Seating system and a passenger accommodation unit for a vehicle

• US 7,469,861 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (Liberty Global Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (Liberty Global Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mills, Simon Frederick, Doy, Gary, Miles, Luke, Ferry, David, Starkey, David Edward, Lawler, Andrew Leslie, Wells, Adam Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins; Timothy D
• Application Number:
  US11/394,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 244/118.6, 244/122.R, 297/63, 297/65, 297/354.13, 297/232
• US Class Current: 244/118.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/20 the back-rest being tiltable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/04, B60N2/22 , B60N2/3002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/206 to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3031 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3065 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/309 rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/34 into a bed
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• 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 11/0606 with privacy shells, screens, separators or the like class dividers B64D11/0023
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0626 with individual temperature or ventilation control
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0641 Seats convertible into beds
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0646 Seats characterised by special features of stationary arms, foot or head rests
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0696 Means for fastening seats to floors, e.g. to floor rails

Abstract

A passenger seat assembly for a vehicle, particularly an aircraft, which is adapted to provide self-contained, individual seating and sleeping accommodation for a passenger, said seating assembly includes a supporting structure (42) for supporting said assembly off the floor of a vehicle; one or more movable, passenger-bearing, structural components (71,72); and means for connecting said movable, structural components to said structure such that said components can be selectively moved between a seat configuration, in which a plurality of passenger-bearing surfaces on said one or more structural, movable components (71,71) or said supporting structure form a seat for the passenger, and a bed configuration, in which a plurality of said bearing surfaces (47,48,67,74,76) are disposed substantially coplanarly and substantially contiguously to form a bed for the passenger; characterized in that at least one of said movable components (72) is double-sided, comprising first and second opposite sides, one of said sides having a first seat surface (73) that forms part of the seat in said seat configuration, and the other side having a second bed surface (74) that forms part of said bed in said bed configuration.

Claims

1. A seating system for use in an airplane having a longitudinal airplane axis with at least one aisle extending in a same general direction as the longitudinal airplane axis, comprising:

a plurality of seats arranged in a column adjacent to the aisle to define a longitudinal column axis, each seat having a front end and a back end and further including a foot-rest at the front end of the seat, a reclinable back rest at the back end of the seat and a seat pan positioned between the foot-rest and the back rest, each seat having a seat axis extending from the front end to the back end and having a first sitting position and a second sleeping position wherein a substantially flat bed is formed;

each of the plurality of seats being positioned with the seat axis at a fixed angle of between 30 and 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis for accommodating a passenger with the passenger'"'"'s feet directed towards the aisle;

each of the plurality of seats having an associated rear wall substantially parallel to the aisle and being positioned behind its associated seat;

a plurality of screens, wherein each of the plurality of seats is associated with at least one screen, the at least one screen having a first end positioned adjacent to the rear wall of the associated seat to form a wall-screen corner and a second end positioned adjacent to the aisle to separate the associated seat from an adjacent seat;

each of the plurality of seats having a substantially horizontal surface positioned behind the back end of the seat, the substantially horizontal surface being at a fixed height above a floor and extending from the wall-screen corner towards the back end of the seat;

each seat having a space that is defined by a portion of its associated rear wall, a portion of its associated screen and the back end of the seat when in the sitting position; and

wherein, in the second sleeping position, the substantially flat bed is formed with the foot-rest defining a first bed end and having an opposite second bed end that extends into the space, the substantially horizontal surface being about the same height as an upper sleeping surface of the substantially flat bed to provide usable space to a passenger when in the sleeping position.

2. The seating system of claim 1, wherein for each seat, its associated screen extends continuously from the rear wall to the aisle and adjacent the seat pan.

3. The seating system of claim 1, wherein each foot-rest is spaced apart from its associated seat pan.

4. The seating system of claim 1, wherein for each seat, its associated foot-rest is formed in the screen associated with the seat or the screen associated with the adjacent seat.

5. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the airplane includes a cabin formed by two opposing side walls and wherein the rear wall associated with a seat is a portion of one of the side walls of the airplane.

6. The seating system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of seats is positioned with the seat axis at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis.

7. The seating system of claim 1, wherein each screen extends substantially parallel to the seat axis along a majority of a length of the screen.

8. The seating system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of seats is at the same fixed angle.

9. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the substantially horizontal surface behind the back end of each seat is generally triangular or trapezoidal shaped.

10. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of seats is a subset of all seats on the airplane.

11. The seating system of claim 1, wherein the airplane includes a plurality of cabins separated by dividing walls that extend a majority of a width of the airplane, and wherein the plurality of seats includes a majority of seats in a cabin.

12. The seating system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of seats is positioned with the seat axis at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis.

13. A seating system for use in an airplane having a longitudinal airplane axis with at least one aisle extending in a same general direction as the longitudinal airplane axis, comprising:

a plurality of seats arranged in a column adjacent to the aisle to define a longitudinal column axis, each seat having a forward end and a rearward end, a back rest at the rearward end of the seat and a seat pan positioned between the forward end and the rearward end, each seat having a seat axis extending from the forward end to the rearward end and having a first sitting position and a second sleeping position wherein a substantially flat bed is formed;

each of the plurality of seats being positioned with the seat axis at a fixed angle of between 30 and 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis;

each of the plurality of seats having an associated rear wall substantially parallel to the aisle and being positioned behind its associated seat;

a plurality of screens, wherein each of the plurality of seats is associated with at least one screen, the at least one screen having a first end positioned adjacent to the rear wall of the associated seat to form a wall-screen corner and a second end positioned adjacent to the aisle to separate the associated seat from an adjacent seat;

each of the plurality of seats having a substantially horizontal surface positioned behind the rearward end of the seat, the substantially horizontal surface being at a fixed height above a floor and extending from the wall-screen corner towards the rearward end of the seat;

each seat having a space that is defined by a portion of its associated rear wall, a portion of its associated screen and the rearward end of the seat when in the sitting position; and

wherein, in the second sleeping position, the substantially flat bed is formed having a first bed end and having an opposite second bed end that extends into the space, the substantially horizontal surface being about the same height as an upper sleeping surface of the substantially flat bed to provide usable space to a passenger when in the sleeping position.

14. The seating system of claim 13, wherein for each seat, its associated screen extends continuously from the rear wall to the aisle and adjacent the seat pan.

15. The seating system of claim 13, further including a foot-rest at the forward end of the seat.

16. The seating system of claim 13, wherein for each seat, its associated foot-rest is formed in the screen associated with the seat or the screen associated with the adjacent seat.

17. The seating system of claim 13, wherein the airplane includes a cabin formed by two opposing side walls and wherein the rear wall associated with a seat is a portion of one of the side walls of the airplane.

18. The seating system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of seats is positioned with the seat axis at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis.

19. The seating system of claim 13, wherein each screen extends substantially parallel to the seat axis along a majority of a length of the screen.

20. The seating system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of seats is at the same fixed angle.

21. The seating system of claim 13, wherein the space behind the rearward end of each seat is generally triangular shaped.

22. The seating system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of seats is a subset of all seats on the airplane.

23. The seating system of claim 13, wherein the airplane includes a plurality of cabins separated by dividing walls that extend a majority of a width of the airplane, and wherein the plurality of seats includes a majority of seats in a cabin.

24. The seating system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of seats is positioned with the seat axis at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to the longitudinal column axis.