Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention provide premium seats for aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles that provide extra seat room by providing an improved tray table configuration, which also enhances privacy for each passenger. Certain embodiments also provide an improved outer armrest configuration.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/530,688, filed Sep. 2, 2011, titled “Premium Seat Offering Extra Wide Bed,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to premium seats for aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles that provide extra seat room. Certain embodiments are also designed to allow easier access to the seat. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Premium seats for civil aircraft have various seat positions, from the most upright to a full flat or lie flat bed position, especially for long or overseas flights. It is desirable to provide premium seats that allow such flexibility in seat movement, but that also provide as much space as possible for the passenger in each desired position. 
     Additionally, passenger vehicle seats need to be designed in order to provide easy access to passengers, particularly disabled passengers. For that reason, aisle side armrest are usually either removable, droppable, or rotatable in order to allow a passenger to be translated laterally from a wheel chair to the seat (or to otherwise provide increased access to the seats). 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the invention described herein thus provide premium seats for aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles that offer extra seat room by providing a new tray table configuration, which also enhances privacy for each passenger. Certain embodiments also provide an improved outer armrest configuration. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of a seating system according to one embodiment of the invention, with one of the tray tables in a deployed position and both of the seats in the upright position. 
         FIG. 2  shows a front plan view of the seating system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a side perspective view of the seating system of  FIG. 1 , with one of the tray tables in a deployed position and one of the seats in the bed position. 
         FIG. 4  shows a front plan view of the seating system configuration of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a side perspective view of a first tray table embodiment having a hinge and a slide. 
         FIG. 6  shows a side perspective view of  FIG. 5  with the tray table moving to its stowed position. 
         FIG. 7  shows a side perspective view of a second tray table embodiment, which rotates up and down. 
         FIG. 8  shows a side perspective of a retractable and sliding outer armrest according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide improved passenger seating systems for passenger transport vehicles. Although they are particularly useful in connection with commercial aircraft and/or private aircraft, they may also be installed on buses, trains, RVs, or any other vehicle where passengers may desire larger seating spaces for longer travel times. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the seating system  10  generally includes at least two seats  12 ,  14  separated by a center console  16 . Although a seating system with two seats is shown, it should be understood that the concepts described herein are equally applicable to seating systems having more than two seats, such as three, four, or more seats in an aisle. There will be provided a single center console for a two-seat unit, and two center consoles provided for a three-seat unit, and so forth, with one center console between adjacent seats. Center console  16  is shown having two trays  18 ,  20  associated therewith (although it should be understood that a center console for an odd-number of seats in a system may only need to have one tray associated therewith.) 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5-6 , the trays  18 ,  20  are positioned on a slide  22 . In one embodiment, the center console  16  may be provided with a track  24  along its underneath surface  26  or alongside the console edge that allows the slide  22  to move forward and backward to effect movement of the trays  18 ,  20 . When the passenger wishes to store the tray table, he rotates it upward along a hinge  23  and then slides it backward along slide  22 . These figures also show a compartment  50  positioned between the headrests that may be used to provide a cleaner looking storage location for the tray tables, as well provides as an improved privacy feature between passengers. 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternate embodiment, with the tray table moveable on a slide, but having a pivot feature  52  configured to allow the food tray to be moved from its stored position to its fully deployed position. The table is allow to pivot around an oblique axis  54  in use. 
     In prior seat systems, a center console generally has in its lower portion, below the level of the armrest, a compartment designed to store the tray tables. When they are not in use, the passengers simply open a cover lid on the console and store the tray into the space provided therein. Such a compartment will have a minimum width which limits the space available for the passenger in bed position. The center console  16  of the present invention is designed to offer a maximum space to the passenger in bed position, minimizing the thickness of its mid portion  32 , which acts only as a structural barrier between passengers. In other words, the mid portion  32  is not wide enough or thick enough to serve as a food tray stowage compartment, which allows the seating system to provide more leg room and space to the passenger, whether they are seated or in the lying down position. 
     The tray tables  18 ,  20  have been designed to be stored in a vertically upright position between head rest portions  36  of adjacent seats  12 ,  14 , and above the armrest level. This provides a stowage location for the trays, but it also provides an additional privacy screen between passengers. 
     A further feature of the seating system  10  is a retractable outer armrest  38 . The present invention provides an outer armrest with a design that allows the armrest  38  to slide back into an opening  42  in the privacy shell  40 . In addition to increasing the ease of entry into the seat and to comply with regulations regarding accessibility for disabled passengers, this feature also increases the available width when the seat is in the bed position. When the armrest  38  is deployed, it affords a privacy enclosure to the passenger. The inner area provided by the curved shape provides a few extra centimeters or inches of valuable passenger space. 
     In a particular embodiment, the armrest  38  has a C-shaped cross section, provided by an outer panel  44  with an inwardly curved upper portion  46 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . A lower portion of the seat shell may have a track  48  along which the armrest is configured to slide. The rear portion privacy shell is then provided with an opening  42  that can receive most (if not all) of the armrest  38  when it is in a retracted position. 
     Changes and modifications, additions and deletions may be made to the structures and methods recited above and shown in the drawings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the following claims.