If I could design the perfect laptop desk for me, this is what it would have: The surface itself would be on a lever of some sort that would raise and lower it. I keep imagining a compressed-air sound, or some kind of ball bearing setup - basically something that would move at barely a touch in the right place so that even when Im having a bad wrist-nerve day (or my friends with arthritis), I could still adjust the height. It would raise up to roughly chest level so that I could seat myself with my legs under the desk and not bang my knees, and lower itself to almost resting on my lap, so that I could type on a laptop as it was intended - yknow, on my lap, and it could be stopped at any point in between. A ratcheting system could also work instead of a smooth arc. It would have a squishy ridge that would take the pressure of resting my wrists and raise my wrists to the same level as the laptop. That ridge could fold out towards the user and down, to move it out of the way if desired. The ridge would serve double duty as a stopper to prevent the laptop or other objects on the desk from sliding off. It would have the ability to tilt to several degrees both down towards the user and back away from the user, again to ease the strain of typing on the wrists. It would have a couple of holes cut into its surface, into which cooling fans would be installed with a protective screen of sorts both above and below to prevent any actual contact with the fan blades. Alternately, the desk surface could be thick enough to allow fans to be inset on the top, but no access to the fans below, and channels cut into the desk to allow the airflow to pass out the backside of the desk. The fans could either be powered with an attached USB cable coming out of the side of the desktop surface, or via a standard electrical outlet that would be run down the leg (or one of the legs if there are multiple) and come out of the base of a leg to reach an outlet. The ability to retract this sort of cable would also be important. It would be small enough to comfortably hold a large laptop, like a TV tray. But it would also have a fold-out side-table to extend its size for mousepads, accessories, etc. That fold-out surface extender would have a second fold-out surface at a 90 degree angle towards the user to turn the desk into an L shape. It would have a pop-out cup holder (like the joke picture of a CD tray) coming out of the side of the desktop surface opposite the side with the fold-out extender or coming out of the extender itself so that you could keep a drink nearby without taking up valuable surface space and, as a cup holder, the drink wouldnt be able to be knocked over like it would if you simply set it on the desk surface. The entire tabletop of the desk would rotate at least 90 degrees away from the chair or towards the chair, again to accommodate getting in and out of the hair, or possibly to make room for cats on the lap. The back of the desk surface would have cable clips to manage cables. The desk itself would be on wheels. There would be a shelf underneath the desktop, perhaps attached to the legs, for a footrest, with the ability to raise and lower it in the same manner as the desktop itself, and to tilt back or forwards like the desktop. All moving parts would have a locking mechanism to keep the desk stationary, and a tension setting to adjust how easy it is to adjust the movement if not locked in place. The idea behind a desk like this is to provide flexibility for different comfort levels. Even a single person can have a variety of comfort levels throughout the use of the desk. It is also to fit into small spaces for people of low income or minimalist preferences who might not have a lot of space for a large desk, and who need a single desk to function as a variety of surfaces. If the desk could also cost less than $50, that would be optimal. If I had the ability, Id draft up and build a prototype, but thats beyond my capabilities given my situation.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 01:20:01 +0000