Patent Publication Number: US-2022212774-A1

Title: Lavatory with expandable door

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/134,126, filed Jan. 5, 2021, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to lavatory design for wheelchair accessibility, and more particularly to the design of expandable doors for lavatories on board aircraft and other transportation apparatuses. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In order to properly accommodate passengers who use wheelchairs, wide body aircraft having two aisles typically include at least one wheelchair accessible lavatory. However, smaller, narrow body aircraft with only one aisle generally lack an accessible lavatory and instead utilize on-board wheelchairs which are narrow enough to fit through the aisle to bring the passenger to the lavatory. Once at the lavatory, the passenger is shielded from view, for example, by one or more privacy curtains blocking the aisle. While privacy curtains do offer a measure of privacy, they have the disadvantage of occupying cabin space even when stowed. 
     Another challenge is providing accessible lavatories in a cost-effective manner. For an existing fleet, retrofitting narrow body aircraft with wheelchair accessible lavatories would be time consuming and expensive, as in each aircraft the entire monument would be replaced, and could require removal of one or more rows of seats. For future aircraft purchases, manufacturing new aircraft with original wheelchair accessible lavatories would incur substantial costs, and furthermore, other aircraft features, such as rows of seats, would likely be sacrificed to secure the dedicated space required for such a lavatory. A challenge exists to provide an improved lavatory experience for wheelchair users, while minimizing aisle blockage during use and storage, in an economical manner for airline operation. 
     SUMMARY 
     To address the above issues, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a lavatory is provided herein. In this aspect, the lavatory includes a plurality of walls including a first wall having a doorway, and an expandable door. The expandable door includes a main panel having dimensions that conform to the doorway and a main hinge connecting the main panel to the first wall. The lavatory further includes a latch. The main panel is configured to, in a deployed state, increase in at least one dimension to form a privacy barrier around an expansion zone located outside of the plurality of walls. The latch is configured to lock the expandable door in place in the deployed state. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a lavatory. In this aspect, the method includes providing a lavatory enclosure having a first volume. The method includes attaching an expandable door configured to convert between the following latched states: a first latched state in which the expandable door is arranged to close an opening of the lavatory enclosure, and 
     a second latched state in which the expandable door is manipulated to enclose an expansion zone outside of the lavatory enclosure having a second volume contiguous with the first volume. 
     Still another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an expandable door for retrofitting to an aircraft lavatory. The expandable door includes a main panel, a main hinge connecting the main panel to wall of the aircraft lavatory, and a latch. The main panel is configured to, in a deployed state, increase in at least one dimension to form a privacy barrier around an expansion zone located outside of the plurality of walls. The latch is configured to lock the expandable door in place in the deployed state. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A-1E  show a lavatory with an expandable door in a first embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. 
         FIGS. 2A-2C  show a lavatory with an expandable door in a second embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. 
         FIGS. 3A-3D  show a lavatory with an expandable door in a third embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  show a lavatory with an expandable door in a fourth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. 
         FIGS. 5A-5E  show perspective views of a lavatory with an expandable door in a fifth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state;  FIGS. 5F-5J  show top views of the lavatory in the progression;  FIG. 5K  shows a top view of the lavatory with an on-board wheelchair accommodated therein; and  FIG. 5L  shows a perspective view of the lavatory with the on-board wheelchair accommodated therein. 
         FIGS. 6A-6E  show a lavatory with an expandable door in a sixth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state, and  FIGS. 6F-6G  show perspective views of the lavatory. 
         FIG. 7  shows a modification of the expandable door of any embodiment including upper flaps. 
