US 6,059,364 · Granted 2000-05-09
The Transforming Airline Seat That Turns Two Chairs Into a Bed
Imagine a first-class airplane seat that folds down completely flat and combines with a second facing seat to create a bed-like surface. This patent protects that clever stacking trick, letting airlines pack two passengers' worth of comfort into roughly the space of one, all while keeping everything tucked neatly inside the armrest area.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a seating unit with a fixed housing containing a reclining primary seat and leg-rest that work together. What's protected here is the specific way the backrest reclines while staying within the housing boundaries, and how a secondary seat positioned opposite the primary one cooperates with the leg-rest to create a substantially flat sleeping surface when the primary seat is fully reclined. The echelon arrangement of multiple such units to optimize privacy and cabin space is also covered.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real problem for premium long-haul flights: how to give passengers a flat bed without taking up twice the floor space. Airlines competing on luxury routes need to offer lie-flat seating in business and first class, but cabin real estate is extremely expensive. By nesting the reclined seat and leg-rest within the housing structure and using a facing secondary seat as part of the sleeping platform, this design maximizes passenger comfort while minimizing the physical footprint. It's the kind of engineering that justifies premium ticket prices.
Real-world use
Every time a business-class passenger on a long international flight pulls a lever and watches their seat transform into a flat bed while the flight attendant flips up an adjacent ottoman, they're experiencing the geometric optimization this patent locked down.
Original USPTO abstract
A seating unit (1) comprises a fixed housing (10) containing a primary seat with a reclinable back arranged to recline in such a manner that it remains within the housing. The seating unit is suitable for a aircraft cabin and may further comprise a leg-rest arranged to cooperate with the seating portion to form part of a substantially flat surface when the back is reclined in a substantially horizontal position. The seating unit may further comprise a secondary seat (3) positioned to face the primary seat, the secondary seat having a seating portion positioned to cooperate with the leg-rest of the primary seat to form a portion of the substantially flat surface when the back of the primary seat is reclined in the substantially horizontal position. Privacy between seats and use of available space within an aircraft cabin may be optimised by arranging at least some of the seats in an echelon.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,059,364
- Filing date
- 1998-06-12
- Grant date
- 2000-05-09
- Assignee
- British Airways Plc
- Inventor(s)
- DRYBURGH; IAN, LUNN; SIMON, MULCHANSINGH; RUSSEL
- CPC class
- A47C1/0352
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing modular furniture or rethinking how spaces can do double duty, our free patent scanner can help you spot whether your ideas overlap with existing protected designs.
Free patentability scan