Wheel chair with displaceable seat panel

Claim 1

In a wheel chair construction including a chair frame having spaced side frames supported on wheels, the improvement comprising a seat frame, means for detachably securing said seat frame between and to said side frames, a first seat panel and two seat panels, means for pivotally supporting said seat panel for movement between an occupant supporting generally horizontal closed position and a generally vertical depending open position at the front of said seat frame forming a toilet aperture, said seat frame providing clearance beneath the seat rearwardly of said depending first panel to enable the wheel chair to be backed over a toilet bowl, and manually operable means supported on one side of said wheel chair and accessible by the user to assist the user in moving said seat panel between said occupant supporting position and said open position, said manually operable means positioned for access by the user including a pivot shaft rotatably supported to said frame and fixed to the front of said first seat panel for cantilevered support of said first seat panel, a crank arm fixedly connected to said pivot shaft laterally outwardly of said seat frame, a toggle linkage including a first link pivotally connected to said crank arm and a second link pivotally connected to said side frame and to said first link, said first and second links being movable between an over center locked position and an off center collapsed position with said first panel depending from said pivot shaft, and wherein said over center position maintains said first panel in the closed occupant supporting position, and stop means to limit said over center linkage position.