         FIG. 8  shows a joint for use in the lavatory and expandable door of any embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a lavatory according to the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  shows a transportation apparatus equipped with the lavatory and expandable door of any embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1A-1E  show a lavatory  100  with an expandable door  10  according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The lavatory  100  includes a plurality of walls  12 A-D including a first wall  12 A having a doorway  14 , and the expandable door  10 . The expandable door  10  includes a main panel  16  having dimensions that conform to the doorway  14  and a main hinge  18  connecting the main panel  16  to the first wall  12 A. The lavatory  100  includes a latch  20 , which may be of any suitable type and will be described further below with reference to  FIG. 1E .  FIG. 1A  shows a basic closed state and  FIG. 1B  shows a basic opened state where the main panel  16  may be used as a basic lavatory door. It will be appreciated that the top view of  FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate the inside of the main panel  16 , but the top of the main panel  16  may be covered. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1E , the main panel  16  is configured to, in a deployed state, increase in at least one dimension to form a privacy barrier around an expansion zone EZ located outside of the plurality of walls  12 A-D. In this manner, a basic lavatory zone LZ may be increased by the addition of the expansion zone EZ, allowing a passenger extra space to transfer from an on-board wheelchair to a toilet of the lavatory in privacy, for example. The latch  20  is configured to lock the expandable door  10  in place in the deployed state, presenting the passenger with equal privacy and control of access to the lavatory  100  compared to the expandable door  10  functioning as a basic door, that is, fitting into the doorway  14  in an unexpanded state. It will be understood that the above description of the first embodiment is applicable to all other disclosed embodiments and combinations thereof. 
     In the first embodiment, the main panel  16  includes an outer panel  22  having a hollow space  24  inside, and a pocket extension  26  configured to slide out from the hollow space  24  at a side opposite of the main hinge  18  (see  FIG. 1C ). The pocket extension  26  includes a pair of foldable pocket panels  28 A,  28 B joined by a pocket hinge  28 C (see  FIGS. 1D-1E ). As shown in  FIG. 1E , the main panel  16  includes a joint  30  that allows the pocket extension  26  to slide within the hollow space  24  and connects to a first pocket panel  28 A of the pair of foldable pocket panels  28 A,  28 B to the outer panel  22  in the deployed state. Turning briefly to  FIG. 8 , one example of the joint  30  which may be used in a variety of ways in various embodiments is shown. The joint  30  may be a slider pin  32  mounted to the pocket extension  26  that is depressed within the a door panel  34  (here, pocket extension  26 ) when inside the hollow space  24 , with a socket  36  at the edge of an auxiliary panel  38  (here, the outer panel  22 ) for holding the pin  32  in place when the pocket extension  26  is removed its maximum extent from the hollow space  24  (shown in  FIG. 1C ). The joint  30  may be spring loaded with a spring  40  such that the slider pin  32  is automatically pushed up into the socket  36  when the pocket extension  26  is pulled free from the hollow space  24 , or the joint  30  may be manually latched. Alternatively, an edge of the outer panel  22  from the bottom to the top may be rotatable with the pocket extension  26  once the joint  30  is in place, or yet another type of joint may be utilized. 
     The joint  30  may include a mechanism for releasing the joint  30 , such as a finger hold  42  on the slider pin  32  configured to move through a slot  44 , or a separate unlatching mechanism, for returning the pocket extension  26  to the inside of the outer panel  22  when the expansion zone EZ is no longer needed. The mechanism may be hidden or flush with the panel so that only a crew member may know to operate the mechanism, thereby maintaining the privacy, safety, and autonomy of the passenger in the lavatory  100 . Including the joint  30  with the mechanism may reduce incidence of an operator of the extendible door  10  prematurely attempting to rotate the pocket extension  26  relative to the outer panel  22  when the pocket extension  26  is out of place because the operator will feel and hear when the joint  30  clicks into place and also when the joint  30  is released. Accordingly, wear and tear of the extendible door  10  may be reduced. 
