Seating Arrangement, Seat Unit, Tray Table and Seating System

Abstract

A row of a plurality of adjacent seats supported by a support frame. The seat includes a seat back, a seat pan and a leg rest. The leg rest of each seat includes a leg support surface and is mounted relative to the seat frame in a manner to allow it to move between (a) a stored condition and (b) a fully deployed condition where the seat pan and the leg rest support surface are substantially coplanar. The leg rest and seat pan of each seat in the row can cooperate to define a reconfigurable horizontal support surface for at least one passenger.

1 - 120 . (canceled) 
     
     
         121 . A passenger aircraft seat unit comprising:
 a row of side by side adjacent seats that all face in the same direction, each seat including a seat back, a seat pan, and a leg rest supported by a support frame, the leg rest of each seat moveably mounted relative to the support frame in a manner to allow it to move, independently of the other leg rests, between (a) a stored condition and (b) a fully deployed condition where the leg rest and its corresponding seat pan are coplanar and contiguous to each other, and   wherein flanking each side of each seat in the row is an armrest, the arm rests adjacent a middle seat in the row being mounted for movement relative to said seats between a usable position and a stowed position intermediate of the seat backs of the middle seat and each respective adjacent seat, and   wherein in a fully deployed condition, the leg rests of adjacent seats of the row are contiguous with each other and, together with the seat pans, define a horizontal support surface for two adult passengers to recline on next to each other and to extend generally in a direction parallel to the row direction.   
     
     
         122 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 121 , wherein in the fully deployed condition, the leg rests and corresponding seat pans form a horizontal bed surface for the two adult passengers. 
     
     
         123 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 122 , wherein a supporting surface of each leg rest includes a cushion. 
     
     
         124 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 121 , wherein for each seat, the leg rest extends from adjacent the seat pan and in a downward direction when in the stored condition. 
     
     
         125 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 124 , wherein for each seat the leg rest is contiguous to the seat pan when in the stored condition. 
     
     
         126 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 125 , wherein when in a stored condition, the leg rest of adjacent seats are contiguous to each other. 
     
     
         127 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 121 , wherein in the stowed position each arm adjacent said middle seat, is located in a cavity defined between the backrests of the middle seat and its adjacent seats. 
     
     
         128 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 121 , wherein each leg rest can be held in a position intermediate of the fully deployed and stowed conditions. 
     
     
         129 . A passenger aircraft seat unit as claimed in  claim 121 , which is installed in an economy class section of the aircraft. 
     
     
         130 . A passenger seating arrangement in an economy class section of a commercial passenger aircraft, said arrangement comprising:
 i) a first row of at least three forward facing adjacent seats,   ii) a second row of at least three forward facing adjacent seats located adjacent, aligned and in a position advanced more in the aircraft to the first row,   wherein, in each row,
 (a) each seat includes a seat back, a seat pan and a leg rest supported by a support frame, the leg rest of each seat moveably mounted relative to the support frame in a manner to allow it to move, independently of the other leg rests, between (a) a stored condition and (b) a fully deployed condition where the leg rest and its corresponding seat pan are coplanar and contiguous to each other, and 
 (b) flanking each side of each seat in the row is an armrest, the arm rests adjacent the middle seat in the row being mounted for movement relative to said seats between a usable position and a stowed position intermediate of the seatbacks of the middle seat and each respective adjacent seat, and 
 (c) wherein when the leg rests are fully deployed, the leg rests of adjacent seats of the row are contiguous with each other, and the leg rests and seat pans cooperate to define a reconfigurable horizontal support surface for two adult passengers assigned to seats in that row to recline next to each other and to extend generally in a direction parallel to the row direction. 
   
     
     
         131 . A passenger seating arrangement as claimed in  claim 130 , wherein the leg rest of each seat in said first row, when in the fully deployed condition, spans between its respective seat pan and the corresponding seat of said second row. 
     
