Abstract:
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a passenger accommodation arrangement for aircraft which provides both a highly efficient use of available aircraft space and a high level of comfort for passengers. In particular, the novel arrangement allows passengers to easily and comfortably switch between sitting and sleeping positions. The arrangement provides for multiple compartments arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the aircraft. Each compartment includes a stair and multiple, individual passenger accommodation units arranged one above another on each side of the stair. Each unit contains structure which allows a passenger to switch between a sitting position, in which the passenger is supported on a seat surface, and a fully reposed position in which the passenger is supported on a substantially flat, horizontal sleeping surface. Conversion between sitting and sleeping positions is enabled by moveable sections which form part of the passenger bed in a first position and part of the passenger seat in a second position. Passenger units which are vertically adjacent to one another may include complementary and vertically aligned formations to optimize the usable height of the units.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/854,329, filed on Jul. 1, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety hereinto by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to passenger accommodation arrangements for use in transportation vehicles such as aircraft, trains, busses and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to passenger accommodation arrangements which easily permit a passenger to convert from a sitting position to a fully reposed sleeping position.  
         [0003]     It has long been a goal of the passenger transportation industry cost effectively to provide comfortable seating and bedding arrangements for passengers. Given the ever increasing volume of long, non-stop flights over 6 hours in duration, it has become even more desirable to provide a truly restful passenger accommodation. Attainment of this goal has been difficult given the concurrent need to optimize the efficient use of space in aircraft. With current seating accommodations, passengers who desire to sleep during flights typically are forced to do so in positions which are either substantially upright or at various angles of repose short of horizontal. The inefficient seating/bedding arrangements of the prior art coupled with the pressure to maximize per-flight revenues have precluded adoption of volume-intensive solutions which would otherwise be available to allow achievement of these goals.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The principle object of the invention is to provide a passenger accommodation arrangement which maximizes the comfort of passengers by providing the choice of both sitting and fully reposed sleeping positions in the same passenger accommodation unit.  
         [0005]     A further object is to provide for a more comfortable passenger accommodation arrangement, particularly for use in passenger aircraft, which optimizes passenger revenues per unit of available space.  
         [0006]     The above objects and others are achieved in the arrangement of the invention by vertically stacking individual passenger accommodation units one above the other and providing for access to the units by the passengers via a stair.  
         [0007]     Space utilization efficiency is further increased by the use of compartments which include a stair and vertically stacked, individual passenger units located on both sides of the stair. The stair is used by passengers to access the individual, stacked units and has landings which function to aid the passenger in accessing the units. Multiple compartments are arranged along the longitudinal dimension of the aircraft as well as on both sides of the aisle of the aircraft. The number of units stacked one above the other is a function of the specific dimensions of the air into which the arrangement is installed. While space utilization efficiency is maximized by stacking as many units as possible on one another, passenger comfort is optimized by limiting the number of units so stacked. The optimum arrangement must take into account the available space in the aircraft.  
         [0008]     The accommodation units each have a convertible sitting/sleeping structure. The passenger in the sitting position moves to the sleeping position by utilizing moveable sections which are common to both the sitting and sleeping structures. Specifically, a passenger in the sitting position first stands up on the landing in front of the unit, rotates hinged armrest portions of the seat downwardly to partly complete a sleeping surface, then rotates the backrest portion of the seat downwardly to complete the sleeping surface. Moving these common seat/bed portions from a first position to a second position forms a substantially horizontal flat sleeping surface which functions as a bed. The stair includes landings with enlarged surface areas which serve the dual function of providing access to the upper level accommodation units and of serving as a footrest for passengers in the sitting position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a cross section elevation view of the passenger seating/sleeping arrangement of the invention with passengers depicted within, entering and leaving the compartments on both sides of an aircraft aisle;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one unoccupied compartment of the passenger accommodation arrangement of the invention showing component parts of the seat/sleep units in various positions and showing the storage area under the stair; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an illustrative, perspective view of a compartment with the width exaggerated at the bottom of the stair, tapering toward the top of the stair and showing passengers in different positions within the passenger accommodation units. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     The passenger sitting/sleeping arrangement of the invention, as incorporated into a passenger transport aircraft, will now be specifically described with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , wherein the same reference numbers will be used to identify similar functional components in the various structures. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the aircraft is seen to include a fuselage  1  and a longitudinally extending main aisle  13 .  
         [0014]     The passenger sitting/sleeping arrangement of the invention comprises a passenger compartment  20 , as best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The compartment is made up of modules  40  and  50  together with a stair  11  located between the modules  40  and  50 . It should be understood that the compartment  20  would usually be one of several similar passenger compartments arranged along at least part of, or perhaps the entire length of, the aircraft. Both the modules  40  and  50  and the stair  11  are arranged to have their longitudinal dimension extend in a direction generally transverse to and away from the main aisle  13  of the aircraft.  
         [0015]     While the passenger accommodation compartments of the invention are described as being arranged along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft and transverse to the main aisle  13 , it should be understood that the compartments of the invention could be used in conjunction with an entrance aisle that runs in other directions with respect to the fuselage depending on the configuration of the specific aircraft into which they are being built.  