     The pair of foldable pocket panels  28 A,  28 B are configured to be stored inside of the outer panel  22  in a folded state (see  FIGS. 1A-1B ), and after sliding out from the hollow space  24  (see  FIG. 1C ), unfold at the pocket hinge  28 C (see  FIG. 1D ) to transition to the deployed state of the expandable door  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1E , the latch  20  connects a second pocket panel  28 B of the pair of foldable pocket panels  28 A,  28 B to the first wall  12 A. The latch  20  may connect the second pocket panel  28 B to the first wall  12 A by directly engaging with both components, or may, for example, lock the second pocket panel  28 B in place via engagement with the ceiling or floor when the second pocket panel  28 B is adjacent the first wall  12 A. In this manner, the lavatory  100  of the first embodiment is easily expanded to add the expansion zone EZ to the basic lavatory zone LZ. In this embodiment, the door width (W 1 +W 2 +W 3 ) may increase to approximately three times a basic door width (W B ) when expanded (see  FIGS. 1A and 1E  for comparison). In addition, due to the hollow space  24 , most of the moving parts used to deploy the privacy barrier are protected inside of the outer panel  22  during regular use and are stowed out of the way. 
     Shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1E  merely by way of example, in any of the disclosed embodiments, the latch  20  may be further configured to lock the expandable door  10  ( 210 ,  310  . . . ) in place in a closed state in which the expandable door  10  covers the doorway  14  and the privacy barrier around the expansion zone EZ is not formed. Thus, the lavatory  100  may be closed and locked using the same latch both in the basic lavatory state such as is shown in  FIG. 1A , and in the deployed state, such as is shown in  FIG. 1E , reducing the number of parts used and increasing user friendliness. 
       FIGS. 2A-2C  show a lavatory  200  with an expandable door  210  in a second embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. Some components of the lavatory  200  and the expandable door  210  are identical to corresponding components of the lavatory  100  and the expandable door  10  and therefore redundant description thereof is omitted. 
     In the second embodiment, the lavatory  200  further comprises a bifold door  246  connected to the first wall  12 A at one side of the doorway  14 . Here, the bifold door  246  is shown to the right side of the doorway  14 , but the left side may be used as well. The bifold door  246  may be connected to the first wall  12 A via a hinge  248 , for example. The bifold door  246  includes a pair of extendable panels  250 ,  252  each having an inner panel  250 A,  252 A configured to be stowed inside of an outer panel  250 B,  252 B. The inner panels  250 A,  252 A may slide out of the respective outer panel  250 B,  252 B when deployed. Accordingly, when the bifold door  246  is stowed, it may be in a more compact form than when deployed, saving space onboard. A first extendable panel  250  of the pair of extendable panels  250 ,  252  is connected to the first wall  12 A. A second extendable panel  252  of the pair of extendable panels  250 ,  252  is connected to the first extendable panel  250  at one side thereof, for example, via a hinge  254 , and is configured to connect to an open end  216 A of a main panel  216  at an opposite side thereof via the latch  20 . The extendible door  210  is thus extendible by the addition of the bifold door  246  without including the weight and thickness of the bifold door  246  during regular use. Further, the lavatory  200  may be particularly easily retrofitted by adding the bifold door  246  and the latch  20 , and in some cases, the extendible door  210  may otherwise be the original lavatory door. 
       FIGS. 3A-3D  show a lavatory  300  with an expandable door  310  in a third embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. In the third embodiment, a main panel  316  forms a trifold door together with a first trifold panel  356 A and a second trifold panel  356 B. The main panel  316  is connected to the first trifold panel  356 A via a first hinge  358 A at a side of the main panel  316  opposite of the main hinge  18 , and the first trifold panel  356 A is connected to the second trifold panel  356 B via a second hinge  358 B at a side of the first trifold panel  356 A opposite of the first hinge  358 A. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3A-3B , in a stowed state, the second trifold panel  356 B is sandwiched between the main panel  316  and the first trifold panel  356 A. Then, as shown in  FIGS. 3C-3D , when transitioning to the deployed state, the trifold door is configured to unfold and the second trifold panel  356 B is configured to connect to the first wall  12 A at a side of the second trifold panel  356 B opposite of the second hinge  358 B, via the latch  20 . The trifold door unfolds by opening the combination of the two trifold door panels  356 A,  356 B away from the main panel  316 , and then opening the second trifold panel  356 B away from the first trifold panel  356 A. In this manner, the extendible door  310  may be switched out for the original lavatory door to retrofit the lavatory  300  with wheelchair accessibility without substantial additional hardware outside of the door. 
