US 12,291,336 B2
Passenger seating arrangement having access for disabled passengers
Richard Peter John Nicholas, London (GB); Ian Hamilton Dryburgh, London (GB); and John David Henry McKeever, London (GB)
Assigned to UNITED AIRLINES, INC., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by UNITED AIRLINES, INC., Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Apr. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/136,992.
Application 18/136,992 is a continuation of application No. 17/043,451, granted, now 11,655,037, previously published as PCT/GB2018/053560, filed on Dec. 7, 2018.
Application 17/043,451 is a continuation of application No. 16/162,176, filed on Oct. 16, 2018, granted, now 10,501,188, issued on Dec. 10, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1805328 (GB), filed on Mar. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0382535 A1, Nov. 30, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B64D 11/06 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 11/0641 (2014.12) [B64D 11/0601 (2014.12); B64D 11/0604 (2014.12); B64D 11/0606 (2014.12); B64D 11/0605 (2014.12)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A passenger seating arrangement in an aircraft cabin, the passenger seating arrangement comprising a column of seat units located adjacent an aisle, the column of seat units and the aisle both extending in a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft cabin, and wherein
the column comprises a plurality of seat units, arranged consecutively along the longitudinal direction,
and wherein each seat unit comprises a plurality of moveable seating elements orientated at an acute angle to the longitudinal direction and facing inwardly towards the aisle,
and wherein each seat unit comprises a foot-receiving structure for receiving the feet of a passenger, the spacing between the foot-receiving structure of a first seat unit of the plurality of seat units and the foot-receiving structure of a second seat unit adjacent to the first seat unit in the column defining an access opening to the first seat unit,
wherein the access opening has a first width for access by an able-bodied passenger; and
wherein the first seat unit is configurable into a disabled-access configuration in which the access opening is temporarily widened from the first width to a second width, greater than the first width, for enabling a disabled passenger to access the first seat unit.