Horizontally adjustable armrests for wheelchairs

Claim 1

A wheelchair having a seat and means for supporting said seat; a pair of spaced apart side frame members, each of said frame members including a vertically disposed front tube and a rearwardly spaced vertically extending rear tube; the improvement comprising: a horizontally adjustable armrest assembly said armrest assembly consisting of an armrest frame and a horizontally disposed member extending between said front and rear vertically disposed tubes at a level which does not extend above the elevation of said means for supporting said seat; means slidably connecting said armrest frame to said horizontally disposed member, at least a portion of said armrest frame disposed at substantially elbow height when a user is seated in said wheelchair whereby said armrest frame may be slidably advanced to a forward position for arm support or retracted to a rearward position to remove the obstruction presented by said armrest frame assembly above the elevation of said means for supporting said seat thereby providing for lateral movement of the user; and latching lever means for positively positioning said armrest frame relative to said horizontally disposed member, said lever means including a lever carried by said armrest frame and pivotally mounted to said armrest frame at one end thereof.