       FIGS. 4A-4C  show a lavatory  400  with an expandable door  410  in a fourth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state. In the fourth embodiment, a main panel  416  is a first bifold door comprising a first bifold panel  416 A connected to the first wall  12 A via the main hinge  18  and a second bifold panel  416 B connected to the first bifold panel  416 A via a first bifold hinge  416 C. In one example, the first bifold door may include a slider or pin configured to slide through a track (not shown) in the doorway  14  during normal use, and the slider may be spring loaded so that the end of the first bifold door opposite the main hinge  18  may be released from the track for deployment. The ceiling and/or floor outside the lavatory  400  may include sockets for the slider to engage with at the deployed position, for example. The joint  30  shown in  FIG. 8  may be utilized, where the auxiliary panel  38  having the socket  36  is the ceiling and/or floor (if the floor is used, then the figure is rotated upside down). In addition, any of the embodiments disclosed herein may include one or more of the pins  32  with corresponding sockets  36  for stabilizing any panel in the deployed state. In another example, the main panel  416  may operate as a full-width door during basic use, but after a release (such as the joint  30 ) is activated, the main panel  416  is able to act as the first bifold door by folding about the first bifold hinge  416 C. In this example, the slider and track may not be included, but pins  32  and sockets  36  for stabilizing may optionally be utilized. 
     The lavatory  400  further comprises a second bifold door  460 . The second bifold door  460  includes a third bifold panel  460 A connected to the first wall  12 A at an opposite side of the doorway  14 , and a fourth bifold panel  460 B connected to the third bifold panel  460 A via a second bifold hinge  460 C. As shown in  FIG. 4A , the second bifold door  460  may be securely stowed against the first wall  12 A when not in use. As shown in  FIG. 4C , the latch  20  connects the second bifold panel  416 B of the first bifold door to the fourth bifold panel  460 B of the second bifold door  460 . Because the expandable door  410  of the fourth embodiment uses the main panel  416  which folds in half when deploying, the expansion zone EZ may be approximately half the size compared to using a solid full-width door, because the extent of the expansion zone into the space outside of the lavatory  400  is only half of the width of the doorway  14 . Thus, this embodiment may be an option to conserve more space if the size of the expansion zone is sufficient to fit the onboard wheelchair and allow the passenger to move freely. 
       FIGS. 5A-5E  show perspective views of a lavatory  500  with an expandable door  510  in a fifth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state.  FIGS. 5F-5J  show corresponding top views. While only the vertical sides of the lavatory  500  are shown, it will be appreciated that when installed, the lavatory of all embodiments customarily includes a floor and ceiling as well. 
     In the fifth embodiment, a main panel  516  includes an outer panel  522  having a hollow space  524  inside (see  FIG. 5F ), similar to the first embodiment. However, here, the outer panel  522  is configured to split apart into a first half  522 A and a second half  522 B arranged side by side. In the illustrated embodiment, the first half  522 A is a right half and the second half  522 B is a left half, but the reverse configuration may be used instead. As shown in  FIG. 5C-5E , the main panel  516  includes a pocket extension  526  configured to slide out from the hollow space  524  (see  FIG. 5F ) when the first and second halves  522 A,  522 B of the outer panel  522  are separated from one another. Once the pocket extension  526  slides out from the hollow space  524  (see  FIG. 5F ), as shown in  FIG. 5B , the pocket extension  526  is rotatably coupled to the first and second halves  522 A,  522 B of the outer panel  552 . This may be achieved similarly to in the first embodiment, in which a slidable joint may click into place and a release mechanism may be optionally utilized, and therefore repeat description from the first embodiment will be omitted. Such a slidable joint may be used in each of the two halves  522 A,  522 B of the outer panel  522 . 
