Aeronautics and astronautics – Safety lowering devices – Parachutes
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-18
2003-10-07
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Safety lowering devices
Parachutes
C244S141000, C244S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06629671
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to passenger protection and safety systems for airline aircraft, and more specifically to an individual parachute system for each passenger seat on an airline aircraft. The present invention generally comprises an individual parachute removably installed within a cavity formed in the seat back of each passenger seat aboard an airline aircraft. The parachute harness extends forwardly from the seat back for donning by the seated passenger.
2. Description of the Related Art
While airline safety has seen continuous improvement over the years, the airline industry cannot provide one hundred percent safety to its passengers. Any time a complex machine is traveling at a high rate of speed, there is some element of danger, even if that element is quite small. While various safety devices have been installed in airline aircraft in the past, and in fact are required by regulation (e.g., flotation devices for overwater flights, and emergency oxygen equipment), there has never been any requirement for emergency parachute equipment to be provided on board for airline passengers.
In the past, most parachutes tended to be relatively bulky and heavy, and the placement of emergency parachutes within the passenger cabin of an airliner was impractical, due to the reduction of payload and interior cabin volume. However, the parachute industry has seen significant advances in emergency parachutes in the relatively recent past. Many emergency parachutes are now capable of supporting persons of significant weight and withstanding opening shocks at relatively high velocities, all while conforming to a back pack configuration having a thickness of only three inches or so, and a weight of less than fifteen pounds.
The configuration of the modern emergency parachute lends itself to convenient storage within the seat back of an otherwise conventional airline passenger seat, with the seat back modified to provide a cavity or receptacle for such an emergency parachute. Accordingly, the present invention provides such an airline seat configuration, with an emergency parachute stored within the modified seat back structure for ready removal and deployment as needed. The forward panel of the seat back upholstery is removably secured over the parachute, with the parachute harness extending forwardly from the seat back for the passenger to don for potential emergency use. The present invention also provides a child harness which removably attaches to the front of the seat back parachute harness, enabling infants or small children to escape with their parent or guardian. While successful escape from an airliner may be difficult, the present invention at least opens the door for possible survival in an otherwise likely fatal accident.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,037 issued on Apr. 1, 1969 to Robert M. Stanley, titled “Apparatus For Deploying And Opening Parachutes,” describes an emergency parachute using a small rocket to deploy the chute. The rocket is jettisoned from the parachute pack, and then ignited to pull the parachute from the pack. The Stanley parachute deployment device is primarily directed to military chutes which are generally worn directly upon the back of the pilot, rather than to an emergency parachute which is stored within a cavity in a seat back structure, as is the case with the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,098 issued on Jun. 23, 1970 to Maurice H. O'Link, titled “Floatable Life Preserver Seat Insert,” describes is a buoyant cushion which is removable from the bottom of the seat structure. The cushion serves as a seat cushion during normal use, but is easily and quickly removed for use as a float in the event of a water emergency landing. No parachute is disclosed, either in the bottom or the back of the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,499 issued on Apr. 10, 1973 to Fred B. Stencel, titled “Method Of Deploying A Parachute By A Rocket Under Low Speed Conditions,” describes another ejection seat system, utilizing a rocket to deploy an emergency parachute from a seat back structure. The parachute remains attached to the seat structure, rather than being removed from the structure, as in the present airline seat parachute invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,731 issued on Jan. 28, 1975 to Robert G. McIntyre, titled “Zero-Delay Speed/Altitude Controlled Ejection Seat,” describes a system which bypasses or overrides the normal parachute opening delay system, to cause the parachute to deploy more rapidly in the event of low altitude and/or low airspeed use. The present airline seat parachute system may make use of automated devices for opening the parachute, as disclosed in the McIntyre '731 U.S. Patent, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. While McIntyre discloses a parachute which is automatically deployed when the ejection seat separates from the flight crewmember, the parachute is worn on the back of the flight crewmember, rather than being stored within the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,764 issued on Jan. 25, 1977 to Vernon D. Burklund et al., titled “Drogue Chute Extraction,” describes yet another ejection seat mechanism using a rocket to deploy a drogue chute, which in turn deploys the main parachute. The main chute remains affixed to the seat structure, unlike the present airline seat parachute which separates from the seat back for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,748 issued on Dec. 22, 1981 to Kenneth Sullivan, titled “Life Jacket Installation,” describes a life jacket which is stored in the bottom and back of a seat, with the assembly primarily intended for use in a hovercraft or other high speed watercraft, rather than in an airliner. Accordingly, no parachute is disclosed by Sullivan, and the overall life jacket apparatus of Sullivan is considerably bulkier than is suitable for placement only within the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,758 issued on Jul. 9, 1985 to Peter Ayoub et al., titled “Deployment Sequence Mode Selection System For Aircraft Ejection Seat,” describes an electronic system which takes into account the airspeed, altitude, and rate of descent of the ejection seat and its flight crewmember, to determine the optimum deployment of the parachute. No parachute or seat structure is disclosed by Ayoub et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,623 issued on Oct. 28, 1986 to Bernt Elverskog, titled “Life-Jacket Assembly,” describes an emergency use device stored in an aircraft seat back assembly. The Elverskog life jacket is deployed by opening the top cover for the seat back; the front cover for the seat back is permanently attached to the seat back structure. Elverskog does not disclose separation of the front cover of the seat back from the remainder of the seat back structure, nor capture of that front cover between a parachute (or any other emergency device) and the person wearing or using the parachute, as provided by the present invention. Also, Elverskog does not provide any means for a complete six point harness to be secured from his device to the person using the device, through the permanently affixed front panel of the seat back upholstery.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,885 issued on Dec. 1, 1987 to James W. Martin, titled “Parachute System And Aircraft Ejection Seat Incorporating The Same,” describes a seat mounted drogue and main parachute system, closely resembling the system of the Stencel '499 U.S. Patent discussed further above. The same points of difference noted in that discussion, are seen to apply here as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,570 issued on Aug. 23, 1988 to Gerald F. Herndon, titled “Aircraft Ejected Seat Stabilizing And Delayed Parachute System,” describes a system wherein the parachute harness is attached directly to the flight crewmember, but which utilizes an ejection seat to remove the flight crewmember and his parachute from the aircraft. The parachute is not stored within any part of the seat, but rather is do
Collins Timothy D.
Poon Peter M.
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