Patent ID: 11866190
Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  Y | IPC B

Claim 27:
28. A floor system designed for use with an aircraft, the aircraft including a cabin and an original cabin floor, the floor system being configured to be detachably installed within said cabin and overlying the original cabin floor, the floor system comprising:
a plurality of modular fuel tanks defining an internal space for containing liquid fuel therewithin, at least one of said plurality of modular fuel tanks being configured for connection to an auxiliary fuel port of the aircraft for enabling supplying said fuel to the aircraft;
wherein one or more of the modular fuel tanks of said plurality of fuel tanks can be selectively installed on the cabin floor to provide a corresponding variable fuel capacity;
wherein each one of the modular fuel tanks is configured to be connected to another said modular fuel tank such that contents of both said modular fuel tanks when thus connected are in fluid communication with one another;
the plurality of modular fuel tanks including one or more bottom panels configured to match at least a portion of the original cabin floor;
the plurality of modular fuel tanks including one or more top panels configured for providing, when the floor system is installed in the aircraft over the original cabin floor, a replacement cabin floor of the cabin overlying and replacing said at least portion of the original cabin floor,
wherein said replacement cabin floor is configured for providing a similar load-carrying capacity for the aircraft as said original cabin floor,
wherein said one or more top panels each define a general planar surface;
and
wherein the floor system comprises a height, a width and a length, wherein said height is less than said width, and wherein said height is less than said length; and, wherein said height is independent of a level of fuel accommodated in the tank.