       FIG. 5B  also illustrates a mechanism  78  compatible with any of the disclosed embodiments which may be hidden, inconspicuously located, flush with the door panel, or unlockable with a specially shaped tool, for example. The mechanism  78  may be used to unlock the two halves  552 A,  552 B of the outer panel  552  so that an unwitting passenger does not deploy the extendable door  510  when it is not needed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5G , the first half  522 A of the outer panel  522  is connected to the first wall  12 A at one side of the doorway  14  via the main hinge  18 , and as shown in  FIG. 5J , the second half  522 B of the outer panel  522  is configured to latch to the first wall  12 A at an opposite side of the doorway  14 , via the latch  20 . Like the fourth embodiment, the fifth embodiment provides a smaller but still sufficient expansion zone EZ so that more space may be saved.  FIGS. 5K-5L  show that an on-board wheelchair  62  may fit within the combination of the basic lavatory zone LZ and the expansion zone EZ with a toilet  64  and sink  66  both present. Half of the walls  12 A-D of the lavatory  500  are shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 5L  to display the inside while also showing the location of the walls  12 A-D. Thus, the expansion zone EZ may be sized to accommodate a wheelchair  62 . Accordingly, the passenger has ample room to move between the on-board wheelchair  62  and the toilet  64  in this and the other embodiments. For any of the disclosed embodiments, as viewed from above, the expansion zone may have an area of about 10% to about 40% of a lavatory area bounded by the plurality of walls, about 15% to about 35%, or about 20% to about 30%. These values provide sufficient space for the passenger to use the lavatory while reducing added weight, reducing lost space, and providing user friendliness with reasonably sized and reasonably numbered panels. 
     Shown in  FIGS. 5F and 5J  merely by example, in any of the disclosed embodiments, the latch  20  may be an auxiliary latch and the lavatory  500  may further comprise a main latch  20 A configured to lock the expandable door  510  in place in a closed state in which the expandable door  510  covers the doorway  14  and the privacy barrier around the expansion zone EZ is not formed. The latches  20 ,  20 A may be considered part of the expandable door  510 , part of the doorframe, or both. The different latches  20 ,  20 A may be located at different heights, oriented in different directions, etc. In this manner, the lavatory  500  may be closed and locked using one latch in the basic lavatory state such as is shown in  FIG. 5F , and a different latch in the deployed state, such as is shown in  FIG. 5J , simplifying the design. 
       FIGS. 6A-6E  show a lavatory  600  with an expandable door  610  in a sixth embodiment according to the present disclosure, in a progression of expanding from a stowed state to a deployed state, and  FIGS. 6F-6G  show perspective views of the lavatory  600 . In the sixth embodiment, the lavatory  600  further comprises a privacy curtain  68  to be used in conjunction with a main panel  616 . When not in use, the privacy curtain may be stowed against or next to the lavatory  600 . Here, a main panel  616  is a bifold door comprising a first bifold panel  616 A connected to the first wall  12 A via the main hinge  18  and a second bifold panel  616 B connected to the first bifold panel  616 A via a first bifold hinge  616 C. Unlike the bifold door of the fourth embodiment, the bifold door of the sixth embodiment is a full-width bifold door, similar to the trifold door of the third embodiment. That is, each bifold panel  616 A,  616 B is approximately the full width of the doorway  14 , rather than approximately half of the width. However, in the deployed state, the bifold door is opened such that the second bifold panel  616 B is separated from the first wall  12 A by an opening  616 D, and the privacy curtain  68  covers the opening. Thus, the latch  20  locks the main panel  616  (specifically, the second bifold panel  616 B) in place via the curtain  68 , or via the ceiling or floor if a joint such as the joint  30  is used as the latch  20 . Using only a simple bifold door in conjunction with the curtain  68  may decrease cost, increase ease of use, and increase ease of retrofitting. 
