Adjustable pitch seat track fitting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12122266-B2
Application number	US-202217866771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2022
Priority date	Jul 18, 2022
Publication date	Oct 22, 2024
Grant date	Oct 22, 2024

Abstract

Described are track fitting assemblies having bodies for attaching a leg of a passenger seat to a seat track. The body includes an underside, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a first through-hole, and a second through-hole. The underside is configured to be connected with a stud that extends from the body. The first lateral side extends upward from the underside. The second lateral side is positioned opposite the first lateral side and extends upward from the underside. The first through-hole extends through the first lateral side and the second lateral side. The second through-hole extends through the first lateral side and the second lateral side. The second through-hole and the first through-hole are positioned for defining alternate attachment interfaces for attachment to the leg of the passenger seat.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A track fitting assembly for attaching a leg of a passenger seat to a seat track, the track fitting assembly comprising:
a body comprising:
an underside configured to be connected with a stud in a position in which the stud is extending from the body and in which the stud is receivable in the seat track;
a first lateral side extending upward from the underside;
a second lateral side positioned opposite the first lateral side and extending upward from the underside;
a first through-hole extending through the first lateral side and the second lateral side;
a second through-hole extending through the first lateral side and the second lateral side, the second through-hole and the first through-hole positioned relative to one another so as to define alternate attachment interfaces for attachment to the leg of the passenger seat; and
a cap comprising a base having a cover portion and a passage portion arranged so that one of the first through-hole or the second through-hole is accessible through the passage portion while the other of the first through-hole or the second through-hole is obstructed by the cover portion.

2. The track fitting assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a tensioner pin extendible from the underside of the body to push down against the seat track such that an upward-facing surface of the stud is raised into engagement with a downward-facing surface of an overhanging lip of the seat track.

3. The track fitting assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the cover portion comprises a closed-ended projection extending from the base and shaped as a plug; or
the passage portion comprises an open-ended projection extending from the base and shaped as a bushing.

4. The track fitting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cap further comprises an indicator, the indicator comprising an indentation, a portion colored differently than at least part of the passage portion, or an indicia to indicate which of the first through-hole or the second through-hole is obstructed by the cover portion.

5. The track fitting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first through-hole and the second through-hole each include a profile shaped to correspond to a matching taper, wherein at least part of the cover portion and at least part of the passage portion each are shaped to correspond to the matching taper.

6. The track fitting assembly of claim 1 , wherein the track fitting assembly comprises a rear track fitting and is configured to include at least two studs; or
wherein the track fitting assembly comprises a front track fitting and is configured to include at least one stud.

7. A passenger seat assembly configured for attachment to a seat track, the passenger seat assembly comprising:
a passenger seat supported by a front leg and a rear leg;
a front track fitting couplable to secure the front leg with the seat track; and
a rear track fitting couplable to secure the rear leg with the seat track, the rear track fitting comprising the track fitting assembly of claim 1 .

8. The passenger seat assembly of claim 7 , wherein the front track fitting comprises:
a stud; and
a tensioner pin extendible to push down against the seat track such that an upward-facing surface of the stud is raised into engagement with a downward-facing surface of an overhanging lip of the seat track.

9. The passenger seat assembly of claim 8 , wherein the stud and the tensioner pin are threaded oppositely to one another.

10. The passenger seat assembly of claim 9 , wherein the front track fitting comprises a cylindrical insert having a first threaded notch and a second threaded notch positioned on opposite sides of a diameter of the cylindrical insert, wherein the first threaded notch and the second threaded notch are threaded such that one is arranged to receive a right-handed thread from beneath and the other is arranged to receive a left-handed thread from beneath.

11. The passenger seat assembly of claim 10 , wherein the front track fitting is configured for two alternate modes of operation, including:
a first mode of operation in which the cylindrical insert is arranged with the first threaded notch receiving the tensioner pin in a fore portion of the front track fitting and in which the second threaded notch is receiving the stud in an aft portion of the front track fitting; and
a second mode of operation in which the cylindrical insert is rotated from the first mode of operation by 180 degrees about a vertical axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis the cylindrical insert, wherein in the second mode of operation, the cylindrical insert is arranged with the first threaded notch receiving the stud in the fore portion of the front track fitting and in which the second threaded notch is receiving the tensioner pin in the aft portion of the front track fitting.

12. The passenger seat assembly of claim 11 , wherein the cylindrical insert at or adjacent an end face includes a mode indicator to indicate whether the cylindrical is arranged in the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation.

13. The passenger seat assembly of claim 7 , wherein the front track fitting comprises a pair of through-holes respectively defining different attachment interfaces for attachment with the front leg.

14. The passenger seat assembly of claim 7 , further comprising the seat track.

15. A method of reconfiguring a passenger seating arrangement, the method comprising:
accessing a passenger seat secured to a seat track by a front fitting and a rear fitting such that a reference point of the passenger seat is arranged at an initial position along a length of the seat track;
reconfiguring the front fitting to facilitate securement in which the reference point of the passenger seat is in an offset position that differs from the initial position by approximately 0.5 inches along the length of the seat track; and
reconfiguring the rear fitting to facilitate securement in which the reference point of the passenger seat is in the offset position, wherein reconfiguring the rear fitting includes disengaging a rear leg of the passenger seat from a first through-hole in the rear fitting and engaging the rear leg with a second through-hole in the rear fitting.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising changing a pitch between seats of the passenger seating arrangement from a whole inch increment to a half inch increment by repeating the accessing, the reconfiguring the front fitting, and the reconfiguring the rear fitting for every other seat along the length of the seat track.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein reconfiguring the front fitting comprises:
removing a cylindrical insert having oppositely threaded notches on opposite sides of a diameter of the cylindrical insert; and
installing the cylindrical insert in a reversed orientation to switch which of the oppositely threaded notches is facing forward and which is facing aft.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein reconfiguring the front fitting further comprises:
rotating a stud in a rotational direction to engage one of the threaded notches for raising a portion of the stud into engagement with a downward-facing surface of an overhanging lip of the seat track; and
rotating a tensioner pin in the same rotational direction as the stud to engage the tensioner pin with the other of the threaded notches for pushing a portion of the tensioner pin down against the seat track.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein reconfiguring the rear fitting comprises:
removing a cap so that a cover

Assignees

• Safran Seats Usa Llc

Inventors

• Gilbert Klay Ethan

Classifications

• B60N2/10 Primary

  tiltable (B60N2/12 {, B60N2/2875} take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D11/0696 Primary

  Means for fastening seats to floors, e.g. to floor rails · CPC title