Expandable galley

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214290-B2
Application number	US-201414475735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2014
Priority date	Sep 11, 2013
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An aircraft galley including a trolley stowage provided in a main body of the aircraft galley. A wall of the main body includes a first section delimiting the trolley stowage and a second section. The trolley stowage is convertible between a first operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate a first number of trolleys, and a second operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate a second number of trolleys. The second number of trolleys is greater than the first number of trolleys.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft galley comprising:
a trolley stowage provided in a main body of the aircraft galley, the main body comprises a back wall including a first section and a second section that are parallel, the main body further comprising a front side that is opposite to and parallel to the back wall,
a first member of trolleys that comprises a plurality of trolleys that are received by the trolley stowage of the main body,
wherein the first section of the back wall delimits a rear boundary for a trolley stowage space containing the first number of trolleys, wherein the first section delimits the first number of trolleys, the rear boundary being opposite the front side of the main body, wherein the front side of the main body is configured such that trolleys can be pushed into the trolley stowage space through the front side of the main body,
the trolley stowage being convertible between a first operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate a first number of trolleys, and a second operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate a second number of trolleys, the second number of trolleys being greater than the first number of trolleys,
wherein the trolley stowage space is increased when the trolley stowage is converted from the first operational state to the second operational state,
wherein in all operational states the first section of the back wall is fixed in a position that is parallel to the second section of the back wall,
wherein in a first operational state, the first section and the second section of the back wall are coplanar, and in a second operational state, the first section is translated with respect to the main body but is parallel and horizontally offset from the second section forming a top wall surface that extends substantially perpendicular to at least one of the first section and the second section, the first section of the back wall being at all operational states static with respect to the top wall surface thereby forming a barrier to ingress of the plurality of trolleys from a direction exterior to and perpendicular to the first section of the wall, and in all operational states the second section of the back wall is static with respect to the main body and arranged vertically above the first section of the back wall, and
wherein the first section is a unitary surface across the main body that delimits the rear boundary of the trolley stowage as a continuous wall surface across each of the first number of trolleys of the trolley stowage space in both the first operational state and the second operational state.

2. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , wherein the top wall surface is connected to the first section of the back wall which, in the first operational state of the trolley stowage, is accommodated within the main body and which, in the second operational state of the trolley stowage, provides for an upper limitation of an additional volume of the trolley stowage.

3. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , wherein at least one side wall is connected to the first section of the back wall which, in the first operational state of the trolley stowage, is accommodated within the main body and which, in the second operational state of the trolley stowage, provides for a lateral limitation of the additional volume of the trolley stowage.

4. The aircraft galley according to claim 3 , wherein the side wall, at least in the second operational state of the trolley stowage, extends at least one of substantially perpendicular to at least one of the first section of the back wall and the top wall surface, and substantially parallel to a side panel of the main body.

5. The aircraft galley according to claim 4 , wherein the side wall, at least in the second operational state of the trolley stowage, extends coplanar to a side panel of the main body.

6. The aircraft galley according to claim 3 , wherein the side wall is pivotably connected to the first section of the wall, such that the side wall, in the first operational state of the trolley stowage, is adapted to be accommodated within the main body adjacent and parallel to the first section of the wall.

7. The aircraft galley according to claim 3 , wherein the side wall comprises a first portion and a second portion which is pivotably connected to the first portion, such that the second portion of the side wall, in the first operational state of the trolley stowage, is adapted to be accommodated within the main body adjacent and parallel to the first portion of the side wall.

8. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises at least one latching element which is adapted to interact with a seat rail, the latching element being arranged in the region of an edge of the first section of the wall, the edge facing a floor of an aircraft cabin when the aircraft galley is mounted in the aircraft cabin.

9. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , further comprising a latching mechanism which is adapted to latch the trolley stowage in either the first or the second operational state.

10. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , further comprising a handle arranged on an outer surface of the first section of the wall.

11. The aircraft galley according to claim 1 , wherein the rear boundary is disposed on a rear side of the aircraft galley, and
wherein the rear boundary permanently blocks trolleys from passing through the rear side.

12. A method of operating an aircraft galley according to claim 1 , wherein the trolley stowage is converted from its first operational state into its second operational state by the application of a pulling force to the outer surface of the first section of the back wall so as to displace the first section of the back wall until the trolley stowage is in its second operational state.

13. A method of operating an aircraft galley comprising:
providing an aircraft galley which comprises
a trolley stowage provided in a main body of the aircraft galley, the main body comprises a back wall including a first section and a second section that are parallel, the main body further comprising a front side that is opposite to and parallel to the back wall,
a first number of trolleys that comprises a plurality of trolleys that are received by the trolley stowage of the main body,

wherein the first section of the back wall delimits a rear boundary for a trolley stowage space containing the first number of trolleys, wherein the first section delimits the first number of trolleys, the rear boundary being opposite the front side of the main body, wherein the front side of the main body is configured such that trolleys can be pushed into the trolley stowage space through the front side of the main body,
converting the trolley stowage between a first operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate the first number of trolleys, and a second operational state, wherein the trolley stowage is adapted to accommodate a second number of trolleys, the second number of trolleys being greater than the first number of trolleys,
wherein the first section delimits the rear boundary of the trolley stowage as a continuous wall surface across each of the first number of trolleys of the trolley stowage space in both the first operational state and the second operational state,
wherein the trolley stowage space is increased when the trolley stowage is converted form the first operational state to the second operational state,
wherein in all operational states the first section of the back wall is fixed in a position that is parallel to the second section of th

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Ehlers Bernd
• Herzog Mark
• Behrens Stefan

Classifications

• B64D2011/0046

  Modular or preassembled units for creating cabin interior structures · CPC title

• B64D11/04 Primary

  Galleys · CPC title

• B64D11/003

  Stowage devices for passengers' personal luggage · CPC title