     The sixth embodiment is one example of a configuration in which the main panel  616  is rigid, and the lavatory  600  further includes at least one flexible panel, for example, the curtain  68 . A flexible panel may simplify the configuration and allow the extendible door  610  to be stowed and deployed in varying arrangements with greater leeway. The second and fourth embodiments are examples of configurations in which the main panel  216 ,  416  is rigid, and the expandable door  210 ,  410  further includes at least one additional rigid panel, for example, the bifold doors  246 ,  460 . The rigid panels may provide an increased feeling of privacy and security for the passenger using the lavatory. 
     As an optional feature, as shown in  FIG. 6E , the first wall  12 A may include a latchable panel  70  adjacent the sink  66  of the lavatory  600 . The latchable panel  70  may be configured to open outward from the lavatory  600  in an unlatched state. The latching may be achieved by a simple vertical slide lock, spring loaded pin, etc. near the doorway  14 . The latchable panel  70  may swing about a hinge located at the corner of the lavatory  600 . Further, the curtain  68  may be configured to extend across the gap between the main panel  616  and the latchable panel  70 . For instance, the curtain may be disposed inside of the latchable panel  70  and pulled out after use of a release mechanism. In any case, providing the latchable panel  70  may not only allow the passenger to have more space to move, particularly when the sink does not extend all of the way to the floor, but may also allow a helper to provide assistance for passengers who are not able to move themselves from the on-board wheelchair  62 , etc. 
     To show different examples of typical lavatories, the lavatory  600  is illustrated as including an upper portion  72  of the doorway  14  rather than using the ceiling as the top border of the doorway  14 , and thus the extendible door  610  does not reach the ceiling. In contrast,  FIG. 5B  shows that in the lavatory  500 , the doorway  14  extends to a top edge  12 AA of the first wall  12 A, increasing the opening through which passengers may walk. However, any of the disclosed embodiments may have doorways  14  that do or do not extend to the ceiling. When a gap is present, as shown in  FIG. 7 , using the sixth embodiment as a base merely for example, one or more flaps  74  may be included to be flipped up and cover the gap in the deployed state. While many features of the above described embodiments relate to increasing the door width of the extendible door  10  ( 210 ,  310  . . . ), the flaps  74  may serve to increase a door height. The flaps  74  may be rotatably connected to the main panel  616  via flap hinges  74 A, or they may slide out from within whichever panel they are mounted on, for example. The main panel  616  may optionally include a recess (not shown) to accommodate the flaps  74 . A mechanism may also be included to lock the flaps in the closed position. Such flaps  74  may increase the passenger&#39;s feeling of security and privacy. 
     The expandable doors of any of the above embodiments may be the original door in a new lavatory. Alternatively, the lavatory of any of the above embodiments may be configured to be retrofitted with the expandable door. Retrofitting with the disclosed expandable doors may save significant costs both in purchase price and installation costs compared to replacing an entire lavatory monument. 
     As shown schematically in  FIG. 10 , the lavatory of any of the above embodiments may be included in a transportation apparatus  76  such as an aircraft, bus, train, submarine, etc. Specifically in the depicted example, the lavatory  100  ( 200 ,  300  . . . ) may be an aircraft lavatory. As aircraft are transportation apparatuses in which passengers are held for long periods of time, space is highly valuable, and changing configurations requires precise engineering, the disclosed lavatories and extendible doors provide multiple ways for ensuring that everyone on board is able to visit the lavatory when necessary while minimizing the effect on cost and permanently occupied space. Accordingly, any of the above disclosed expandable doors may be an expandable door  10  ( 210 ,  310  . . . ) for retrofitting to an aircraft lavatory  100  ( 200 ,  300  . . . ). 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a method  900  of manufacturing a lavatory. The following description of method  900  is provided with reference to the lavatory  100  ( 200 ,  300  . . . ) described above and shown in  FIGS. 1A-7 . It will be appreciated that method  900  may also be performed in other contexts using other suitable components. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9 , at  902 , the method  900  includes providing a lavatory enclosure having a first volume. The volume may be defined by a plurality of walls, a floor, and a ceiling. At  904 , the method  900  includes attaching an expandable door configured to convert between the following latched states: at  906 , a first latched state in which the expandable door is arranged to close an opening of the lavatory enclosure, and at  908 , a second latched state in which the expandable door is manipulated to enclose an expansion zone outside of the lavatory enclosure having a second volume contiguous with the first volume. In this manner, a lavatory that is expandable between may be manufactured merely the first volume of the lavatory enclosure, and the first volume plus the expansion zone having a second volume, may be manufactured. Accordingly, the lavatory may be converted to a wheelchair accessible lavatory on demand, and then collapsed back to its original size in order to resume the previous use of the expansion zone, e.g., walking space in the aisle. 
