Patent ID: 6073958
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: A61G,B63B

Abstract:
A wheelchair comprising:a left frame member and a right frame member, said left and right framer members each including an inboard side, an outboard side, a forward nose portion, an armrest portion and a handle portion;left and right front wheels each rotatably and pivotally mounted to said forward nose portion of a respective one of said left and right frame members;left and right rear wheels each rotatably mounted to the wheelchair in spaced, adjacent, relation to said outboard side of a respective one of said left and right frame members;a collapsible seat and a collapsible backrest attached between said left and right frame members;expanding and collapsing means hingedly attached between said left and right frame members for supporting and maintaining said left and right frame members in spaced, parallel relation to one another, said expanding and collapsing means including an upper brace member and a lower brace member, said operable brace members being in unison between a folded, collapsed position to move said left and right frame members towards one another and an expanded, locked position to maintain said left and right frame members spaced apart at a maximum distance, thereby defining an operable position of said frame members;said upper and lower brace members each including a pair of panels each being hingedly attached to said inboard side of a respective one of said left and right frame members, said pair of panels being further hingedly attached to one another, along adjacently positioned edges, defining a central folding seam, wherein said pair of panels are movable relative to one another and said left and right frame members between a folded position and an extended position, thereby defining said collapsed and operable positions, respectively, and said pair of panels of each of said upper and lower support members defining a box structure surrounding an interior storage area when said pair of panels are in said extended position; andlock means for releasably holding and maintaining said upper and lower brace members in said expanded, locked positions.