Aircraft seating and seating arrangements

• US 20070164157A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Singapore Airlines Limited
• Original Assignee: Leadearn Investments Limited
• Inventors: Park, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,798,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/118.600
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/34 into a bed
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06 Arrangements of seats, or adaptations or details specially adapted for aircraft seats crew seat constructions for emergency purposes B64D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0601 Arrangement of seats for non-standard seating layouts, e.g. seats staggered horizontally or vertically, arranged in an angled or fishbone layout, or facing in other directions than the direction of flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0604 including a bed, e.g. cocoon type passenger seat modules
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0643 Adjustable foot or leg rests
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A seat (20) for a commercial aircraft capable of conversion to a sleeping configuration, comprises a seat back (26), a seat base (22) and a leg rest mounted within a seat shell, comprising side members (12, 14) and a back shell part (10) the rear surface of the back shell (10) defining a recess (34) for the head, and a moulding (32) defining a second recess for the feet of the passenger behind. The seat back (26) is foldable over the seat base (22) to form the main supporting surface (31) of the bed configuration. The second recess in the seat (20) requires the passenger to lie in a diagonal sleeping position, maximising the available bed length within a minimum seat pitch.

Claims

1. A seat unit for an aircraft cabin comprising a seat base and a seat back arranged in front of a rear wall having fast and second parts in its lateral extent, the first part being relatively closer to the seat base than the second part which thereby defines the inner recess in an inner surface of the wall.

2. A seat unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the first part of the wall defines a generally corresponding outer recess in its outer surface.

3. A seat unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the seat back is movable between a seat position in which a first surface thereof is arranged to be part of a seat, and a bed position in which a second, opposite, surface thereof is arranged to be part of a bed.

4. A seat unit as claimed in claim 3 in which the seat back is rotatable between the seat and bed positions.

5. A seat unit as claimed in claim 4 in which the seat back is rotatable forwardly into the bed position.

6. A seat unit as claimed in claim 4 in which the seat back is rotatable about a point at or near a lower end of the seat base.

7. A seat unit as claimed in claim 3, in which the seat back lies over the seat base in the bed position.

8. A seat unit as claimed in claim 1 in which a bed extension surface is arranged in the inner recess, which bed extension surface is adjacent the seat back in a bed position thereof to define a substantially flat bed surface with the seat back in the bed position.

9. A seat unit as claimed in claim 3 in which the seat back includes an extension piece toward an end thereof distal from the seat base, the extension piece being deployable for the bed position of the seat back to extend the bed surface forwardly.

10. A seat unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer recess is formed with an upwardly facing surface providing a further bed extension surface for a seat arranged behind the seat unit.

11. A seating arrangement comprising a plurality of seat units as claimed in claim 1, each seat having a notional longitudinal centre line which is substantially coincident with a notional line on which the seats are arranged.

12. A seating arrangement as claimed in claim 11 in which the inner recess in one seat is on the same side of the seat as the inner recess in the seat in front or behind.

13. A seating arrangement comprising at least two seat units, one in front of the other, each seat unit comprising a seat base and a seat back which is movable between a seat position in which it forms a back rest, and a bed position in which it forms a bed surface, the seat back being arranged in front of a rear wall having first and second parts in its lateral extent, the first part being relatively closer to the seat base than the second part which thereby defines an inner recess in the inner surface of the wall, the first part defining an outer recess in the outer surface of the wall, each unit further including a bed extension surface arranged or deployable in front of the seat back in the bed position to cooperate with a corresponding surface in the outer recess of the wall of the seat in front.