         [0016]     The bottom of stair  11  is located a pre-selected distance from the aisle  13  to form a threshold area  16  there between. The threshold  16  is large enough to serve as a comfortable foot rest for the passenger seated in the passenger unit  30  located adjacent thereto, as will be explained in greater detail below. The stair has the usual treads  17  and risers  18  and is inclined upwardly from the threshold  16  toward the far side of the aircraft with the exterior window or portal  21 . The stair  11  has a part thereof hinged at an appropriate tread-riser intersection to move upwardly to expose a storage area  74  formed behind the stair,  FIG. 2 , into which suitable luggage or other items may be placed for storage purposes. Access to an additional storage area beneath the lowermost passenger unit  30  and adjacent to threshold area  16  may be provided through cabinet doors  79 .  
         [0017]     Each of the modules  40  and  50  is seen to be comprised of lower, middle and upper passenger accommodation units  30 ,  32  and  34 , respectively. As will be appreciated from the description below, the passenger accommodation units making up the modules  40  and  50  are similar in construction except for their right or left orientation, i.e. their orientation with respect to the stair  11 . In effect, the passenger units of each module making up the same compartment are entered and exited via the same stair, thus necessitating that the units which are otherwise similar in construction have openings and components which face that stair.  
         [0018]     The stair  11  is constructed to have intermediate and upper landings  12  and  14  which are deeper than, and therefore have larger surface areas than the average surface areas of the treads  17  between these landings. The primary purpose of landings  12  and  14  is to provide passengers with safer entry to and exit from their assigned units  32  and  34 . It should be noted that the landings  12  and  14  serve units  32  and  34 , respectively, on both sides of the stair  11 . Secondarily, the landings  12  and  14  provide a wider support for the feet of the passengers occupying units adjacent these landings when they are in the sitting position within the units. Thus, landing  12  provides these functions for the passengers occupying middle unit  32 , while landing  14  provides these functions for passengers in the upper unit  34 . In a similar fashion, the previously mentioned threshold  16 , which is located directly in front of the seat for the lowermost unit  30 , has a similar or larger surface area as and performs, for passengers in the lowest unit  30 , the same functions provided by landings  12  and  14  for passengers in the upper units.  
         [0019]     The module  40  generally comprises walls or partitions which are suitably shad and located to bound and define the various passenger accommodation units  30 ,  32 , and  34 . To this end, module  40  comprises an end wall  41  which, in the lower passenger units  30  and  32 , faces and is adjacent to the aisle  13 . The end wall  41  serves to separate the portions of the passenger units  30  and  32  nearest the aisle  13  from the aisle itself. The end wall  41  for the uppermost units  34  takes the form of a common end wall portion  42  located over the main aisle  13  This construction maximizes the length and volume of the uppermost units  34  opposite each other on each side of the aisle  13 .  
         [0020]     The overall dimensions of the compartment  20  (and therefore the module  40 ) will depend somewhat on the space available in the particular model aircraft into which it is being fitted. At the least, however, the compartment and module will be sufficiently large to comfortably accommodate each passenger in his assigned passenger accommodation unit, as well as providing ease and safety of entry to and exit from the units, as well as movement between sitting and sleeping positions, as described hereinafter.  
         [0021]     Module  40  also includes walls or partitions  51 - 54 ,  FIG. 1 , which are arranged vertically with respect to each other. Wall  51  forms the bottom of passenger accommodation unit  30 , while wall  54  forms the top wall of the uppermost unit  34 . Intermediate walls  52  and  53  are common to adjacent units  30  and  32 , and  32  and  34 , respectively. Wall  52  is both the upper boundary for unit  30  and the lower boundary for unit  32 . As such, wall  52  incorporates the structure necessary to provide the seating/sleeping functions for unit  32 . In a similar manner, wall  53  incorporates structure required to provide the seating/sleeping function for passenger unit  34 . In addition, wall  52  performs as a common wall separator between adjacent units  30  and  32 , while wall  53  performs a similar common wall separation function between adjacent units  32  and  34 . The specific structure incorporated into walls  51 ,  52  and  53  to provide the sitting/sleeping functions will be described in more detail below.  
         [0022]     The walls  51 ,  52  and  53  of the passenger accommodation units  30 ,  32  and  34 , respectively, are constructed to provide a generally horizontal, flat sleeping surface  56  which is formed by the combination of a fixed sleeping portion  57  and a moveable seat/sleep portion  58 . The fixed sleeping portion  57  makes up the majority of the horizontal surface area of the sleeping surface  56  of the bed used by a passenger to sleep in the reposed position. The sleeping surface  56  incorporates a conventional soft, compliant material for providing a comfortable surface on which the passenger may sleep and which extends along substantially the entire length and width of the passenger units.  
