that the desk
 is cantilevered over the user in the proper and most comfortable position
 for use. The vertical telescopic support member provides a means for
 adjusting the height of the cantilevered desk accommodating user positions
 ranging from standing to seating to lying.
 The cantilevered desk has a means to receive a computer monitor and display
 and to provide a computer user space to work or space for receiving other
 items, such as, for example, a book holder, a television, or to permit
 unobstructed viewing of a television placed in a remote location in the
 room.
 The cantilevered desk has an adjustable means to receive a keyboard such as
 a retractable, keyboard drawer and a retractable mouse platen or platens.
 The keyboard drawer has a means to adjust the angle of the keyboard
 relative to the user. The cantilevered desk also has affixed thereto an
 adjustable means to receive a pad and a mouse. The computer desk may also
 have a means for lighting.
 The vertical telescopic support member has a means to receive a standard
 computer and a means to receive a printer or other electronic devices.
 Furthermore, the vertical telescopic support member may be hollow in the
 center to hold various electrical wires (i.e.: fiber optic, analog,
 digital, video or audio) for the electronic devices within the vertical
 support section. The computer desk may have a power strip affixed to base
 end member and/or the vertical support section.
 The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important
 features of the present invention in order that the detailed description
 thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the
 present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of
 course, additional features of the invention that will be described
 hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended
 hereto.
 In this respect, before explaining the preferred embodiments of the
 invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not
 limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the
 arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or
 illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments
 and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be
 understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for
 the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
 As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention, upon
 which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for
 designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the
 several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,
 that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions
 insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
 invention.
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and
 improved portable ergonomic computer desk which may be utilized
 efficiently and comfortably by a healthy, disabled or handicapped
 individual in either a home, hospital or office.
 It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved computer
 desk that may be used in a number of positions while standing, seated,
 reclining or lying.
 It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved computer
 desk that may be used by a person in a wheelchair, a regular chair, a
 recliner, a sofa or a bed.
 It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved computer
 desk which is self-contained having a movable base, a telescopic vertical
 support means and an adjustable, cantilevered desk with an adjustable
 keyboard and an adjustable mouse pad, the computer desk assembly having a
 means to receive standard computer elements.
 It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved portable
 ergonomic computer desk that has the advantages of the prior art and
 overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
 It is another object of the present invention to provide a new an improved
 portable, ergonomic computer desk, which may be easily and efficiently
 manufactured and marketed.
 It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a new and
 improved portable ergonomic computer desk, which is of durable and
 reliable construction.
 It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a new and
 improved portable ergonomic computer desk, which is aesthetically
 pleasing.
 An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and
 improved portable ergonomic computer desk which is inexpensive to
 manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly
 is then affordable to the consuming public.
 These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the
 various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed
 out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
 disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating
 advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should
 be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there
 are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 As set forth in FIG. 1, the elements of the preferred embodiment of the
 cantilevered, telescopic computer desk 10 comprise a base assembly 12, the
 base assembly having spaced apart end members 14 and 16 joined by an
 intermediate member 18 perpendicular thereto. The perpendicular member 18
 may be fixed or adjustable. Castors 22,23,24,25 are affixed to the base
 assembly 12, preferably on the underside of the end members 14 and 16 to
 support the base assembly 12 above the floor and permit the computer desk
 10 to be moved about and easily portable. The castors may include braking
 elements that may be locked to secure the computer desk in position.
 Upstanding from one end of the base assembly 12 is a vertical telescopic
 support member 20 which carries a cantilevered desk member 30 parallel to
 the base assembly 12 so as to extend in the same direction from the
 telescopic support. Thus, the base assembly 12 may be rolled up to or
 positioned underneath a bed, sofa, recliner, or chair 28 so that the desk
 member 30 is cantilevered over the user. The vertical telescopic support
 member 20 provides a means for adjusting the height of the cantilevered
 desk member 30 accommodating user positions ranging from standing to
 seating to lying. In an alternative embodiment, the cantilevered desk
 member 30 may also have a means for tilting 33 the desk member 30 at an
 angle toward or away from the user or parallel to the base assembly 12.
 The cantilevered desk member 30 has a means to receive a computer monitor
 34 and to provide a computer user space to work or space for receiving
 other items, such as, for example, a book holder, a television, or to
 permit unobstructed viewing of a television placed in a remote location in
 the room. In the drawings, the computer monitor is depicted in the center
 36 of the cantilevered desk member 30. However, in application, the
 inventor prefers the screen to be located to the right side 38 of the
 cantilevered desk member 30 to permit greater free space on the left side
 40 of the cantilevered desk member 30. The computer monitor 34 is also
 known as a computer screen. The computer monitor 34 may be affixed to a
 computer monitor base 35. The computer monitor base 35 may be attached to
 the desk member 30 such that the computer screen is adjustable and may
 tilt or swivel to suit the needs of the user. It is irrelevant to the
 invention whether the computer monitor is a standard cathode ray tube
 (CRT), a flat screen monitor or any other type of monitor device.
 The cantilevered desk member 30 has a means to receive a keyboard 42 such
 as a retractable keyboard drawer 44 affixed to the under side 31 of the
 cantilevered desk member 30. As suggested in FIG. 2A, the keyboard drawer
 44 may have a means to adjust the angle 46 of the keyboard 44 relative to
 the user. The adjusting means may be located on the drawer glides 48. The
 keyboard adjusting means may be located inside 43 the keyboard drawer 44.
 Or, the adjusting means may be affixed to the under side 43 of the
 keyboard 42. It is not relevant to the invention exactly how the keyboard
 adjusts to the user. The adjusting means may be by any means available
 including merely wedging the keyboard at a comfortable angle between the
 lip 47 of the drawer 44 and the leading edge 32 of the desk member 30.
 The cantilevered computer desk 10 may also have affixed thereto an
 adjustable means to receive a pad and a mouse. The cantilevered computer
 desk 10 may also have affixed thereto adjustable side arms. The computer
 desk may also have a means for lighting.
 The vertical telescopic support member 20 has a means to receive 21 any
 type of computer including but not limited to a standard computer 50 and a
 means to receive a printer or other electronic devices. Furthermore, the
 vertical telescopic support member 20 may be hollow in the center 62 for
 housing within the vertical support section the various electrical wires
 (i.e., fiber optic, analog, digital, cable, video or audio) of the
 electronic devices. The computer desk 10 may have a power strip 64 affixed
 to base end member 16 and/or the vertical support member 20.
 SCOPE OF THE INVENTION
 The above-presented description of the best mode contemplated of carrying
 out the present invention and of the manner and process with making and
 using it is in such a full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable to
 any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use this
 invention.
 This invention is however, susceptible to modifications and alternate
 constructions from that disclosed above which are fully equivalent.
 Consequently, it is not the intention to limit this invention to the
 particular embodiment disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to
 cover all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the
 spirit and scope of the invention as generally expressed by the following
 claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject
 matter of the invention.