Convertible Aircraft Cabin Monument
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDarren Carl McIntosh, Jeff Siegmeth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Convertible monuments for aircraft cabins that house at least one lavatory can comprise moveable wall sections that can be reversibly deployed from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration to form a temporary convertible monument having a monument footprint that overlaps at least a portion of an aircraft interior egress pathway during flight, and efficiently uses previously unused aircraft interior space during aircraft flight.
Claims20
A convertible aircraft cabin monument comprising:
- a plurality of moveable wall sections, said plurality of moveable wall sections in communication with a plurality of fixed structures, said plurality of moveable wall sections configured to convert from a stowed wall section configuration to a deployed wall section configuration;
- wherein said plurality of moveable wall sections in the deployed wall section configuration are configured to form the convertible aircraft cabin monument in a deployed monument configuration;
- wherein said convertible aircraft cabin monument in the deployed configuration comprises a deployed monument footprint;
- wherein the deployed monument footprint overlaps at least a portion of an aircraft cabin egress pathway.
An aircraft comprising:
- an aircraft cabin, said aircraft cabin comprising an aircraft cabin egress pathway, said aircraft cabin egress pathway oriented proximate to an aircraft door;
- a convertible aircraft cabin monument comprising:
- a plurality of moveable wall sections, said plurality of moveable wall sections in communication with a plurality of fixed structures, said plurality of moveable wall sections configured to convert from a stowed wall section configuration to a deployed wall section configuration;
- wherein said plurality of moveable wall sections in the deployed wall section configuration are configured to form the convertible aircraft cabin monument in a deployed aircraft cabin monument configuration;
- wherein said convertible aircraft cabin monument in the deployed configuration comprises a deployed aircraft cabin monument footprint;
- wherein the deployed aircraft cabin monument footprint overlaps at least a portion of an aircraft egress pathway;
- and
- wherein the lavatory comprises a urinal;
- and
- wherein the convertible aircraft cabin monument in the deployed aircraft cabin monument configuration is configured to restrict access to a plane door when the aircraft is in flight.
A method for converting an unused aircraft cabin space into a convertible aircraft cabin monument, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of wall sections;
- moving the plurality of wall sections from a stowed wall section configuration into a deployed wall section configuration to form a plurality of deployed wall sections;
- orienting the plurality of deployed wall sections to form a deployed monument in a deployed monument configuration, said deployed monument comprising at least one enclosed compartment, said deployed monument comprising a deployed monument footprint, said deployed monument further comprising at least one lavatory;
- overlapping at least a portion of an aircraft cabin egress pathway with a at least a portion of the deployed monument footprint, said at least the portion of the aircraft cabin egress pathway oriented adjacent an aircraft door;
- and
- converting unused aircraft cabin space into a convertible aircraft cabin monument, said convertible aircraft cabin monument comprising a convertible aircraft cabin monument footprint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.