         [0023]     The sleeping surface  56  is generally the same in each of the compartments, except that the location of the movable seat/sleep portions  58  is displaced a greater or lesser distance from the aisle  13  as a function of the vertical height of the particular compartment into which it is incorporated. Thus, in the arrangement shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the lower compartment  30  has its movable seat/sleep portion  58  nearest the aisle  13 , while in the middle compartment  32  it is generally midway between the aisle and the far wall of the aircraft, and is farthest from the aisle in the uppermost compartment  34 . The specific placement of the movable seat/sleep portions  58  in each compartment is a design choice which will depend in part on the dimensions of the aircraft being used.  
         [0024]     The seat/sleep portion  58  of each compartment is movable by a passenger between two positions to provide different functions. To this end, the portion  58  is comprised of a combination backrest/sleep element  61  which is hinged to move between an elevated, upward position and a horizontal, downward position. The element  61  has two functional surfaces  62  and  63 . The surface  62  functions as part of the sleeping surface  56  when in the horizontal, down position. For this purpose, it is shaped and constructed to become an indistinguishable part of the overall sleeping surface  56  when element  61  is in its horizontal position. When the element  61  is in its upward or vertical position, the surface  63  of element  61  acts as the backrest of a seat used by the passenger. Also, when element  61  is in its upward or backrest position, a recess  67  is exposed in the sleeping surface  56 . The recess  67  has a seat bottom surface  64  which functions as a bottom support for a passenger in the seated position within his assigned unit. The surface  64 , it should be noted, is at a level below the level of the sleeping surface  56 . This provides additional vertical space for a seated passenger within the unit by increasing the usable distance between the surface  64 , on which the passenger sits, and the top wall of the unit.  
         [0025]     With the element  61  in its uppermost position, a passenger may sit in his assigned unit supported by the combination of the seat bottom surface  64  and the backrest surface  63 . Since the passenger is seated in the recess  67  and below the level of sleeping surface  56 , the clearance of the passengers head from the top wall of the unit is increased relative to what it would otherwise be without the recess  67  and recessed surface  64 . To further increase this clearance, there may be provided in the top wall of the unit, generally directly vertically above the recess  67 , an elongated dome or inverted U-shaped protrusion  69  into the above compartment. The dome does not emend across the full width of the unit, but rather runs from the front wall  43  back into the unit to an area approximately coextensive with the likely position of the head of a passenger or generally about one-half of the width of the unit. This creates another recess  71  which, in turn, results in an additional clearance between the passenger&#39;s head and the top wall of the unit at the small sacrifice of a slight deformation or protrusion into the adjacent unit vertically above the sleeping surface  56  thereof. The result of the combined clearances created by the optional formation  69  in combination with the recess  67  adds a relatively significant usable vertical space for a passenger in a seated position in the unit.  
         [0026]     The seat/sleep portion  58  also comprises two armrests  65 , each of which is rotatable between a first, upward position in which it operates as an armrest for a seated passenger and a second position in which it operates as part of the horizontal, flat sleeping surface  56 . The surfaces of the armrests are suitably constructed to carry out these different functions in a manner similar to the different surfaces of the hinged movable element  61 .  
         [0027]     The module  40  has a back wall  44  which separates it from the adjacent module  50 . Module  40  also has a front wall  43  adjacent the stair  11  which separates the passenger units  30 ,  32  and  34  from the stair  11  and to a lesser extent from each other. The front wall  43  is contoured to provide openings  47  having several functions. Primarily, the openings  47  are shaped to allow entrance and egress for the passengers with respect to their assigned units. Each of the openings  47  is similarly shaped and is generally located between a unit and either the landings  12  and  14  or the threshold  16 . For this purpose, the openings  47  are shaped to form a notch  49  to allow additional space through which a passenger may move his/her feet when changing to the sleeping position from the sitting position as is readily apparent. The front wall  43  is also shaped to promote ease of movement by a passenger between the sitting and sleeping positions. The front wall  43  has mounted thereon, adjacent the stair, a series of brackets or hand graspable supports  45  to assist passengers in climbing the stair and entering or exiting the passenger units.  
         [0028]     When a passenger in the seated position wishes to take up the sleeping position on the sleeping surface  56 , the passenger would first stand on the landing associated with his unit. The passenger would first rotate the armrests  65  downwardly into the recess  67  and then also swing the backrest downwardly into the same recess to create an extension of the sleeping surface  56  in place of the seat and at the same level as the sleeping surface. The passenger would then sit back down onto the sleeping surface and swing his legs sideways and upwardly through the notch  49  in the front wall  43  while extending his legs fully onto the sleeping surface  56  and more fully into the unit. A curtain  84 ,  FIG. 3 , may be provided to be drawn across the opening  47  for privacy when the passenger is sleeping.  
         [0029]     In standard fashion for conventional passenger aircraft, seatbelts  81  or other restraints may be provided, as appropriate or required. Likewise, serving trays  82  may be located for movement by a passenger into and out of position at appropriate times during flights.  
         [0030]     The preceding description has presented in detail exemplary preferred embodiments of the invention and their application. Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous alternatives encompassing many variations may readily be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims herein.