Patent Abstract:
A passenger interface unit as provided that is positioned on a floor portion of an aircraft and attaches to a seat track on the aircraft floor portion. The passenger interface unit can be reattached to different locations long the seat track throughout the aircraft.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the installation of single passenger interface unit on the floor area of an aircraft, and more particularly, to the installation of a single passenger interface unit on the floor area of an aircraft that is able to be easily relocated to a.different area inside the aircraft. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With the advent of the telecommunications and the computer age, individuals are constantly in need of electronic contact with external sources such as telecommunications networks and the internet. This direction is exemplified by the increase and advancement in wireless technology including cell phones, wireless LANs and wireless modems. Such wireless technology allows individuals to communicate with other individuals and connect to computer networks and the internet from remote areas such as inside automobiles, camp sites, and vacation resorts. As a result, individuals are able to perform their jobs and maintain communication while traveling and at locations far outside the office, thereby transforming the traditional brick and mortar office environment into a virtual office space. 
     While wireless technology is heavily used in land based locations such as land vehicles, it has not as-of-yet found widespread use in certain types of transportation. Specifically, the use of wireless technology on aircrafts has not been penetrated due to the great distance between the remote computer or cellular device and the cellular hub as well as the restrictions placed upon passengers due to potential interference of the transmitting cellular device with the aircraft&#39;s navigation, systems. To overcome this, some aircraft manufacturers have provided a single wireless link to allow passengers in the aircraft to connect to a ground based cellular link.for connection to a cellular or computer network. While this technological advancement serves to provide adequate transmission power to reach ground based connections and does not interfere with the aircraft&#39;s navigational systems, the logistics of properly connecting to a passenger&#39;s individual computer still remains to be achieved and refined. 
     Specifically, network servers or passenger interface units are required to be installed in the aircraft. Each passenger interface unit provides connections for multiple computer users to connect. The passenger interface unit, in turn, communicates with a transmitter/receiver external to the aircraft for transmitting information to and from a ground based link. The passenger interface unit, which is bulky and fragile, must be mounted in a location out of sight and hindrance from the aircraft passengers. Typically, this location is in the side walls of the aircraft. The.passenger interface unit is placed through a hole in the side wall and mounted to the frame of the aircraft. The hole is then sealed back up while allowing for a small aperture to pass communications cable to each of a plurality of passenger seats. While this mounting method does serve to adequately mount the passenger interface unit, some drawbacks exist. Specifically, this mounting method requires the presence of large apertures for communication cable to pass through, resulting in an aesthetically unpleasing surface. Moreover, after the passenger interface unit is removed, there remains a hole which must somehow be re-sealed. The present invention was developed in light of these and other drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To overcome these and other drawbacks, the present invention provides a passenger interface unit that includes a server having an attachment means for attaching to a seat track in an aircraft. In another aspect an aircraft is provided having a passenger interface unit and a seat track. The passenger interface unit includes a server mounted to a support plate, where the support plate includes a pair of ears. The ears are attached to the seat track. Cables run from the server, along an area between the seat track and a seat.track cover until each respective cable terminates at a respective seat. Accordingly, the server provides independent computer connections to each respective seat in a block of seats. In another aspect, a plurality of passenger interface units is provided such that most or all of the seats throughout the aircraft are provided with computer connection. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and he accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a passenger interface unit mounted to a floor of an aircraft according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a passenger interface unit mounted to a floor of an aircraft according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of a passenger interface unit mounted to a floor area of an aircraft according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of the mounting structure of a passenger interface unit according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of V in FIG. 4 of the mounting structure for mounting a passenger interface unit to an aircraft according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention is shown and described. Referring now to FIG. 1, a passenger interface unit  10  is shown positioned under an aircraft seat  12 . As will be described in greater detail, passenger interface unit  10  is secured to seat track  14  which also secures seat leg  16  of aircraft seat  12  to the floor area of an aircraft. As shown in FIG. 2, passenger interface unit  10  preferably is connected to the middle seat track  14  and extends traversely under each respective aircraft seat  12 . However, it is noted that passenger interface unit  10  can extend from any seat track used to secure aircraft seats  12 . In addition, passenger interface unit  10  can be positioned over seat track  14  or extending in any direction from seat track  14 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4, passenger interface unit  10  includes a server  18  mounted to a support plate  20 . Server  18  is a computer server having a plurality of I.O. ports  22  for connecting cables  24  to respective aircraft seats  12  (as will be discussed). Server  18  is preferably rectangular and relatively flat in shape and mounts to support plate  20  by a plurality of fasteners such as bolts that are positioned through an outer casing of server  18  and through.,support plate  20 . Support plate  20  is a generally rectangular and flat piece of material such as aluminum or plastic that has a pair of ears  26  disposed at corners along one side of support plate  20 . Ears  26  have apertures for allowing a fastening means to pass therethrough to secure the passenger interface unit  10  to the seat track  14 . The generally flat nature of server  18  and support plate  20  allow the passenger interface unit  10  to be easily positioned under the aircraft seat  12  without interfering with the feet of passenger sitting in the seat behind the passenger seat under which the passenger interface unit.  10  is located. Support plate  20  has raised edges  28  on opposite sides of support plate  20  for maintaining and guiding cables  24  from server  18  to seat track  14  as will be described in greater detail. 
