Array of aircraft seats

• US 20100038485A1
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Harcup, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,245,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/118.600
• 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

Abstract

Sleeper seats, wherein each comprises a head rest, a back rest, a seat pan or seat cushion, a leg rest, an ottomans and a dividers between the individual seats with the their column. The four seats are arranged in a staggered chevron formation and two columns. All the seats in each column are parallel with each other and set at a “herringbone” angle α to the column direction, in other words their central axes A make the angle α with a longitudinal axis of the array.

Each seat extends from its column side of the longitudinal axis across the axis to a small extent. Along the axis, first a seat from one column crosses the axis and then a seat from the other column crosses the axis and so on.

Claims

1. An array of aircraft seats comprising:

two columns of seats arranged for array along an aircraft cabin on respective sides of a longitudinal axis of the array;

the seats having respective central axes,

the seats in each column having their central axes angled with respect to the longitudinal axis,

the seats in one column being offset along the longitudinal axis with respect to the corresponding seats in the other column, whereby the intersections with the longitudinal axis of the central axes of the seats of one column are interdigitated with the intersections with the longitudinal axis of the central axes of the seats of the other column and

minor, overlapping, inner-end portions of any two seats arranged for-and-aft of each other in one column extending across the longitudinal axis from their major portions at their intersections and an intervening seat in the other column having a minor, overlapping, inner-end portion extending oppositely across the longitudinal axis from its major portion at its intersection; and

a serpentine divider extending generally along the longitudinal axis between the seats of the two columns, following the extent of the minor overlapping portions across the longitudinal axis.

2. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, wherein the minor, overlapping, inner-end portions of the two columns overlap the longitudinal axis by equal extents.

3. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, wherein the extent of the overlap of the minor, overlapping, inner-end portions is between 3% and 6% of the overall width of the array.

4. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, wherein all the seats are arranged with their central axes at substantially the same angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

5. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 4, wherein the seats are arranged in a staggered chevron array, that is with the seats in one column angled with respect to the seats in the other column, and with the central axes of all the seats in one column making with the longitudinal axis substantially the same angle measured in the clockwise (or anti-clockwise) direction as the central axes of all the seats in the other column make with the longitudinal axis measured in the anti-clockwise (or clockwise) direction.

6. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 5, wherein the seats are all arranged to face outwards from the longitudinal axis, the inner-ends of the seats being head ends thereof.

7. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 6, wherein the seats are all arranged to face forwards of the aircraft cabin in which they are to be arrayed.

8. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 5, wherein the seats are all arranged to face in towards the longitudinal axis, the inner-ends of the seats being foot ends thereof.

9. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 4, wherein the seats in one column are arranged substantially parallel with the seats in the other column, that is with the central axes of all the seats in both columns making with the longitudinal axis substantially the same angle measured in the clockwise (or anti-clockwise) direction.

10. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 9, wherein each seat in one column is aligned with an opposite facing seat in the other column, i.e. their central axes are coincident.

11. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 9, wherein each seat in one column is offset from an opposite facing seat in the other column, i.e. their central axes are offset from each other.

12. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, including at least one further column of seats spaced by an aisle from the neighbouring one of the two columns of seats:

the seats of the further column having respective central axes and

the seats in the further column having their central axes angled with respect to the longitudinal axis.

13. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 11, wherein the seats of the or each further column are outwards and forwards facing.

14. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, wherein the seats are sleeper seats.

15. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, including dividers between the seats, the serpentine divider being comprised of successive longitudinal axis portions of the dividers between the seats.