Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft structure – Passenger or crew accommodation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-11-20
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft structure
Passenger or crew accommodation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318671
ABSTRACT:
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application is based on and claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application 198 39 701.1, filed in Germany on Sep. 1, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a luggage storage system for an aircraft passenger cabin. Such a system includes centrally arranged luggage compartments suspended by central mounting brackets secured to the ceiling structure centrally in the aircraft and in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft body. The system further includes lateral luggage compartments arranged along the longitudinal cabin walls and suspended by lateral mounting brackets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is customary to store carry-on luggage in so-called overhead storage bins or compartments above the rows of seats in an aircraft passenger cabin. Several rows of overhead storage bins or compartments may be mounted above the passenger seats along the center of the ceiling structure and along the corners between the ceiling and the side walls of the cabin. All bins are accessible from an aisle. Conventional storage systems leave room for improvement with regard to the accessibility of individual storage bins. The term bin or bins is used herein interchangeably with the term compartment or compartments, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,269 (Harriehausen et al.) discloses overhead luggage compartments, each of which is equipped with a trough that can be lowered from a closed position to an open position of the individual trough or raised from an open position to a closed position. Such a feature makes it easier for a passenger to reach into a bin independently of the fact whether a passenger is tall or short. However, providing each individual storage bin with a mechanism for raising and lowering the trough in the bin requires a substantial effort and expense. Yet, the use of such facilities may be desirable for certain owners or airlines which may want to order a custom made aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,076 (Schumacher et al.) discloses a luggage compartment system for a passenger cabin, especially in commercial airliners. The system comprises compartment units each formed by at least two compartments interconnected or coupled through a coupling, guide and drive mechanism for moving the compartments of a unit from a closed upper position to an open lower position and vice versa. Each unit has a large compartment and a small compartment, the latter is intended for smaller luggage items, including fragile items, while the larger compartment is intended for large luggage including suitcases. In the closed position the two compartments of a unit are arranged next to each other in a direction extending crosswise to a longitudinal central vertical plane through the aircraft cabin. The compartments have contoured bottom panels that are integrated into the ceiling of the cabin in the closed compartment position. The coupling, guide and drive mechanism moves both compartments of a unit either up or down, whereby the compartments in their down position are located just above the passenger seats for loading and unloading with the smaller compartment being positioned above the larger compartment. openings in the compartments face the central longitudinal plane, that is, the respective aisle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,733 (Schumacher) discloses passenger service units in a passenger cabin, especially of an aircraft. These units include a service module having comfort and service elements such as reading lamps, flight attendant call buttons, loudspeakers, air nozzles, and the like. The service module is mounted on a spring-biased yielding support arm below the bottom shell of an overhead luggage compartment. An end of the support arm is mounted on the cabin wall and extends generally inwardly toward the middle of the cabin, to position the service module generally centrally above the passenger seats that are to be served by the service module. Connector lines such as electrical conductors and air conduits run along the support arm to connect the service module to a service channel extending along the length of the passenger cabin and including electrical conductors, an air duct, and the like. When the bottom shell of the overhead baggage compartment is lowered to open the baggage compartment, the service module yields downward on the spring-biased support arm while remaining fully functional and reachable by the corresponding passengers at all times, and without hindering the opening of the baggage compartment.
While the raising and lowering or tilting features of the troughs in fixed bins greatly improve the accessibility to the troughs, there are limits in the elevational range in which the troughs can be positioned.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing it is the aim of the invention to achieve the following objects singly or in combination:
to provide a luggage storage system for an aircraft passenger cabin which can be mounted and remounted at different elevational positions without sacrificing the advantages of the above described system with regard to providing easy access to each individual bin or its trough with due regard to passengers of all sizes;
to construct the luggage storage system in such a way that the same system can easily be retooled or repositioned at different elevational levels in the same aircraft type in accordance with individual airline or customer requirements; and
to construct the ceiling paneling in such a way that the different elevational positions of the luggage storage compartments can be accommodated by covering gaps between repositioned compartment and ceiling panels in any different elevational position of these compartments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention a luggage storage system in an aircraft includes luggage compartments that are central and/or lateral luggage compartments which are mounted to the ceiling structure by carrier or suspension brackets which permit securing the individual luggage compartments at different elevational positions. The storage bins and the brackets are equipped with mounting or securing elements which cooperate with each other and with connector members at different selectable elevational levels. The carrier or suspension brackets and/or the end walls of the individual compartments are provided with holes forming the mounting or securing elements. The holes are arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows and pairs of holes are selectable in such a way that all compartments of the system can assume the same elevational level for a horizontal alignment of all compartments or so that different horizontal levels may be achieved in different cabin sections or even for individual compartments.
Such a construction has the advantage that with cost efficient efforts the luggage compartment system in an aircraft cabin may be retooled in accordance with requirements of individual airlines or customers. Moreover, the ceiling panels that cover the ceiling structure are so constructed that a spacious cabin impression is retained even if the rows of luggage bins are in a lowered position.
The choice of various elevational positions for luggage storage compartment of different types and sizes further improves the variability of the cabin layout configuration leaving the layout selection to the aircraft owner. Another advantage of the present system is seen in that it can be equipped with tiltable compartment troughs, with troughs that are equipped with individual lowering and raising mechanisms or with fixed bins, and with compartments of different sizes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3025122 (1962-03-01), Millman
patent: 3948581 (1976-04-01), Helman et al.
patent: 5108048 (1992-04-01), Chang
patent: 5222611 (1993-06-01), Wood et al.
patent: 5244269 (1993-09-01), Harriehausen et al.
patent: 5395074 (1995-03-01), Hart et al.
patent: 5422794 (1995-06-01), Drake
patent: 5551980 (1996-09-01), Turnbo
patent: 5651733 (1997-07-01), Schumacher
patent: 5687929 (1997-11-01), Hart et al.
patent: 5716027 (1998-0
Franke Lutz
Muin Andrew
Schumacher Markus
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus GmbH
Dinh Tien
Fasse W. F.
Fasse W. G.
Jordan Charles T.
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