Abstract:
An aircraft crew cabin rest area that is formed between the aircraft galley and a console, or between any two aircraft monuments, utilizing special folding and extendible doors and specialized locking means.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 61/534,181, filed Sep. 13, 2011, incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Most commercial aircraft that services a large number of passengers include a structure known as a “galley” that flight attendants use to prepare food and beverages for the passengers. The galley includes equipment for food preparation such as ovens and refrigerators, as well as food storage and preparation equipment. There can also be beverage makers, trash compactors, or other types of appliances used in the preparation and service of the food and beverage. The galley is typically large enough to store beverage carts that are filled with sodas and waters, and are wheeled to the passengers during the beverage service portion of the flight. Other carts can be used to keep meals warm while they are delivered to the passengers. In large aircraft that conduct transoceanic flights, there is often a crew rest area build above the galley. 
     During flight, the galley/rest area can move during turbulence as well as normal flight. This shifting prevents other structures from being rigidly attached to the galley, as the shifting can cause damage to the adjoining structure due to the weight of the galley and crew rest area. Thus, the galley is usually a stand-alone structure, or “monument”, in the aircraft architecture. In many aircraft, adjacent the galley is a stowage console that provides space to store additional carts and the like. The console and galley provide two heavy, free standing monuments that have a gap between them of 1 to 1.5 meters. 
     Because space on an aircraft, especially floor space, is so important, there have been attempts to use this gap for various purposes. One such purpose is to use the area between the stowage console and the galley as a crew changing area, where flight attendants and crew members can have some privacy to change clothes or the like. To this end, doors are fashioned to the console that can swing about and attach to the galley, providing a four sided “room” between the galley and the console that serves as the crew changing area. 
     The difficulty or challenge with forming a crew rest area between the console and the galley is two-fold. First, the galley&#39;s movement in flight creates a problem with making a rigid attachment between the two monuments, as the shifting can cause significant stresses on the doors and the joints. This would lead to the doors breaking in most cases, as the rigid connection is no match for the inertia of the galley as it shifts. However, without a rigid connection the doors could unexpectedly open, which is problematic for a changing area. The second issue is coming up with a reliable securing means that provides privacy to the occupant without gaps or line of sight openings, while providing some contingency for opening the door from the outside. The present invention addresses both of these issues. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an aircraft crew cabin rest area that is formed between the aircraft galley and a console, or between any two monuments, utilizing special folding and extendible doors and specialized locking means. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevated, perspective view of the changing area of the present invention with the doors open; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevated, perspective view of the changing area of the present invention with the doors closed; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the console and galley spaced apart to show the dressing area; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the console and the galley with the door closed; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the changing area showing the position of the doors in the open and closed position; 
         FIG. 6  is a view of the interior of the dressing area; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the door mating with the galley edge; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of a locking mechanism; and 
         FIG. 9  is an opposite view of the door locking mechanism of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a foldable crew changing area structure  10  that can be used with a galley  20  or other aircraft monument. In the example of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the changing area structure  10  is established between a galley  20  and a console  30  that may be used for stowage or the like. Other monuments can also serve as anchors or closures for the present invention. The foldable crew changing area structure  10  comprises a base wall  40  that may be secured to the console  30 . The height of the base wall  40  is preferably five to six feet or more to prevent outsiders from peering into the crew changing area, and the width of the base wall  40  may be generally the same as the console  30 . The base wall  40  has a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and second side edges. Along each side edge is at least one hinge  46 , preferably a piano hinge, that connects the base wall  40  to respective side walls  42   a,b . The side walls are connected to the hinge  46  such that they can swing about the base wall  40  in an arc from approximately 0° to at least 160° or more. Each side wall  42   a,b  is preferably the same height as the base wall  40 , forming an enclosure that is at least five feet high and preferably even higher. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the side walls  42   a,b  can rotate into contact with the galley  30 , which includes a crew rest compartment  50  on top of the galley  30  ( FIG. 3 ). When the side walls  42   a,b  are rotated into contact with the galley  20  (and crew cabin rest area  50 ), the side walls  42   a,b , base wall  40 , and galley  20  form a four sided enclosure that can serve as a temporary crew changing area  60 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  shows the crew changing area  60  established between the side walls  42   a,b , the base wall  40 , and the galley/crew rest area  50 .  FIG. 5  also shows how the side walls  42   a,b  can be collapsed and stowed against the base wall  40  when not in use. The unique construction of the side walls  42   a,b  allow the side walls to be stowed against the base wall  40 . The side walls  42   a,b  are formed of an inner panel  60  that is directly hinged to the base wall  40  via the hinge  46 , and an outer panel  62  that slides on an outer surface of the inner panel  61 . The outer panel  62  can include a horizontal slot  64  that engages knobs or projections  67  on the outer surface of the inner panel  61  that allows the outer panel to slide horizontally along the inner panel  61 . In this manner, the outer panel  62  can extend and retract to adjust the physical length of the side walls  42   a,b . This adjustable length allows the crew cabin changing area  60  to accommodate vibration and movement that the galley experiences during flight and prevents stress or interference from building in the structure. 
