Patent ID: 7222921

Claim:
A wheelchair having a frame, the frame comprising a right fore member and a left fore member, and a footrest therebetween, the footrest comprising: a right supporting arm extending rearwardly from the right fore member; a left supporting arm extending rearwardly from the left fore member; a panel upon which may rest a users feet and which pivotably attaches to the right supporting arm at a rearward portion thereof and pivotably attaches to the left supporting arm at a rearward portion thereof; wherein the panel is pivotable upwardly and rearwardly from a first position in which it is generally horizontally oriented for supporting the user's feet to a second position behind the user's feet whereby to allow the user to stand unencumbered by the panel; and a biasing member between the panel and at least one of the left supporting arm and the right supporting arm, the biasing member biasing the panel upwards to an intermediate orientation between the generally horizontal orientation and the generally vertical orientation whereby to allow the user to more easily reach the panel to move it into the generally vertical orientation.