     
         132 . A passenger seating arrangement as claimed in  claim 130 , wherein the leg rest of each seat in said first row, when in the fully deployed condition, extends from its respective seat pan towards a corresponding seat of said second row, and wherein no gap exists between the leg rests and the seats of the second row. 
     
     
         133 . A commercial passenger aircraft comprising, in the economy class section of the passenger aircraft:
 (i) a first column of a passenger seating arrangement comprising at least
 a. a first row of three forward facing adjacent seats, 
 b. a second row of three forward facing adjacent seats located adjacent, aligned and in a position advanced more in the aircraft to the first row, 
 wherein, in each row, 
 a. each seat includes a seat back, a seat pan and a leg rest supported by a support frame, the leg rest of each seat moveably mounted relative to the support frame in a manner to allow it to move, independently of the other legs rests, between (a) a stored condition and (b) a fully deployed condition where the leg rest and its corresponding seat pan are substantially coplanar and contiguous each other, and 
 b. flanking each side of each seat in the row is an armrest, the arm rests adjacent the middle seat in the row being mounted for movement relative to said seats between a usable position and a stowed position intermediate of the seatbacks of the middle seat and each respective adjacent seat, and 
 c. when in a fully deployed condition, the leg rests of adjacent seats of the row are contiguous with each other, and the leg rests and seat pans cooperate to define a reconfigurable horizontal support surface for two adult passengers to recline on next to each other and to extend generally in a direction parallel to the row direction, and 
   (ii) a second column of a passenger vehicle seating arrangement parallel to the first column and comprising at least
 a. a first row of three forward facing adjacent seats, 
 b. a second row of three forward facing adjacent seats located adjacent, aligned and in a position advanced more in the aircraft to the first row, 
 wherein, in each row
 a. each seat includes a seat back, a seat pan and a leg rest supported by a support frame, the leg rest of each seat moveably mounted relative to the support frame in a manner to allow it to move, independently of the other leg rests, between (a) a stored condition and (b) a fully deployed condition where the leg rest and its corresponding seat pan are substantially coplanar and contiguous with each other, and 
 b. flanking each side of each seat in the row is an armrest, the arm rests adjacent the middle seat in the row being mounted for movement relative to said seats between a usable position and a stowed position intermediate of the seatbacks of the middle seat and each respective adjacent seat, and 
 c. when in a fully deployed condition, the leg rests of adjacent seats of the row are contiguous with each other, and the leg rests and seat pans cooperate to define a reconfigurable horizontal support surface for two adult passengers to recline on next to each other and to extend generally in a direction parallel to the row direction, 
 
   wherein said second column and said first column are separated by at least one aisle.   
     
     
         134 . A commercial aircraft as claimed in  claim 133 , wherein each row of seats of said first column includes a window seat and each row of seats of said second column includes a window seat, the arm rests intermediate the window seat and a cabin interior lining of the aircraft mounted for movement relative said seats between a usable position and a stowed position intermediate of the seatbacks of the window seat and the cabin interior lining so that a passenger can recline with their back against the cabin interior lining. 
     
     
         135 . A passenger vehicle as claimed in  claim 133 , wherein there are two aisles intermediate of said first and second columns, said two aisles separated from each other by a third column of a passenger seating arrangement that is different to both said first and second columns. 
     
     
         136 . A method of configuring a passenger resting zone onboard a passenger aircraft, said zone defined at least in part by a row of at least three reconfigurable and adjacent seats, each seat including a seat back, a seat pan, and a leg rest movable relative to the seat pan between a stored condition and an extended condition where the seat pan and the leg rest are substantially coplanar and each leg rest is contiguous to the leg rest of an adjacent seat in the row, said method comprising moving the leg rests of each seat in the row to a configuration where all the leg rests of the row are in their extended condition such that the leg rests and the seat pans cooperate to define a horizontal support surface for two adult passengers to lie on and extend in a direction parallel to the row direction.