US 5,179,447 · Granted 1993-01-12
The Airline Seatback Screen That Won't Knock You Out
Imagine a video screen on an airplane armrest that swings out when you want to watch a movie, then tucks neatly away when you're done — but has a special brake that keeps it from smacking you in the face if the plane hits turbulence. This patent locks down exactly how that screen pivots and stops.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a video monitor mounted on a movable arm attached to an airline seat console, where the arm can swing between a viewing position and a stowed position inside a cavity. What's protected here is the specific mechanism: a disc clutch that holds the monitor firmly in place during viewing, prevents it from swinging backward past the viewing position (a safety feature), and allows controlled movement between positions against consistent resistance. The geometry of the cavity, the arm attachment point, and the clutch's holding torque are all part of what's locked down.
Why it matters
This patent solved a real safety and comfort problem for airlines in the early 1990s. Before this design, seatback entertainment screens were either rigid installations taking up space or unsecured swinging arms that posed injury risks during turbulence or sudden aircraft movements. By combining a pivoting arm with a precision clutch and safety stop, Hughes-Avicom created a compact, safe, and user-friendly in-flight entertainment solution that became a blueprint for how airlines would design personal video consoles for decades.
Real-world use
Every time you adjust the video screen on your airline seat and feel it click firmly into place, you're benefiting from the clutch mechanism and safety stops this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
A video player module (16) is detachably mounted in a housing (12a) of an airline passenger seat console (12), and has a cavity (16c) which opens in the forwardly facing direction (14) of the seat (10). A video monitor (22) is pivotally attached to the end of an arm (26) which extends from the console (12), and is movable between a viewing position above the console (12) and a stowed position inside the cavity (16c). The monitor (22) is positively prevented for moving rearwardly past the viewing position and possibly striking a passenger sitting in the seat (10) in response to inertial forces resulting from abrupt motion of the aircraft. The arm (26) is pivotally attached to the console (12) by a durable disc clutch (34) which is capable of securely holding the arm (26) and monitor (22) in the viewing position, and allowing the arm (26) and monitor (22) to be moved between the viewing and stowed positions against a constant and optimal value of resisting torque.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,179,447
- Filing date
- 1992-03-05
- Grant date
- 1993-01-12
- Assignee
- Hughes-Avicom International, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- LAIN; LANI R.
- CPC class
- B64D11/00153
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing furniture or seat-mounted accessories with moving parts, try our free patentability scanner to see what's already locked down in your space.
Free patentability scan