Patent ID: 6899397

Claim:
A passenger seat with increased knee space for an aft-seated passenger, comprising: (a) a seat base for being attached to a supporting deck; (b) at least one stationary seat frame including a seal back and seat bottom carried by the seat base, wherein said seat back includes first and second spaced-apart aft-facing concave, inwardly-dished areas for accommodating the knees of an aft-seated passenger; (c) a unitary seating element, comprising: (i) a pair of laterally spaced-apart seat frames carried by the seat base, each of said seat frames defining a curved shape corresponding to a profile of an anatomically-appropriate seat bottom and seat back; (ii) a curved, semi-rigid diaphragm support carried by respective seat frames in alignment with the curved shape of the seat frames and mounted for movement relative to the seat frames between a first upright position and a second, reclined position; and (iii) a diaphragm positioned under tension on the diaphragm support for providing a continuous seat bottom and seat back support surface for a seat occupant; (d) at least one arm rest pivotally-mounted to the seat frame for pivotal movement between: (i) a use position with an upper support surface in a horizontal position for supporting a forearm of a passenger seated in the seat; and (ii) a stowed position wherein the upper support surface of the arm rest is perpendicular to the use position; (e) the arm rest being mounted on the seat frame at a point forward of said inwardly-dished areas and above a point defined by the seat bottom such that the knees of an aft-seated passenger can occupy space behind the arm rest and within respective ones of said inwardly-dished areas.