Patent ID: 6279936
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: A61B,A61G,B62B

Abstract:
A wheelchair comprising:a frame structure;a rear drive wheel assembly and a front wheel assembly supporting said frame structure, said rear drive wheel assembly comprising first and second drive wheels that have respective rotational axes and are each rotatable relative to said frame structure along a forward rotational direction which causes said wheelchair to move forward and a rearward rotational direction which causes said wheelchair to move rearward;a seat member supported by said frame structure and constructed and oriented to accommodate an occupant;a one-way brake assembly comprising a brake member having at least one end portion movable from an activated state in which said end portion engages at least one of said drive wheels at a point of contact to a non-activated state in which said end portion is spaced from the point of contact of said at least one of said drive wheels so as not to interfere with rotation of said at least one of said drive wheels in the forward and rearward rotational directions;a biasing member operatively associated with said one-way brake assembly to exert a biasing force on said brake member, the biasing force urging said end portion into engagement with the point of contact with sufficient force to maintain engagement between said end portion and the point of contact and prevent rearward rotation of said at least one of said drive wheels when said end portion is in the activated state, yet the biasing force exerted by said biasing member on said brake member being insufficient to cause said end portion to prevent forward rotation of said at least one of said drive wheels when in the activated state; andan automatic brake releasing assembly operatively associated with said one-way brake assembly and said seat member to automatically move said end portion away from the point of contact and out of the activated state to the non-activated state in response to occupation of said seat member.