     In the method  900 , the expandable door may include a plurality of rigid panels, at least one rigid panel of which is attached to the lavatory enclosure via a hinge. With rigid panels, a passenger using the lavatory in the deployed state may have a secure and private experience. Also in the method  900 , as viewed from above, an area of the second volume may be about 10% to about 40% of an area of the first volume, about 15% to about 35%, or about 20% to about 30%. These values provide sufficient space for the passenger to use the lavatory while reducing added weight, reducing lost space, and providing user friendliness with reasonably sized and reasonably numbered panels. 
     The expandable panels of the door panel may comprise materials typically used in the construction of a lavatory door panel such as plastics, structural foams, composites, metals, and like materials and combinations thereof. The curtain, in embodiments, can comprise a material having the ability to be flexible to extend around the lavatory area, and also, have a hardness and/or stiffness sufficient to allow the curtain to maintain its shape. Materials having such properties and suitable for use as the curtain for the expandable panels include a variety of textiles, plastics, or a combination of both. 
     On-board wheelchairs have varying dimensions but are typically approximately 14 to 16 inches wide and 20 to 25 inches long. Any of the above disclosed embodiments may be used to provide an expansion zone that is sized to accommodate any of these wheelchair dimensions. It is noted that in some cases, a front portion of the wheelchair may extend into the basic lavatory zone while the wheelchair is accommodated in the expansion zone. 
     The following paragraphs provide additional support for the claims of the subject application. One aspect provides a lavatory. The lavatory comprises a plurality of walls including a first wall having a doorway, and an expandable door. The expandable door includes a main panel having dimensions that conform to the doorway, and a main hinge connecting the main panel to the first wall. The lavatory includes a latch. The main panel is configured to, in a deployed state, increase in at least one dimension to form a privacy barrier around an expansion zone located outside of the plurality of walls. The latch is configured to lock the expandable door in place in the deployed state. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel includes an outer panel having a hollow space inside, and a pocket extension configured to slide out from the hollow space at a side opposite of the main hinge. The pocket extension includes a pair of foldable pocket panels joined by a pocket hinge. The main panel includes a joint that allows the pocket extension to slide within the hollow space and connects to a first pocket panel of the pair of foldable pocket panels to the outer panel in the deployed state. The pair of foldable pocket panels are configured to be stored inside of the outer panel in a folded state, and after sliding out from the hollow space, unfold at the pocket hinge to transition to the deployed state of the expandable door. The latch connects a second pocket panel of the pair of foldable pocket panels to the first wall. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the lavatory further comprises a bifold door connected to the first wall at one side of the doorway. The bifold door includes a pair of extendable panels each having an inner panel configured to be stowed inside of an outer panel. A first extendable panel of the pair of extendable panels is connected to the first wall. A second extendable panel of the pair of extendable panels is connected to the first extendable panel at one side thereof, and is configured to connect to an open end of the main panel at an opposite side thereof via the latch. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel forms a trifold door together with a first trifold panel and a second trifold panel, the main panel being connected to the first trifold panel via a first hinge at a side of the main panel opposite of the main hinge, and the first trifold panel being connected to the second trifold panel via a second hinge at a side of the first trifold panel opposite of the first hinge. In a stowed state, the second trifold panel is sandwiched between the main panel and the first trifold panel. When transitioning to the deployed state, the trifold door is configured to unfold and the second trifold panel is configured to connect to the first wall at a side of the second trifold panel opposite of the second hinge, via the latch. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel is a first bifold door comprising a first bifold panel connected to the first wall via the main hinge and a second bifold panel connected to the first bifold panel via a first bifold hinge, the lavatory further comprises a second bifold door comprising a third bifold panel connected to the first wall at an opposite side of the doorway, and a fourth bifold panel connected to the third bifold panel via a second bifold hinge, and the latch connects the second bifold panel of the first bifold door to the fourth bifold panel of the second bifold door. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel includes an outer panel having a hollow space inside, the outer panel being configured to split apart into a first half and a second half arranged side by side, and a pocket extension configured to slide out from the hollow space when the first and second halves of the outer panel are separated from one another. Once the pocket extension slides out from the hollow space, the pocket extension is rotatably coupled to the first and second halves of the outer panel, the first half of the outer panel is connected to the first wall at one side of the doorway via the main hinge, and the second half of the outer panel is configured to latch to the first wall at an opposite side of the doorway. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the lavatory further comprises a privacy curtain, the main panel is a bifold door comprising a first bifold panel connected to the first wall via the main hinge and a second bifold panel connected to the first bifold panel via a first bifold hinge, and in the deployed state, the bifold door is opened such that the second bifold panel is separated from the first wall by an opening, and the privacy curtain covers the opening. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel is rigid, and the expandable door further includes at least one additional rigid panel. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the main panel is rigid, and the lavatory further includes at least one flexible panel. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the doorway extends to a top edge of the first wall. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the first wall includes a latchable panel adjacent a sink of the lavatory, the latchable panel configured to open outward from the lavatory in an unlatched state. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the lavatory is configured to be retrofitted with the expandable door. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the expansion zone is sized to accommodate a wheelchair. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, as viewed from above, the expansion zone has an area of about 10% to about 40% of a lavatory area bounded by the plurality of walls. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the lavatory is an aircraft lavatory. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the latch is further configured to lock the expandable door in place in a closed state in which the door covers the doorway and the privacy barrier around the expansion zone is not formed. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the latch is an auxiliary latch and the lavatory further comprises a main latch configured to lock the expandable door in place in a closed state in which the expandable door covers the doorway and the privacy barrier around the expansion zone is not formed. 
     Another aspect provides a method of manufacturing a lavatory. The method comprises providing a lavatory enclosure having a first volume, and attaching an expandable door configured to convert between the following latched states: a first latched state in which the expandable door is arranged to close an opening of the lavatory enclosure, and a second latched state in which the expandable door is manipulated to enclose an expansion zone outside of the lavatory enclosure having a second volume contiguous with the first volume. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the expandable door includes a plurality of rigid panels, at least one rigid panel of which is attached to the lavatory enclosure via a hinge. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, as viewed from above, an area of the second volume is about 10% to about 40% of an area of the second volume. 
     Another aspect provides an expandable door for retrofitting to an aircraft lavatory. The expandable door comprises a main panel, a main hinge connecting the main panel to wall of the aircraft lavatory, and a latch. The main panel is configured to, in a deployed state, increase in at least one dimension to form a privacy barrier around an expansion zone located outside of the plurality of walls, and the latch is configured to lock the expandable door in place in the deployed state. In this aspect, additionally or alternatively, the latch is further configured to lock the expandable door in place in a closed state in which the expandable door covers a doorway of the aircraft lavatory and the privacy barrier around the expansion zone is not formed. 
     It will be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of strategies. As such, various acts illustrated and/or described may be performed in the sequence illustrated and/or described, in other sequences, in parallel, or omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may be changed. 
     The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various processes, systems, and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.