     Cover  30  is rectangular in shape and has downward extending edges,  32  that pass around the outer perimeter of server  18  and abut support plate  20 . Cover  30  is made of preferably plastic and protects server  18  from damage caused by feet of a passenger sitting behind the seat under which the server  18  is located. Cover  30  has a cut out section  34  that allows for a gap between cover  30  and support plate  20  when the cover  30  is attached to a support plate  20 . Cut out section  34  allows a passage for cables  24  to pass from server  18  to seat track  14 . 
     I.O. ports  22  are distributed length wise along opposite sides of the server  18 . Preferably, four I.O. ports are disposed per side. It is noted that I.O. ports  22  can be serial, parallel, Ethernet or any other known type of ports for communicating between a personal computer and the server  18 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, a magnified view of V in FIG. 4 is shown in greater detail. In FIG. 5, the attachment of one of ears  26  to seat track  14  is described. In FIG. 5, a sliding bolt  36  is shown having a head  38  that sits on an under side of groove  40 . As such, sliding bolt  36  is able to be slid along seat track  14  such that the positioning of sliding bolts  36  coincides with the most optimum location for passenger interface unit  10 . Accordingly, once sliding bolts  36  are positioned at their respective predetermined locations, apertures in ears  26  are passed over the tops of bolts  36  until abutting seat track  14 . Next, nut  42  is threaded to sliding bolt  36  to secure respective ears  26  to seat track  14 . It is noted that ears  26  have a slight angle with respect to the remainder of support plate  20 . This insures that after ears  26  are secure to seat track  14 , support plate  20  and therefore passenger interface unit  10  are positioned against the carpeting and floor of the aircraft. 
     Referring to FIG.  2  and FIG. 4, cables  24  extend from I.O. ports  22  and travel around the outer periphery of server  18  until exiting passenger interface unit through cut out section  34 . Cables  24  then enter under seat track cover  44  and travel along seat track  14  between seat track cover  44  and seat track  14  until reaching respective aircraft seats  12 . As shown in FIG. 2, at each respective aircraft seat  12 , cables  24  extend from seat track  14  up and through the frame of each aircraft seat  12  until terminating at an output area in the seat. As such, as can be seen by reviewing FIG.  2  and FIG. 3, each passenger interface unit  10  can supply network communication to a plurality of aircraft seats  12  within an aircraft  46 . Accordingly, by locating the passenger interface unit  10  above the floorboard of the aircraft  46  and by lockingly engaging the passenger interface unit to respective seat tracks  14 , the passenger interface unit is able to supply a plurality of aircraft seats  12  with network communication. 
     As a result of the above described installation, a passenger interface unit can be repositioned throughout aircraft  14  when desired without requiring major construction or leaving aesthetically unpleasing holes in portions of the aircraft where the passenger interface unit previously resided. Moreover, as the previous location of passenger interface unit  10  does not have a residual hole or aperture, injury to passengers and damage to the aircraft due to passengers potentially stepping through residual holes in the floor board is alleviated. 
     The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1