Patent ID: 7506930

Claim:
A seat bottom assembly for a passenger seat, comprising: a variable length support panel constructed to be flexible in a predetermined folding direction, said support panel having a left portion and a separate right portion, each of the left portion and the right portion comprising a plurality of transversely-extending lateral segments that are movable relative to one another; and a structural support member disposed beneath each of the left portion and the right portion, said structural support member selectively moveable between: a first, forward position in which the seat bottom assembly has a nominal length in a longitudinal direction, and a second, rearward position in which at least one of the left portion and the right portion folds downward over said structural support member such that at least a portion of said seat bottom assembly has an effective length less than said nominal length; wherein the plurality of transversely-extending lateral segments of said support panel are divided by spaced-apart transversely-extending rabbets that extend at least partway through the thickness of said support panel.