Passenger tray table

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875652-B2
Application number	US-201715705858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2017
Priority date	Apr 3, 2017
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A passenger tray table includes at least two hingedly connected table sections, and is operable to move between at least three positions: 1) a stowed mounting position against a fore positioned monument, where the tray table stows at an angle relative to vertical, and a top portion of the tray table is closer to the passenger than a lower portion of the passenger tray table in the stowed position, 2) a first operative position, where a front table section of the tray table lowers into a horizontal position, while the rear table section remains in the angled stowed position, and 3) a second operative position, where the front table section is disposed closer to the passenger while the rear table section of the passenger tray table is lowered to a horizontal position, in line with the front table section to provide a contiguous table surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft tray table apparatus, the tray table apparatus comprising:
a tray table comprising a first table section, and a second table section, wherein a front edge of the second table section is hingedly connected to a rear edge of the first table section; and
a partition mount for releasably receiving the first table section and the second table section, the partition mount including
a rigid top member connecting a first vertical side wall and a second vertical side wall,
a first guide member arranged on an inner surface of the first vertical side wall, and
a second guide member arranged on an inner surface of the second vertical side wall;

wherein, in a stowed position, a rear edge of the second table section is positioned at the top of the first guide member and the second guide member, and a front edge of the first table section is releasably received by a locking mechanism;
wherein, in a first operative position, the front edge of the first table section extends horizontally from the partition mount, and the rear edge of the second table section remains positioned at the top of the first guide member and the second guide member; and
wherein, in a second operative position, the rear edge of the second table section is at a bottom of the first guide member and the second guide member, and the second table section is horizontal and in line with the first table section.

2. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in the stowed position, the first table section is mounted at an angle to a partition to which the partition mount is mounted.

3. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the partition is a passenger suite partition.

4. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first vertical side wall and the second vertical side wall has a substantially triangular shape, wherein, in the stowed position, the first table section is aligned with a first edge of each of the first and second side walls and the second table section is aligned with a second edge of each of the first and second side walls.

5. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to move the tray table apparatus to the first operative position, a passenger manually releases the locking mechanism.

6. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the locking mechanism includes one or more clips, wherein, in the stowed position, the one or more cups are configured to mate with one or more respective apertures disposed on the front edge of the first table section.

7. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the locking mechanism includes a release button coupled to the one or more clips, wherein actuation of the release button causes release of the one or more clips from the one or more respective apertures such that gravity causes the first table section to hingedly rotate to the first operative position.

8. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a stabilizing member hingedly coupled between the rear edge of the first table section and the front edge of the second table section, wherein, in the first and second operative positions, the stabilizing member is configured to extend in a substantially vertical direction beneath the first and second table sections, and the stabilizing member is configured to provide a greater load capacity to the first and second table sections.

9. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 8 , wherein, upon impact by an object, the stabilizing member is configured to hinge upward and backward against a bottom surface of the second table section.

10. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tray table apparatus is configured for positioning in a third operative position, wherein, in the third operative position, the first guide member and the second guide member are extended, deploying the tray table toward a seated passenger.

11. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a first extension member and a second extension member affixed to each side of the tray table, wherein each of the first and second extension members includes a plurality of slideably coupled extension rails configured to slideably extend the tray table toward the third operative position and to retract the tray table toward the second operative position.

12. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first guide member and the second guide member is laterally offset from a longitudinal axis of the partition mount such that the first guide member and second guide member are positioned at opposite ends of a foot well region of a passenger suite.

13. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in the second operative position, at least a portion of the second table section is positioned beneath the partition mount, and the first table section extends beyond a front edge of the partition mount.

14. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first table section is rotatably connected to the second table section by at least one viscous rotary dampener to provide for controlled articulation of the first table section from the stowed position to the first operative position.

15. The aircraft tray table apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first guide member and the second guide member comprises a guide rail configured to provide a sliding surface for a side edge of the second table section moving between the first operative position and the second operative position.

16. An aircraft passenger suite, comprising:
a partition disposed forward of a passenger seat; and
a tray table apparatus mounted to the partition, the tray table apparatus comprising
a tray table comprising a first table section, and a second table section, wherein a front edge of the second table section is hingedly connected to a rear edge of the first table section;
a partition mount for releasably receiving the first table section and the second table section, the partition mount including
a first side wall, a second side wall, and a rigid top member connecting the first side wall and the second side wall, and
a locking mechanism proximate the rigid top member for releasably receiving a front edge of the first table section; and

a translation assembly configured to vertically translate the tray table away from the partition;

wherein, in a stowed position,
the first table section and the second table section are substantially enclosed within the partition mount, and
each of the first table section and the second table section are stowed at an angle to horizontal;

wherein, in a first operative position, the front edge of the first table section extends horizontally from the partition, and the second table section remains in a same position as in the stowed position, wherein the locking mechanism prevents movement of the first table section to the first operative position from the stowed position;
wherein, in a second operative position, the second table section is horizontal and in line with the first table section; and
wherein, in a third operative position, the second table section and the first table section are extended away from the partition along the translation assembly.

17. The aircraft passenger suite of claim 16 , wherein, in the first operative position, an amount of extension of the first table section of the tray table apparatus from the partition toward the passenger seat allows for unobstructed access to a foot well region of the passenger suite such that the seat is configured

Assignees

• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Chuang Tim Dze-How
• Carmichael Ross Leslie
• Lampela Martti Johannes

Classifications

• A47B88/40

  Sliding drawers; Slides or guides therefor · CPC title

• A47B5/006

  brought into operative position through a combination of translational and rotational movement · CPC title

• A47B2021/0321

  Keyboard supports · CPC title

• A47B21/0314

  Platforms for supporting office equipment · CPC title

• A47B46/005

  by displacement in a vertical plane; by rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title