Passenger seating arrangement

• US 7,578,470 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace Incorporated (Spirit Realty Capital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace Incorporated (Spirit Realty Capital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Plant, Tommy George
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LYNCH, PATRICK D
• Application Number:
  US11/737,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 297/232, 297/243, 297/249, 297/254.13, 244/118.5, 244/118.6
• US Class Current: 244/118.6
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00153 Monitors mounted on or in the seat other than the seat back
• 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 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0641 Seats convertible into beds
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0643 Adjustable foot or leg rests

Abstract

The present invention provides an aircraft passenger seat assembly that includes: (a) first and second seats selectively movable between upright and reclined positions and adapted for being positioned beside and at inwardly-facing angles relative to each other; (b) a center console having a relatively wide aft end and a relatively narrow forward end for being positioned between the first and second seats; and (c) the relatively wide aft end of the center console including first and second foot wells therein adapted to permit the feet of a passenger seated in an aft-positioned first or second seat to extend therein when the aft-positioned first or second seat is in the recline position.

Claims

1. An aircraft passenger seat assembly, comprising:

(a) first and second seats positioned in fixed lateral alignment and at inwardly-facing angles relative to each other, including first and second seat bottoms, and respective first and second seat backs that are selectively movable between upright and rearwardly-extended lie-flat positions;

(b) first and second stationary privacy shells positioned aft of respective first and second seat backs, the privacy shells being rearwardly spaced-apart from the first and second seat backs to accommodate the first and second seat backs in the lie-flat position, and defining an intermediate space therebetween;

(c) a center convenience unit having a wide aft end and a narrow forward end positioned in the intermediate space between the the first and second privacy shells, the narrow forward end defining a terminus that is at all times spaced-apart from a like privacy shell of like first and second seats positioned forwardly of the first and second seats for providing passage space between the first and second seats and like privacy shells of forwardly-positioned like first and second seats;

(d) the wide aft end of the center convenience unit positioned between the first and second privacy shells and forward of a rearwardmost extent of the first and second privacy shells, and including first and second foot wells therein adapted to permit the feet of a passenger seated in an aft-positioned like first or second seat physically separated from the first and second seats to extend therein when the aft-positioned first or second seat is in the lie-flat position; and

(e) first and second leg rests mounted on respective ones of the first and second seats, and selectively-moveable between a retracted position beneath the seat bottoms, and an extended position forward of the seat bottoms bridging the passage space between the first and second seat bottoms and the respective first and second foot wells to provide a continuous lie-flat seat surface from the foot wells to the seat backs when in the lie-flat position.

2. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inwardly-facing angles of the first and second seat are oblique to a fore and aft longitudinal axis of an aircraft cabin.

3. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 2, wherein the inwardly facing angles of the first and second seat are between 10 degrees and 20 degrees.

4. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inwardly facing angles of the first and second seat are between 13 degrees and 17 degrees.

5. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the center convenience unit is generally triangularly-shaped.

6. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second foot wells comprise respective ottomans.

7. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second privacy shells each include at least one aft-facing video monitor for viewing by a passenger seated aft of the privacy shell.

8. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein each privacy shell includes an outwardly-facing video monitor, a viewing surface of the monitor being positioned normal to the inwardly-facing angle of a respective one of each of the first and second seats for viewing by a passenger seated aft of the privacy shell.

9. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the video monitors are positioned on the first and second privacy shells above respective first and second foot wells.

10. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein an aft end of the center convenience unit defines a convex shape having two planar surfaces, and the first and second privacy shells each extend rearwardly beyond the rearward-most extent of the center convenience unit.

11. An aircraft passenger seat assembly, comprising:

(a) first and second seats positioned in fixed lateral alignment and at inwardly-facing angles relative to each other, including respective first and second seat bottoms, and first and second seat backs that are selectively movable between upright and lie-flat positions;

(b) third and fourth seats positioned in lateral alignment and at inwardly-facing angles relative to each other, including respective first and second seat bottoms, and first and second seat backs that are selectively movable between upright and lie-flat positions, and positioned aft of the first and second seats;

(c) first and second stationary privacy shells positioned aft of respective first and second seat backs;

(d) third and fourth stationary privacy shells positioned aft of respective third and fourth seat backs, the third and fourth privacy shells being rearwardly spaced-apart from the third and fourth seat backs to accommodate the third and fourth seat backs in the lie-flat position;

(e) a first center convenience unit having a wide aft end and a narrow forward end defining a generally triangular shape and positioned in an intermediate space between the first and second seats and the first and second privacy shells, and physically separate from the third and fourth seats;

(f) a second center convenience unit having a relatively wide aft end and a relatively narrow forward end positioned in an intermediate space between the third and fourth seats and the respective third and fourth privacy shells, the narrow forward end of the second center convenience unit defining a terminus that is at all times spaced-apart from the first and second privacy shells to provide passage space between the third and fourth seats and the first and second privacy shells of the first and second seats;

(g) the aft end of the first center convenience unit positioned between the first and second privacy shells, a rearward most extent of the aft end of the first convenience unit being forward of the rearward most extent of the first and second privacy shells, the aft end of the first convenience center including respective first and second foot wells therein physically separate from the third and fourth seats and adapted to permit the feet of passengers seated in the third and fourth seats to extend therein when the third and fourth seats are in the lie-flat position; and

(h) first and second leg rests mounted on respective ones of the first and second seats and third and fourth leg rests mounted on respective ones of the third and fourth seats and selectively-moveable between a retracted position beneath respective seat bottoms, and an extended position forward of the respective seat bottoms bridging the passage space between the seat bottoms and the respective foot wells to provide a continuous lie-flat seat surface from the foot wells to the seat backs when in the lie-flat position.

12. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first seat is positioned at a first angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and the second seat is positioned at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis.

13. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first and second seats and the first center convenience unit are positioned in a first group, and the third and fourth seats and the second center convenience unit are positioned in a second group behind the first group.

14. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 13, wherein the first and third seats define respective longitudinally-extending parallel axes, and the second and fourth seats define respective longitudinally-extending parallel axes that are not parallel to the longitudinally-extending parallel axes of the first and third seats.

15. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first and second convenience units each include a privacy divider positioned between respective first and second, and third and fourth seats, for providing a visual barrier between seat occupants in the first and second seats, and seat occupants in the third and fourth seats.

16. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 11, and wherein the first and second convenience units each include a privacy divider positioned between respective first and second, and third and fourth seats, and selectively movable between a raised position for providing a visual barrier between seat occupants in the first and second seats, and seat occupants in the third and fourth seats, and a lowered position for providing visual communication between seat occupants in the first and second seats, and seat occupants in the third and fourth seats.

17. An aircraft passenger seat assembly according to claim 11, and comprising a plurality of ranks and files of first and second seats, and third and fourth seats, collectively defining an aircraft cabin seating arrangement.