Titanium inner shell for electrical galley inserts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401036-B2
Application number	US-202016746041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2020
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

An aircraft galley insert (GAIN) device is disclosed. In embodiments, the aircraft GAIN device may be an oven or chiller, and includes an exterior housing installable in an aircraft galley structure and a forward door operable via a handle. The GAIN device includes an inner shell fashioned of a one or more sheets of titanium (e.g., Grade 1 and/or Grade 2) of optimal thickness. The inner shell contains an interior cavity within its upper, lower, left-side, and right-side surfaces, the interior cavity accessible via the forward door. The GAIN device includes a backplate fastened to the inner oven shell and defining a rear surface of the interior cavity, the backplate fashioned of a thicker sheet of titanium.

First claim

We claim:

1. An aircraft galley insert (GAIN) device, comprising:
an exterior housing insertable in an aircraft galley structure;
a forward door operable via an external handle;
an inner shell disposed at least partially within the exterior housing, the inner shell fashioned of at least one of Grade 1 titanium and Grade 2 titanium having a thickness not less than 0.4 millimeters and not more than 0.8 millimeters, the inner shell comprising an interior cavity defined by a left-side lateral surface, a right-side lateral surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface, the interior cavity accessible via the forward door; and
at least one backplate mountable to the inner shell opposite the forward door and having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the backplate fashioned of at least one of Grade 1 titanium and Grade 2 titanium having a thickness not less than 0.5 millimeters and not more than 1.2 millimeters.

2. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , wherein the backplate includes at least one GAIN interface connectible to an aircraft power supply.

3. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one inner door plate attached to an interior surface of the forward door, the inner door plate fashioned of at least one of Grade 1 titanium and Grade 2 titanium having a thickness not less than 0.4 millimeters and not more than 0.8 millimeters.

4. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , wherein the GAIN device is an oven further comprising:
at least one heating element disposed within the interior cavity, the heating element configured to generate heat; and
at least one fan configured to:
draw a volume of air toward the heating element; and
circulate the heated air throughout the interior cavity.

5. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 4 , further comprising:
at least one baffle plate mountable to at least one of the inner shell and the backplate, the baffle plate fashioned of at least one of Grade 1 titanium and Grade 2 titanium having a thickness not less than 0.5 millimeters and not more than 1.2 millimeters.

6. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 4 , further comprising:
at least one meal carrier disposed within the interior cavity, the meal carrier comprising a stacked plurality of trays disposed between a left-side wall and a right-side wall, the left-side wall and the right-side wall including a plurality of apertures capable of admitting the heated air into the stacked plurality of trays.

7. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the left-side lateral surface and the right-side lateral surface includes a series of substantially horizontal indentations capable of allowing the heated air to pass into the meal carrier.

8. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , wherein:
the GAIN device includes a chiller; and
at least one of the inner shell and the backplate includes at least one air intake configured to admit chilled air into the interior cavity.

9. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one human-machine interface (HMI) mounted to the exterior housing, the HMI capable of receiving control input from a user; and
control circuitry disposed within the exterior housing and in communication with the at least one HMI, the control circuitry capable of controlling an internal temperature within the interior cavity based on the received control input.

10. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inner shell and the backplate is fashioned of Grade 2 titanium.

11. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , wherein the exterior housing is one of:
a full-size galley insert (GAIN) housing having at least one of a standard width, a standard depth, and a standard height; and
a half-size GAIN housing having at least one of the standard width, the standard depth, and a reduced height substantially half of the standard height.

12. An aircraft galley insert (GAIN) device, comprising:
an exterior housing insertable in an aircraft galley structure;
at least one water tank assembly comprising:
an enclosed tank shell configured to hold a volume of water, the tank shell fashioned of one or more sheets of at least one of Grade 1 and Grade 2 titanium having a thickness not less than 1 millimeter and not more than 1.8 millimeters;
at least one inlet in communication with an aircraft water system, the inlet configured to fill the tank with the volume of water; and
at least one heating element extending at least partially into the tank shell, the heating element in communication with an aircraft power supply and configured to heat the volume of water.

13. The aircraft GAIN device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one human-machine interface (HMI) mounted to the exterior housing, the HMI capable of receiving control input from a user; and
control circuitry disposed within the exterior housing and in communication with the at least one HMI, the control circuitry capable of directing the at least one heating element to heat the volume of water to a desired temperature based on the received control input.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Fabriek Inventum Bv

Inventors

• Ten Dam Martijn
• Schootstra Siebe

Classifications

• B64D11/04 Primary

  Galleys · CPC title

• F24C15/08

  Foundations or supports plates; Legs or pillars; Casings; Wheels (tops, e.g. hot plates F24C15/10) · CPC title

• F25D23/066

  Liners · CPC title

• F24C15/325

  electrically-heated · CPC title