       FIG. 6  shows the changing area with a first side wall  42   a  extended and the other side wall  42   b  stowed. Each side wall includes the inner panel  61 , an outer panel  62 , and a distal skirt  63  angled toward the base wall  40  when the side walls are in the stowed position. The skirt  63  and the outer panel  62  cooperate to enclose the inner panel  61  when in the stowed position, and the base wall  40  includes latches  70  that can secure the skirt  63  and the side wall  42   a,b  to the base wall to maintain the walls in the stowed position when not in use. The latches  70  can be harmonized with outer latches in the cabin to maintain a continuous decorum. 
       FIG. 7  shows an enlarged view of the juncture between the side wall  42   a  and the galley  20 . The galley includes a pin, lug, or catch (not shown) that is latched by a locking mechanism  80  at the distal end of the side wall  42   a.  The skirt  63  extends beyond the front edge  23  of the galley  20  so that there is no line of sight from outside the changing area into the changing area. The ability of the door  42   a  to extend to various lengths due to the sliding arrangement between the inner panel  61  and the outer panel  62  allows a custom fit between the galley  20  and the base wall  40 , and also some shock absorbing characteristics that prevent stress in the side walls  42   a,b  when the galley oscillates or vibrates during flight. Without the adjustable characteristic of the side walls  42   a,b , movement of the galley  20  and crew rest area  50  would place undue stress on the joints and connections of the side walls, leading to damage. The doors  42   a,b  also provide for lateral deflections of the crew rest compartment  50  on the galley  20  as can occur in flight.  FIG. 7  shows a gap between the skirt  63  and the crew rest  50 , whereas the side wall  42  is connected to the galley  20 . Without this gap, the crew cabin rest area  50  could extend against the side wall  42  and damage it, but the angular position of the skirt  63  prevents deflection up to several inches. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate a locking mechanism for closing and locking the changing area  60 . The outer panel  62  and skirt  63  are connected by a connector  80 , that mounts a rotary dial  85 . The rotary dial  85  operates a latch bar  87  with a hook  89  at a distal end. The hook  89  can be rotated onto a pin or lug on the galley  20  to lock the side wall  42   a  in place. The rotary dial is manually rotated into the locked position, and when the user is finished the rotary dial  85  is rotated so that the hook  89  disengages with the galley to release the side wall, allowing a person to exit the changing area  60 . In a preferred embodiment, the locking mechanism can also be operated from the outside of the changing area, such as by a slotted coupling  92  as shown in  FIG. 9 . In a preferred embodiment, the locking mechanism requires a tool such as a screwdriver or the like to release the lock, such that entrance to the changing area cannot be accessed by merely turning a dial from the outside. This is so the changing area is relatively secure and a person changing in the changing area has some comfort that an outsider will not accidentally walk in on the person changing. 
     The embodiments and descriptions above are intended to illustrate the present invention without limiting the invention to the descriptions or figures. Rather, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize modifications and alterations to the aforementioned descriptions and illustrations, and the present invention is intended to include all such modifications and alternations. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is properly limited to the words of the appended claims, using their plain and ordinary meanings with context, but not limitation, provided by the descriptions and illustrations provided herein.