Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Passenger or crew accommodation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-06
2001-02-20
Barefoot, Galen L. (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Passenger or crew accommodation
C454S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189831
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slit curtain type separating apparatus for preventing cigarette smoke from drifting from a smoking area into a non-smoking area in an airliner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Smoking is prohibited in passenger cabins of many of airliners, generally. Therefore, smokers tend to avoid making a time-consuming trip by air.
These smokers may possibly be assigned to a smoking compartment that is separated by a partition wall in a passenger cabin. Since the smoking compartment lessens the roominess of the passenger cabin, however, passengers feel more cramped in the cabin. In order to secure the smoking compartment, the layout of equipment, such as galley modules, lavatories, etc., and the seats in the passenger cabin must be changed substantially. Thus, this is hardly feasible. Since the number of smoking seats that can be arranged in the smoking compartment is fixed, moreover, the smoking compartment cannot cope with a change in the number of passengers who need smoking seats.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a slit curtain type separating apparatus, capable of securing a smoking area separate from a non-smoking area in a passenger cabin without changing the layout of equipment and seats in the cabin or using a partition wall.
The above object is achieved by a slit curtain type separating apparatus according to the present invention. The separating apparatus comprises curtain means for partially dividing a smoking area and a non-smoking area defined in a passenger cabin of an airliner, the curtain means including a curtain wall adapted to extend along the boundary between the smoking and non-smoking areas when suspended from the ceiling of the passenger cabin, and exhaust means for discharging air from the smoking area through the ceiling of the smoking area.
According to the separating apparatus described above, the exhaust means generates a negative-pressure region over the smoking area in cooperation with the curtain wall. Accordingly, cigarette smoke and smell generated by smoking in the smoking area are led upward and toward the center of the negative-pressure region, and discharged together with air from the smoking area. Although some of the cigarette smoke and smell reach the ceiling of the passenger cabin and drift along it toward the boundary, their drifts are stopped by the curtain wall and can never get into the non-smoking area. Thereafter, the drifts of the smoke and smell stopped by the curtain wall are seized by air flow directed from the curtain wall to the center of the negative-pressure region, and are discharged together with air from the smoking area.
The curtain wall may include a slit curtain adapted to be hung down over an aisle of the passenger cabin. This slit curtain or never hinders the movement of crew-members and passengers walking in the aisle.
In the case where a pair of aisles, left and right, are arranged in the passenger cabin, the curtain wall includes a center curtain suspended between the aisles and slit curtain suspended over the aisles, individually, and the exhaust means includes first vent ports arranged in ceiling portions over the aisles, individually, and a second vent port located in the middle of a ceiling portion between the aisles. In this case, the first and second vent ports individually generate negative-pressure regions in the smoking area, and air in the smoking area is discharged through the first and second vent ports. More specifically, the first vent ports serve effectively to discharge the cigarette smoke and smell from the aisles.
Preferably, a distance, which corresponds to the space required for the installation of one seat, in the longitudinal direction of the passenger cabin is secured between the first vent ports and the slit curtains, and the second vent port is located nearer to the curtain wall than the first vent ports. With the first and second vent ports thus located near the curtain wall, exhaust capacities required of these vent ports can be minimized.
The curtain means may include a storage unit for the curtain wall. The storage unit is attached to the ceiling of the passenger cabin. When the curtain wall is at work, it is suspended from the storage unit. When not at work, the curtain wall is stored in the storage unit.
In the case where the non-smoking area is situated ahead of the smoking area, the passenger cabin may include a projection screen in front of the non-smoking area. In this case, the hanging length of the curtain wall is restricted to allow all the area of the projection screen to be visible from seats in the last row of the smoking area. Despite the presence of the curtain wall, therefore, all passengers in the passenger cabin can fully enjoy images on the screen.
In the case where there are no curtain walls between the side walls and aisles of the passenger cabin, the separating apparatus may further comprise air outlet means for preventing air from flowing from the smoking area to the non-smoking area between the side walls and aisles of the cabin. In this case, the air outlet means comprises first outlet grilles, arranged in the non-smoking area and extending individually along the side walls of the passenger cabin to the boundary, and second outlet grilles, arranged in the smoking area and extending individually along the side walls of the passenger cabin away from the boundary. The first outlet grilles are adapted to eject air obliquely toward the boundary on the aisle sides, while the second outlet grilles are adapted to eject air obliquely away from the boundary on the side-wall sides. Preferably, the first and second outlet grilles are arranged individually on air outlet lines for feeding conditioned air into the passenger cabin.
Air flow blown out from the first outlet grilles constitutes a barrier to the cigarette smoke and smell that are about to drift from the smoking area to the non-smoking area via the boundary, prevent the smoke and smell from drifting into the non-smoking area. On the other hand, air flow blown out from the second outlet grilles leads the cigarette smoke and smell away from the non-smoking area along the side walls of the passenger cabin, without causing them to stay in local regions between the side walls and the second outlet grilles. In the case where the first and second outlet grilles are arranged individually on the air outlet lines, they can blow out the conditioned air to be fed into the passenger cabin, without requiring any source of air supply therefor.
In the case where the separating apparatus is not provided with the air outlet means, the curtain wall may further include side curtains suspended individually over window seat rows between the side walls and aisles of the passenger cabin, and the exhaust means may include third vent ports arranged individually over the window seat rows.
Further scopes of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating preferred embodiment of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3687054 (1972-08-01), Boberg
patent: 4121790 (1978-10-01), Graham
patent: 4552325 (1985-11-01), Bruensicke
patent: 4646993 (1987-03-01), Baetke
patent: 4742760 (1988-05-01), Horstman et al.
patent: 4742761 (1988-05-01), Horstman
patent: 5181883 (1993-01-01), Hofstra et al.
patent: 5238282 (1993-08-01), Watson et al.
patent: 5450890 (1995-09-01), Pinkalla et al.
patent: 5816534 (1998-10-01), Schumacher
patent: 4119623C1 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 0301606 (1989-02-01), None
patent: 2458461 (1981-01-01), None
Asai Takuya
Egami Kazuhiro
Ishii Isao
Komatsubara Osamu
Nishina Takumi
Barefoot Galen L.
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Japan Tobacco Inc.
LandOfFree
Noren-type separating apparatus for separating a smoking... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Noren-type separating apparatus for separating a smoking..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Noren-type separating apparatus for separating a smoking... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2597724