Aircraft passageway storage units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9321533-B2
Application number	US-201414262019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2014
Priority date	May 29, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

Aircraft passageway storage units are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a storage assembly to be supported on a floor of an interior of a fuselage of an aircraft. The storage assembly has a corner to be adjacent a passageway of the interior of the fuselage, and the passageway is to extend around the corner. The example apparatus also includes a door coupled to the storage assembly. The door extends from a first side of the storage assembly to a second side of the storage assembly and defines a portion of the corner. The door is to cover an opening of a compartment of the storage assembly when the door is in a closed position, and the opening is to extend from the first side to the second side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a passageway storage unit including a storage compartment, the passageway storage unit to be supported on an interior floor of a fuselage of an aircraft, the passageway storage unit having a first side, a curved first corner, and a second side to define a portion of a passageway in the fuselage; and
a compartment door coupled to the passageway storage unit to selectively cover the storage compartment, the compartment door having a first end disposed on the first side and a second end disposed on the second side when the compartment door is in a closed position and a curved section extending between the first end and the second end, the curved section defining a portion of the curved first corner, a position of the curved section to move relative to the first side when the compartment door is moved from the closed position to a fully open position, the storage compartment having an opening extending from the first side to the second side of the passageway storage unit when the compartment door is in the fully open position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first end is to be pivotably coupled to the passageway storage unit about a substantially vertical axis.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compartment door is to pivot towards a passenger seating area in the fuselage to move from the closed position to the fully open position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the passageway storage unit is to be disposed between an entranceway of the fuselage and the passenger seating area.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a radius of curvature of the curved section of the compartment door is similar or equal to a depth of the storage compartment.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compartment door includes a substantially planar section defining a portion of a face of the first side of the passageway storage unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the passageway storage unit comprises a first storage assembly and a second storage assembly, the first storage assembly to be coupled the interior floor and the fuselage, the second storage assembly coupled to the first storage assembly.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a light coupled to the second storage assembly, wherein a portion of an edge of the second storage assembly is to be adjacent and spaced apart from the fuselage, the light to illuminate a gap between the edge of the second storage assembly and a face of the first storage assembly.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
an aircraft including a fuselage; and
a passageway storage unit supported on an interior floor of the fuselage, the passageway storage unit including:
a first side to be adjacent a first portion of a passageway of the fuselage, the first portion of the passageway extending in a first direction;
a second side to be adjacent a second portion of the passageway of the fuselage, the second portion of the passageway extending in a second direction different than the first direction;
a curved corner extending from the first side to the second side, passengers to move around the curved corner to move between the first portion of the passageway and the second portion of the passageway;
a compartment accessible via an opening defined by the first side, the second side and the curved corner; and
a door coupled to the passageway storage unit, the door having a first end disposed on the first side and a second end disposed on the second side when the door is in a closed position and a curved section extending between the first end and the second end, the curved section defining a portion of the curved corner, a position of the curved section to move relative to the first side when the door is moved from the closed position to a fully open position, the door in the closed position to cover the opening of the compartment, the door in the fully open position to enable access to the compartment via the opening.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the door defines a portion of a substantially planar face of the first side of the passageway storage unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first end of the door is pivotably coupled to the passageway storage unit via a hinge.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the passageway storage unit includes a wall coupled to the fuselage, the wall shaped to substantially conform to a shape of the fuselage.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the door is to move away from an entranceway of the fuselage when the door moves from the closed position to the fully open position.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the passageway storage unit includes a tray table movable between an upright position and an in-use position.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the tray table in the upright position covers a cavity defined by the passageway storage unit, the cavity to be accessible when the tray table is in the in-use position.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the tray table in the in-use position extends into a passenger seating area of the fuselage.

17. An apparatus, comprising:
a storage assembly to be supported on a floor of an interior of a fuselage of an aircraft, the storage assembly having a curved corner to be adjacent a passageway of the interior of the fuselage, the passageway to extend around the curved corner; and
a door coupled to the storage assembly, the door having a first end disposed on a first side of the storage assembly and a second end disposed on a second side of the storage assembly when the door is in a closed position and a curved section extending between the first end and the second end, the curved section defining a portion of the curved corner, a position of the curved section to move relative to the first side when the door is moved from the closed position to a fully open position, the door to cover an opening of a compartment of the storage assembly when the door is in the closed position, the opening extending from the first side to the second side.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the door is pivotably coupled to the storage assembly, the door to pivot about an axis substantially perpendicular to the floor.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a radius of curvature of the corner is similar or equal to a depth of the storage assembly.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the door includes a substantially planar section defining a portion of a face of the storage assembly.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Cuddy Nathanial C
• Mcinelly Chris Gren
• Mair Roland
• Keck Russell W
• Lewis Michael S
• Rivera Daniel
• Sampat Tushar Mayur
• Hanratty Derrick Joseph
• Erickson Harold Glenn
• Kotlik Mitchell
• Jones Timothy Mark

Classifications

• B64D11/04

  Galleys · CPC title

• B64D11/00 Primary

  Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64D47/02

  Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices · CPC title

• B64C1/1407

  Doors; surrounding frames · CPC title

• B64C1/20

  specially adapted for freight · CPC title