Patent ID: 8087684

Claim:
A wheelchair propulsion and braking system, comprising: a) at least one clutch engagement disk rotatably couplable to a wheelchair frame, and including: i) a gear rotatable with the clutch engagement disk; and ii) a drive chain disposed around the gear; b) a drive wheel rotatably attachable to a wheel of the wheelchair, and operatively attachable to the drive chain; and c) at least one lever arm rotatably couplable to the wheelchair frame, and including: i) a handle jointedly connected to an upper end of the lever arm, and oriented in an accessible position during use; ii) a pair of calipers operatively coupled to the at least one lever arm and engageable with the at least one clutch engagement disk; and iii) an actuator operatively coupled to the handle to actuate the calipers and engage the clutch engagement disk when the handle pivots about the jointed connection.