Patent ID: 8538599

Claim:
An apparatus associated with a power driven wheelchair capable of setting or modifying programmable parameters, including: a user interface device associated with the power driven wheelchair and adapted to operate in a programming mode; and a first storage device in operative communication with the user interface device with at least a portion designated for storage of a programmable operating parameter associated with operation of the power driven wheelchair; a microcontroller in operative communication with the user interface device; wherein, prior to programming the programmable operating parameter, the microcontroller performs a security check to determine a privilege associated with a user, wherein the privilege identifies which features of the power driven wheelchair that the user has access to; and wherein, if the user has access to programming the programmable operating parameter, the user interface device is used to select the programmable operating parameter, select a value for the programmable operating parameter, and save the selected value for the programmable operating parameter in the portion of the first storage device, such that when the power driven wheelchair exits the programming mode, the programmable operating parameter is set to the selected value for operation of the wheelchair.