Unitized aircraft food and beverage service

Abstract

Food and beverage service can be provided in a comparatively short period to all of the passengers in a large aircraft through the utilization of a plurality of wheeled food and beverages service units. These serving units are separately loaded to contain some food and beverage items and then are stored in a kitchen area of an aircraft. Other items to be served to the passengers are stored loaded within ovens, cold storage units and an ice source in the aircraft. As the aircraft is in flight those items to be given to passengers not already on or in the individual serving units are transferred to these units. Then these serving units are transported to passenger areas of the aircraft and the individual passengers are served. After such service the separate serving units are used to store items remaining after the passenger needs have been satisfied and are returned to the kitchen area for storage until the aircraft is landed. This is a Reissue of a Patent which was the subject of a Reexamination Certificate No. B1 3,517,899, dated Jan., 25, 1983, Request No. 90/000,144, Jan. 27, 1982.

I claim: 1. In an aircraft having a fuselage containing an upper deck and a lower deck, the upper deck being adapted to carry passengers, the improvement which comprises: 
     
           An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein: some of said serving units are beverage serving units and the other of said serving units are food serving units, said beverage serving units comtaining beverages, said food serving units containing food items. 5. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein:   at least some of these serving units are food serving units,   each of said food serving units including: a housing having a plurality of drawers located therein,     said drawers being adapted to contain trays to be dispensed to passengers within said aircraft,   said housing including refrigeration means for cooling trays located upon said drawers within said housing. 6. An aircraft as claimed in claim 5 wherein each of said food serving units also includes:   another housing having a plurality of drawers located therein. 7. An aircraft as claimed in claim 6 including:   separate cold storage units and oven means located within said kitchen adjacent to said elevator means so as to be accessible to said food serving units when said food serving units are being removed from said kitchen to be transported to said serving module through said elevator means so that items can be removed from said cold storage units and said oven means to said food serving units,   said refrigeration means serving to maintain the items so removed at less than an ambient temperature within said aircraft,   said heating means serving to maintain items so removed at an elevated temperature above the ambient temperature within the aircraft. 8. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein:   said serving units are adapted to be located in areas of said aircraft which are not in use during the flight of said aircraft as other of said serving units are circulated on said upper deck. 9. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 including:   trash chute means associated with said elevator means, said trash chute means being capable of receiving trash from the upper deck of said aircraft and compacting such trash within the lower deck of said aircraft as said elevator means is operated. 10. An aircraft as claimed in claim 9 including:   compactor means located on said elevator means for compacting trash, as said elevator means are moved downward. 11. An aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein said kitchen further comprises a separate entrance in said lower deck, said separate entrance adaptable to ground loading and unloading at a location separate and distinct from the passenger loading   
     
     
        entrance. 12. In an aircraft an improved food and beverage service system comprising: an aircraft having a fuselage, said fuselage being divided into an upper deck and a lower deck,   a kitchen disposed in said lower deck and located below the floor of said upper deck and between the side walls of said fuselage, said kitchen comprising food preparation and storage areas .Iadd.including oven and cold storage means .Iaddend.and having a separate entrance below said upper deck for loading and unloading said kitchen,   a service module located above said kitchen on said upper deck, said service module dividing said aircraft into separate passenger areas,   elevator means disposed within said service module for connecting said kitchen and said service module whereby .Iadd.prepared food .Iaddend.items .Iadd.in individual serving portions .Iaddend.from said kitchen in said lower deck are prepositioned on said upper deck within said service module by said elevator means .Iadd.and for providing a passage through which personnel may move between decks,.Iaddend.   .Iadd..[..[.1adder means disposed between said upper deck and said lower deck for emergency egress,.]..]. and .Iaddend.   a plurality of wheeled serving units normally sequentially positioned in said kitchen, said serving units adapted to contain .Iadd.said food .Iaddend.items to be served to passengers in said upper deck of said aircraft,   said serving units adapted to be transported from said kitchen to said service module and be circulated among the passengers in said upper deck of said aircraft to permit items contained therein to be dispersed to the passengers.