Aircraft cabin panel and insulation retainer with integrated use as a spacer-isolator

In an aircraft having an upper structural portion and a lower structural portion, an aircraft interior panel network comprising:

• a. a plurality of resiliently bendable aircraft interior panels each of which has an upper end portion and a lower end portion and which occupies a first untensioned state which forms a first distance between the upper end portion and the lower end portion, and a second bended tensioned state in which the distance between the upper end portion and the lower end portion is less than the first distance;
• and
• b. means for mounting each of said cabin panels to the upper and lower aircraft structural portions, including
• (1) upper retaining means which are operatively connected to said upper structural portion, and which releaseably secure the upper end portion of said cabin panel to said upper structural portion, and
• (2) lower retaining means for releaseably securing the lower end portion of said cabin panel to said lower structural portion, said lower retaining means including
• (i) engaging means which are operatively connected to said lower structural portion and which are separated from said upper retaining means by a second distance, and
• (ii) latch means which are operatively connected to the lower end of said cabin panel at a third distance from said upper end of said cabin panel which is greater than said second distance, for movement between a
• (a) a first position where said latch means are disengaged from said engaging means and said cabin panel is in said untensioned state, and
• (b) a second position where said latch means are engaged to said engaging means and said cabin panel has formed said bended tensioned state so as to be resiliently engaged between said upper retaining means and said engaging means.

In an aircraft having a cabin panel and an aircraft structural member which is characterized by having a first structural portion with a first substantial alignment component and a second structural portion which extends from an end of said first structural portion and which has a substantial alignment component which is perpendicular to said first alignment component, an apparatus for securing insulation material between said cabin panel and said aircraft structural member, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a base having a first substantial alignment component;
• b. first and second connecting members which extend from said base and each of which has a second substantial alignment component which is perpendicular to said first alignment component;
• and
• c. an elongated member which extends from said first connecting member and which has a substantial alignment component which is parallel to said first alignment component, said elongated member including (i) a first end which is adapted to extend through said first structural portion and to be secured to said first structural portion by said second connecting member which engages said first end in a manner that said base is located adjacent to said second structural portion, said first end being further adapted to secure a first portion of said insulation material thereon, and (ii) a second end for securing a second portion of said material thereon in a manner that said insulation material extends adjacent to said base and between said first and second ends of said elongated member.

In an aircraft having an upper structure portion and a lower structural portion which are separated by a first vertical distance, and further having resiliently bendable cabin panel, each of which has an upper end portion and a lower end portion and which occupies a first untensioned state which forms a second vertical distance between the upper end portion and the lower end portion, and a second bended tensioned state in which the vertical distance between the upper end portion and the lower end portion is less than the first distance, a method of engaging the aircraft cabin panels to the aircraft comprising the steps of:

• a. releasably securing the upper end portion of the cabin panel to the upper structural portion;
• and
• b. releasably securing the lower end portion of the cabin panel to the lower structural portion of the aircraft by moving the lower end of the cabin panel from a first portion where the lower end is disengaged from the lower structural portion and the cabin panel is in the untensioned state, to a second position where the lower end of the cabin panel is engaged to the lower structural portion by moving the lower end portion of the cabin panel upwardly toward the upper end portion so that the distance between the upper end portion and the lower end portion is less than said second distance to form the cabin panel in the bended tensioned state so as to resililently engage the cabin panel between the upper structural portion and the lower structural portion, said method being characterized in that:
• 1. during the securing of the upper end portion, the upper end portion of the cabin panel is inserted in a slotted receptacle of the upper structural portion, and
• 2. during the securing of the lower end portion, the lower end portion is releasably secured to the lower structural portion by latching a catch which is pivotally connected to the panel lower portion to a catch plate which is connected to the lower structural portion.