Array of aircraft seats

• US 8,348,195 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Airlines Incorporated (American Airlines Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ersan, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stehle, Jamie S
• Application Number:
  US12/462,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20100038484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 244/118.5, 244/118.6, 244/122.R, 244/117.R, 297/1, 297/118, 297/232, 297/245, 297/354.13, 5/91, 5 1/01
• US Class Current: 244/118.6
• 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 11/0641 Seats convertible into beds

Abstract

The sleeper seats are shown in sleeping mode. Each comprises a head rest, a back rest, a seat pan or seat cushion and a leg rest, all of which move in a conventional manner when the seat is moved from sleeping mode to sitting mode. The seats also include ottomans. Further they have inter-seat dividers between the individual seats within the their column. The six seats are arranged in a chevron formation or array and two columns. All the seats in each column are parallel with each other and have central axes A set at a “herringbone” angle α to the column direction and in particular to a longitudinal axis 10 of the array.

Claims

1. An array of aircraft sleeper seats, the seats being convertible between a sitting mode and a sleeping mode, the array of seats comprising:

seats arranged for array in two columns along and in rows across an aircraft cabin, the columns being on respective sides of a longitudinal axis of the array;

the seats having;

respective central axes,

as moveable parts, a head rest, a back rest, a seat cushion or pan and a leg rest; and

an ottoman,

the seats in both columns having their central axes angled with respect, to the longitudinal axis, and wherein

the array including;

at least one set of six of the seats having;

three seats from one column on one side of the longitudinal axis, with

a middle one of these three seats facing along the middle seat'"'"'s angled central axis in one of;

a direction in the one column inwards towards the longitudinal axis and

a direction in the one column outwards therefrom and

the others of these three seats facing along their angled central axes in the other of the said directions in the one column,

the middle one of these three one-column seats, including the middle seat'"'"'s ottoman, when in sleeping mode at least partially overlapping along the longitudinal axis of the array;

at least at the middle seat'"'"'s ottoman with at least the ottoman of one of the other two seats and

at least at the middle seat'"'"'s head rest with at least the head rest of the other of the other two seats, and

three seats from the other column on the other side of the longitudinal axis, with

a middle one of these three seats facing along the middle seat'"'"'s angled central axis in one of;

a direction in the other column inwards towards the longitudinal axis and

a direction in the other column outwards therefrom and

the others of these three seats facing along their angled central axes in the other of the said directions in the other column,

the middle one of these three other-column seats, including the middle seat'"'"'s ottoman, when in sleeping mode at least partially overlapping along the longitudinal axis of the array at least;

at the middle seat'"'"'s ottoman with at least the ottoman of one of the other two seats and

at least at the middle seat'"'"'s head rest with at least the head rest of the other of the other two seats.

2. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, wherein the seats in the at least one set of six seats are arranged in pairs of adjacent seats,

each pair of adjacent seats having one seat from one column on one side of the longitudinal axis and the other seat from the other column on the other side of the longitudinal axis,

the pairs of seats facing in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis.

3. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 2, wherein the seats are staggered along the longitudinal axis, whereby the seats in the pairs are displaced along the longitudinal axis with respect to each other with their central axes intersecting the longitudinal axis at different positions.

4. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 2, wherein the seats are equivalently positioned along the longitudinal axis, whereby the central axes of the seats in a plurality of pairs of seats intersects the longitudinal axis at substantially the same positions.

5. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 2, wherein the seats, in the plurality of pairs, are separated by a longitudinal divider along the longitudinal axis.

6. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 5, comprising inter-seat dividers between the individual seats within each column.

7. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 6, wherein at the longitudinal divider, the inter-seat dividers have inner portions extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal divider.

8. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 7, wherein the inter-seat dividers have intermediate portions extending substantially parallel to the central axes of the two seats which they divide.

9. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 8, wherein the inter-seat dividers have outer portions, either extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal divider, where the respective outer portion extends behind a head rest end of a seat, or extending at an angle intermediate right angles to the longitudinal divider and the central axis of the seat, where the respective outer portion extends behind an ottoman end of a seat.

10. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 8, wherein the inter-seat dividers have aisle extensions at least from their outer portions extending behind a head rest end of a seat, to at least partially enclose the head rest end.

11. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 2, the array having three pairs of seats facing in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis, with

a middle one of these three pairs facing in one of:

a direction inwards towards the longitudinal axis;

a direction outwards from the longitudinal axis; and

the others of these three pairs of seats facing in the other of the said directions.

12. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 11, wherein

the seats of the plurality of pairs facing inwards towards the longitudinal axis have respective ottomans on respective sides of the longitudinal divider;

and

each ottoman being triangular,

one side of the ottoman extending along the longitudinal divider;

a second side of the ottoman extending transversely off the central axis of the respective seat across an end of a leg rest of the seat in sleeping mode; and

a third side of the ottoman extending away from the longitudinal divider.

13. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 12, wherein an inner corner of the leg rest of each inwards facing seat in sleeping mode substantially abuts the longitudinal divider.

14. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 12, wherein an inner corner of a head rest of each outwards facing seat in sleeping mode substantially abuts the longitudinal divider.

15. 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.

16. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 15, 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.

17. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 15, wherein the seats are arranged in a 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.

18. An array of aircraft seats according to claim 1, comprising 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;

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

the seats in the further column facing in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis, one facing towards the longitudinal axis and the next facing away from the longitudinal axis.