AIRCRAFT SEATING AND SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

• US 20090146006A1
• Filed: 11/24/2005
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Singapore Airlines Limited
• Original Assignee: Singapore Airlines Limited
• Inventors: Sim, Kim Chui, Park, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,011,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/118.600
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/345 by adding parts
• 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 11/0604 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

Abstract

A seating arrangement for an aircraft cabin is disclosed which includes seats having a backrest (16) which is pivotally moveable from an upright position to a flat position. A side ottoman (22) having a front portion (42) is located beside the seat base (14) of the seat. The seat has a footwell (32) into which the front portion of the side ottoman locates so that when the seat (16) is in the flat position a bed is formed by the rear surface (17), the front portion (42) located in the footwell of a front seat in front of the said seat and a base (34) of an open space (30) behind is the backrest (16) when in an upright position.

Claims

1. A seat for an aircraft cabin, comprising:

a backrest, having a front surface for supporting a passenger in a seating position when the backrest is in an upright position, and having a rear surface;

a seat base upon which a passenger is seatable;

a rear seat section behind the backrest when the backrest is in the upright position, the rear seat section having an open space which has a base, and a footwell closed to the open space beside the open space;

a fixed side ottoman located beside the seat portion and extending in front of the seat portion, the side ottoman having a front portion, the front portion of the side ottoman being locatable within the footwell of another said seat in front of the said seat;

the backrest being pivotally mounted for movement from the upright position to a flat position so the base of the open space, the rear surface of the backrest when in the flat position and the side ottoman form a bed configuration; and

the base, the rear surface of the backrest and the front portion of the ottoman form a substantially flat surface when the seat is in the bed configuration.

2. The seat of claim 1, wherein the backrest has an extension piece pivotally mounted to the backrest for pivotal movement when the backrest is in the flat position to fill a space between the rear of the backrest and the front portion of the ottoman, the extension piece forming part of the substantially flat surface.

3. The seat of claim 2, wherein the extension piece folds flat against the rear surface of the backrest when the backrest is in an upright position.

4. The seat of claim 1, wherein the seat has a shell having sides and a rear panel, the open space being defined by one of the sides and the footwell, the footwell being formed partly in the rear panel as a box section extending forwardly of the rear panel.

5. The seat of claim 4, wherein the sides have first rear sections and second front sections, the rear sections being higher than the front sections, and the open space being defined between one of the rear sections and the footwell.

6. The seat of claim 5, wherein the footwell has a front wall and the backrest when in the upright position is adjacent the front wall.

7. The seat of claim 4, wherein the footwell has a second part outside one of the sides, the second part being in line with the side ottoman.

8. The seat of claim 1, wherein the side ottoman has a shelf adjacent the said one of the sides.

9. An aircraft cabin having at least two seats arranged one in front of the other;

each of said seats having;

(a) a backrest having a front surface for supporting a passenger in a seating position when the backrest is in an upright position, and having a rear surface;

(b) a seat base upon which a passenger is seatable;

(c) a rear seat section behind the backrest when the backrest is in an upright position, the rear seat section having an open space which has a base, and a footwell closed to the open space beside the open space;

(d) a fixed side ottoman located beside the seat portion and extending in front of the seat portion, the side ottoman having a front portion; and

wherein

the backrest is pivotally mounted for movement from the upright position to a flat position so the base of the open space, the rear surface of the backrest when in the flat position and the side ottoman form a bed configuration;

the base, the rear surface of the backrest and the front portion of the ottoman form a substantially flat surface when the seat is in the bed configuration;

the front portion of the ottoman of a rear seat of the two seats extending into the footwell of a front seat of the two seats; and

wherein when the rear seat is in the bed configuration a passenger can lie transverse with respect to a central axis of the aircraft with the passenger'"'"'s head resting on the base of the open space of the rear seat and the passenger'"'"'s feet located in the footwell of the front seat on the front portion of the side ottoman of the rear seat.

10. The cabin of claim 9, wherein the backrest has an extension piece pivotally mounted to the backrest for pivotal movement when the backrest is in the flat position to fill a space between the rear of the backrest and the front portion of the ottoman, the extension piece forming part of the substantially flat surface.

11. The cabin of claim 10, wherein the extension piece folds flat against the rear surface of the backrest when the backrest is in an upright position.

12. The cabin of claim 9, wherein the seat has a shell having sides and a rear panel, the open space being defined by one of the sides and the footwell, the footwell being formed partly in the rear panel as a box section extending forwardly of the rear panel.

13. The cabin of claim 12, wherein the sides have first rear sections and second front sections, the rear sections being higher than the front sections, and the open space being defined between one of the rear sections and the footwell.

14. The cabin of claim 9, wherein the footwell has a front wall and the backrest when in the upright position is adjacent the front wall.

15. The cabin of claim 11, wherein the footwell has a second part outside one of the sides, the second part being in line with the side ottoman.

16. The cabin of claim 9, wherein the side ottoman has a shelf adjacent the said one of the sides.