Abstract:
The invention is directed to a tray which includes a base having an upwardly opening open-ended groove and a member slidable in the groove for limited right-to-left and left-to-right movements in a horizontal plane. Upper surfaces of the base and the slidable member lie substantially in a common plane such that at least two input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, can be supported thereon on substantially the same horizontal plane.

Description:
THE TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a tray for supporting multiple input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, on substantially a common plane and for accommodating both left-handed and right-handed people. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Current keyboard/mouse trays have an upper surface for supporting a keyboard and a lower surface for supporting a mouse. The mouse supporting surface generally extends out from the keyboard tray at a level beneath the keyboard upper surface. Usually, the lower surface extends out from beneath or from a chamber within the keyboard tray. For example, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,743 issued to the inventor, a keyboard tray has a relatively flat mouse tray that slides out from a chamber within the keyboard tray. 
     Specifically, the keyboard tray of the &#39;743 patent is rigidly secured to a keyboard tray supporting arm which is articulately mounted relatively to a desk upon which is supported a conventional personal computer (PC). The keyboard tray provides a relatively flat mouse tray in slidable relationship thereto. The keyboard tray is constructed from two pieces of compression molded, injection molded, vacuum molded or like formed polymeric/copolymeric synthetic plastic material which when united along a periphery thereof define upper and lower walls and a peripheral wall therebetween. The peripheral wall includes spaced opposite side wall portions each of which has a slot. 
     The peripheral wall maintains the upper and lower walls in generally spaced relationship and defines therebetween a relatively flat chamber. It is within the flat chamber that the relatively flat mouse tray is slidably housed with each of opposite side edges thereof being disposed generally adjacent the slots of the keyboard tray when the mouse tray is substantially housed within the flat chamber. 
     The mouse tray can be slid either to the left or to the right, as viewed from the perspective of the user thereof, such that opposite side edge portions and the upper surface thereof can alternately project beyond the slots and movably support thereupon a mouse while the associated keyboard is supported atop the upper wall of the keyboard tray. In this fashion a user can utilize an associated keyboard during the support thereof by the keyboard tray and can also manipulate a mouse associated with the personal computer upon either the left-hand or right-hand upper surface of the mouse tray. 
     The mouse tray includes a projection for limiting the sliding movement thereof to the left and/or the right which assures that a limited predetermined area of the mouse tray can be slid either to the left or to the right which is sufficient to accommodate manipulation of the mouse, yet the exposure is not so large as to create an imbalance or undesired leverage should, for example, the user heavily rest his/her arm upon the exposed side edge portion of the tray which might tend to break the same or torque the keyboard tray sufficiently to break it away from the articulated mounting arm or at a minimum loosen the fastenings (generally screws) between the keyboard tray and the articulated mounting arm. 
     The upper surface of the mouse tray has a relatively shallow recess in which is adhesively adhered a sheet of material having an upper surface of a high coefficient of friction which reduces mouse slippage and/or inadvertent mouse movement. 
     Prior art related to keyboards, keyboard trays, wrist rests and the like are reflected in the following U.S. patents: 
     Taslitz U.S. Design Pat. No. 347,422 Issued: May 31, 1994 
     Vaule U.S. Design Pat. No. 352,933 Issued: Nov. 20, 1994 
     Juster U.S. Design Pat. No. 352,934 Issued: Nov. 29, 1994 
     Dickerson U.S. Design Pat. No. 356,785 Issued: Mar. 28, 1995 
     Gart U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,165 Issued: Aug. 29, 1989 
     Connor U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,630 Issued: Nov. 24, 1992 
     Nash U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,835 Issued: Nov. 30, 1993 
     Thomsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,888 Issued: Aug. 9, 1994 
     Martin U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,067 Issued: Aug. 23, 1994 
     Kaneko U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,445 Issued: May 9, 1995 
     Rice U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,407 Issued: Jul. 18, 1995 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure is directed to a keyboard/mouse tray particularly adapted for supporting multiple input devices, for example, a computer keyboard and an associated mouse, on substantially the same planar surface for both left-hand and right-hand usage. The keyboard/mouse tray (hereinafter “tray”) is formed as a base and slide member. Both the base and slide member can be made of compression molded, injection molded or like molded polymeric/copolymeric synthetic materials or from sheets of milled material, such as polymeric/copolymeric synthetic plastic material, wood, metal or composites thereof. The slidable member is disposed in a groove opening upwardly through a top surface and end-wise outwardly of opposite end surfaces of the base. 
     The slidable member preferably includes at each of opposite ends thereof a stop carried by a bottom surface of the slidable member. The stops limit outward sliding movement of the slidable member relative to the base groove. 
     A mounting plate is affixed to or molded as an integral bottom portion of the base and functions to provide sufficient material to achieve the efficient purchase or grip of screws which unite the tray to an end of an associated conventional articulated or fixed tray supporting arm. An opposite end of the tray supporting arm is generally attached to a desk, a table or other support structure. 
