Patent ID: 7347497

Claim:
A manipulation device for wheelchair footrests that are disposed at a frontal portion of a main frame, and the wheelchair comprising a pair of shafts extending forwards from opposite forward and lateral regions of the main frame and a pair of foot plates pivoted at lateral end portions thereof to the shafts, and the manipulation device further comprising manual levers also disposed at the lateral regions of said main frame and actuating means that operatively connect the manual levers to the foot plates, so that the foot plates are allowed to turn between an operative (closed) position where they extend sideways close to each other and an upright idle (open) position where they are ready to support the feet of a user, the actuating means substantially consisting of a resilient tube, a metal wire and a setting retainer that serves to secure the resilient tube to the metal wire, wherein the tube is capable of elongation in response to an extraordinary tension exceeding a normal stress imparted to said tube, and wherein the wire is loosely inserted in the tube to such an adjustable extent as to alter an exposed length of said wire, with an end of each metal wire being connected to a rear portion of the foot plate, with the rear portion located adjacent to the shaft that holds and pivots said foot plate, and with an end of each resilient tube being connected to the manual lever, whereby the manual lever is operable to pull up the tube united with the wire in such a manner that the foot plate rotates and rises to the upright idle position.