Communications: electrical – Aircraft alarm or indicating systems
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-06
2004-11-09
Goins, Davetta W. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Aircraft alarm or indicating systems
C340S005640, C340S573100, C340S963000, C340S988000, C244S118500, C342S036000, C701S001000, C701S014000, C701S200000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06816087
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention relates to an aircraft warning system for alerting the flight crew in the flight deck compartment of an aircraft that a troublesome situation is occurring in the passenger cabin, and, more specifically, to a flight attendant actuated warning system that can be actuated by a flight attendant in the passenger cabin without detection for alerting the flight crew in the flight deck compartment that a potential hijacking, passenger initiated disturbance, or other troublesome situation is occurring in the passenger cabin.
Presently, the flight attendant or attendants on a commercial airliner have two ways of contacting the flight crew in the flight deck compartment of the commercial airliner. The flight attendant may contact the flight crew in the flight deck compartment by calling one of the pilots over the interphone or by knocking on the compartment door. The interphone is an internal intercom system of the aircraft that is very much like those used in offices. On a regional airliner, an interphone is located in the front of the passenger cabin in view of at least some of the passengers and is also used by the flight attendant to make passenger announcements. On a regional airliner, there may be no interphone in the rear of the passenger cabin. On a larger commercial airliner, due to the length of the passenger cabin, there may be interphones at both the front and the rear of the passenger cabin. To contact one of the pilots in the flight deck compartment, a flight attendant picks up the handset of the interphone system and pushes a call button. The call button sounds a chime in the cockpit letting the flight crew in the flight deck compartment know that a flight attendant would like to talk with them. After hearing the chime, one of the pilots turns the intercom on and communicates with the flight attendant. Under normal circumstances, communication between the flight attendant(s) and the flight crew on the flight deck through the interphone system works quite well. However, in an emergency, such as a potential hijacking, a passenger initiated disturbance or other troublesome situation, this method of communication presents several serious problems. At least some of the passengers in the passenger cabin can see and/or hear a flight attendant calling the flight crew in the flight deck compartment over the intercom system and where the potential hijackers or the disruptive passenger(s) can see and/or hear a flight attendant making the call, the potential hijacker(s) or disruptive passenger(s) might be spurred into action by the attendant's attempt to make the call thereby further endangering the flight attendant, the other members of the flight crew, and innocent passengers. Getting to the interphone handset can also be a problem or impossible for the flight attendant, perhaps the flight attendant's path to the interphone handset or handsets is blocked by the potential hijacker(s) or disruptive passenger(s) and the flight crew in the flight deck compartment never receives a warning or alert. In a situation such as a potential hijacking where time is of the essence, there may not be time for the attendant to get to a handset of the interphone system and deliver a message to the flight crew on the flight deck. Of course, where a flight attendant must move to the front of the passenger cabin and knock on the door of the flight deck compartment to gain the attention of the flight crew on the flight deck, the situation can only become worse. Extra time would be consumed by the need for one of the pilots to get out of his/her seat, look through the peephole, and open the flight deck door to communicate with the flight attendant. In addition, if one of the pilots unlocks and opens the flight deck door to talk to the flight attendant, this would provide access to the flight deck compartment and that, especially in a potential hijacking situation, could be extremely dangerous for both the flight crew and passengers.
Accordingly, for years there has been and, in view of Sep. 11, 2001, there still is a need for immediate and undetected communication from a flight attendant to a flight crew in the flight deck compartment of the aircraft to alert the flight crew on the flight deck that a potential hijacking, a passenger initiated disturbance or some other troublesome situation or emergency is occurring in the passenger cabin. Such an undetected alert will not further endanger the flight attendant by drawing attention to the fact that the flight attendant is in contact with the flight crew on the flight deck and will enable the flight crew in the flight deck compartment to initiate an appropriate response to the situation. Where there is a potential hijacking, the flight crew in the flight deck compartment will not be blind-sided by the hijackers and can go into a defensive posture taking whatever steps considered appropriate. For example, the flight crew could get ready to deny the hijackers access to the flight deck compartment through the flight deck door; the situation could be communicated to air traffic controllers, the military and other appropriate authorities by the pilot; and/or the pilot could divert to a near by airport, land and thereby prevent the aircraft from being used by the terrorists as they did on September 11
th
. With the military alerted the military could stand by and be ready to react to the situation as it unfolds and ensure that the aircraft is not flown into a building or other facility, such as but not limited to an office building, a military installation, a nuclear power plant, athletic stadium, dam, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The flight attendant actuated warning system and method of the subject invention provides a unique system and method for an immediate and undetected communication from a flight attendant to a flight crew in the flight deck compartment of the aircraft to alert the flight crew on the flight deck that a troublesome situation such as a potential hijacking, a passenger initiated disturbance, or some other troublesome situation or emergency is occurring in the passenger cabin.
The flight attendant actuated warning system of the subject invention includes a receiver unit and one or more portable transmitter units. The receiver unit is located in the flight deck compartment of an aircraft to alert the flight crew on the flight deck of the aircraft in the event a troublesome situation develops in the passenger cabin and at least one and preferably each flight attendant in the passenger cabin of the aircraft carries a portable transmitter unit that can be easily concealed from the passengers in the passenger cabin. Each portable transmitter unit can be actuated by the flight attendant carrying the unit, without detection by the passengers in the passenger cabin, to transmit a preselected activation signal to the receiver unit in the flight deck compartment. To avoid interfering with the function of the avionic and navigational equipment of the aircraft, the preselected signal or signals transmitted by each portable transmitter unit are transmitted at a frequency or frequencies outside a frequency range utilized by the avionic and navigational equipment of the aircraft. When the receiver unit in the flight deck compartment receives a preselected activation signal from a portable transmitter unit located in the passenger cabin of the aircraft (preferably the signal must be transmitted for a preselected activation period of 1 or 2 seconds to minimize false alarms), the receiver unit is activated to audibly and visually alert the flight crew in the flight deck compartment that a troublesome situation is occurring in the passenger cabin of the aircraft.
Preferably, each portable transmitter unit can transmit two or more preselected activation signals and the receiver unit can receive and process the two or more preselected activation signals from each portable transmitter unit of the system. In one embodiment of the subject invention, each portable transmitter unit of the system can transmit
Goins Davetta W.
Lister John D.
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