Patent ID: 7832515

Claim:
A wheelchair ( 1 ) for moving a person seated thereon comprising: a chair frame ( 2 ) having wheels ( 3 , 4 ) that are rotatably supported by said chair frame ( 2 ), a seating surface ( 31 ) supported on said frame, at least two of said wheels being manually rotatable by a person seated on the wheelchair seating surface for manually moving the wheel chair while occupied with the person seated thereon, an electrical drive system ( 26 , 47 ) including a storage battery ( 47 ) for providing electrical power and at least one electric motor for driving at least one of said wheels ( 3 ), said drive system ( 26 , 47 ) having a power capability for applying force to said at least one driven wheel ( 3 ) that is sufficient for moving the wheelchair when unoccupied with no person seated on the seating surface but has insufficient power for moving the wheelchair when occupied by a person seated thereon and supporting the weight of the person, a remote control ( 40 , 41 , 51 ) for remotely controlling operation of said drive system ( 27 , 47 ) such that the wheelchair may be moved and controlled by the remote-control ( 40 , 41 , 51 ) when unoccupied.