Patent ID: 7014204

Claim:
A wheelchair that permits a user to rock while seated therein, the wheelchair comprising: a frame structure; a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to the frame structure; a seat assembly having a seat member and a back support member; a rocking assembly disposed between the seat assembly and the frame structure, including bias means a spring device for normally maintaining the seat member in a desired alignment when the wheelchair is unoccupied, and permitting resulting in a rocking motion of the seat assembly to yieldably rock back and forth about a substantially horizontal axis with respect to the frame structure when the center of gravity of the user is shifted in a rhythmic manner; and a rocking motion controlling system including a first rocking motion setting device for adjustably setting a selected maximum rocking motion according to a user's preference, and rock/tilt locking mechanisms for selectively locking the seat assembly in the normally unoccupied position or in a selected one of a plurality of predetermined tilt positions, the rock/tilt mechanisms being located in a position not accessible by the user when seated in the wheelchair and being controlled by a controller attached to the wheelchair in a preferred location; and wherein the rock/tilt locking mechanisms comprise: an elongated sliding member including a plurality of openings therethrough in a spaced-apart relationship, the sliding member being pivotally connected at an upper end to the seat assembly, a body member pivotally connected to the frame structure for guiding the sliding member in a sliding motion relative thereto during rocking motion of the seat assembly, and a pin operatively attached to the body member and operable between a first position in which the pin is inserted into a selected one of the openings in the sliding member to lock the seat assembly, and a second position in which the pin is positioned away from the sliding member to permit rocking motion of the seat assembly.