     With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top perspective view of a novel tray of the present invention, and illustrates the tray affixed to a desk and a conventional keyboard and a mouse supported upon a slidable member slid to its right-hand position of use relative to an associated base. 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the tray of the invention, and illustrates an arcuate upwardly opening and open-ended groove of the base within which the slidable member can be slid to accommodate left-hand and right-hand usage. 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top perspective view of the tray, and illustrates the tray with its slidable member slid to its left-hand position of use. 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the tray, and illustrates in phantom outline a mounting portion of the base of the tray and a stop at each end of the slidable member which is shown in its centered position relative to the base to facilitate storage of the tray in an opening under a desk to which the tray is attached. 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the tray, and illustrates a beveled edge of the mounting plate of the base and the stops at opposite ends of the slidable member. 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the tray, and illustrates in phantom and solid lines the slidable member extended to its left-most and right-most positions, respectively. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 1, and illustrates details of the tray including a three-piece base defining the groove of an upwardly converging dove-tail configuration and a like complementary mating dove-tail configuration of the slidable member seated in the groove, and screws attaching the base mounting portion to a tray supporting arm. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A novel keyboard/mouse tray constructed in accordance with this invention is fully illustrated in the drawings, and is generally designated by the reference numeral  10 . The tray  10  is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 being attached to the underside of a desk D, table or the like by means of a conventional articulated or pivoted tray-supporting arm A. A conventional computer C having a screen S (FIG. 1) rests atop the desk D and conventionally associated therewith is one or more input devices, such as a keyboard K and a mouse M supported by and upon the tray  10 . 
     The tray  10  includes a base  20  and a slidable member  30 . The base  20  and the slidable member  40  can each be made of a single piece of material formed by compression molding, injection molding, milling or the like or from a plurality of separate pieces of such polymeric/copolymeric material, wood or metal. In the embodiment of the tray  10 , the base  20  is constructed essentially from three pieces, as is the slidable member  30 . 
     The base  20  includes a relatively flat base member  21  (FIG. 7) having a lower surface  22  from which projects a generally polygonal mounting portion  23 ; a top surface  24  and a peripheral surface  25 . The peripheral surface  25  of the base member  21  includes a slightly concave front surface  26 , a slightly convex rear surface  27  in parallel relationship to the front surface  26  and opposite generally parallel end surfaces  28 ,  29  (FIGS. 2 and 4 through  7 ). 
     A separate base front member  30  and a separate base rear member  31  are conventionally bonded or otherwise secured to the upper surface  24  of the base member  21  or are constructed as integral portions thereof, as by the injection molding, compression molding or the like heretofore described. The base front member  30  includes a front surface  32  aligned with the front surface  26  of the base member  21  and an inclined surface  33  which sets off an acute angle (unnumbered) with a top surface  34  of the base front member  30  (FIG.  7 ). The base rear member  31  includes a convex surface  35  aligned with the rear surface  27  of the base member  21  and an inclined surface  36  defining an acute angle (unnumbered) with a top surface  37  of the base rear member  31 . The inclined surfaces  33 ,  36  (FIG. 7) and the portion (unnumbered) of the top surface  24  of the base member  21  therebetween define a generally dove-tail groove  50  which converges upwardly away from the top surface  24 , as viewed in FIG. 7, and opens end-wise through the end surfaces  28 ,  29 . As viewed from above or below, the generally dove-shaped groove  60  is of a arcuate configuration as viewed from above (FIGS. 1 and 6) and below (FIG.  5 ). 
     The slidable member  40  is of a three-piece construction defined by a top member  41  and opposite end members, stop means or stops  42 ,  43 . The top member  41  includes a top surface  44 , a bottom surface  45  and a peripheral surface or edge  46  defined by a convexly curved and inclined front surface  47 , a convexly curved and inclined rear surface  48 , and opposite end surfaces  49 ,  50  which are contoured to the curved configuration of respective surfaces  51 ,  52  of the respective stops  42 ,  43  which also include linear abutment surfaces or edges  53 ,  54 , respectively (FIG.  5 ). The edges  47 ,  48  define with the bottom surface  45  of the top member  41  a generally dove-tail cross-sectional configuration (FIG. 7) corresponding to that of the dove-tail cross-sectional configuration of the groove  60 . The latter configurations of the groove  60  and the top member  41  effect accurate sliding movement of the slidable member  40  between the left-hand and right-hand limits illustrated in phantom outline and solid lines in FIG. 6 at which the abutment surface  54  of the stop  43  contacts the end surface  29  of the base member  21  and the abutment surface  53  of the stop  42  contacts the end surface  28  of the base member  21 . Furthermore, in all relative positions of sliding motion of the slidable member  40  relative to the base  20 , the respective surfaces  44  and  34 ,  37  lie in a substantially common horizontal plane, as is most readily apparent in FIG. 7 of the drawings, such that both the keyboard K and the mouse M are supported primarily upon the surface  44  but can be readily moved upon and across the surfaces  34 ,  44  and  37 ,  44 . 
     As is best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the mouse M is illustrated at the respective right-side and left-side of the slidable member  40  to accommodate respective right-hand and left-hand use/manipulation thereof. When the slidable member  40  is centrally located relative to the base  20 , as is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the entire tray  10  can be readily stored or housed beneath the desk D by appropriate manipulation of the adjustable tray arm A in a conventional manner. The connection of the tray  10  to the tray arm A can be effected by any conventional means, such as screws S′ (FIG. 7) threaded into the enlarged portion  23  of the base member  21 . 
     Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined the appended claims.