B/e Aerospace, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Other

Mark A Kruse

Benjamin D Stephens

Francis Xavier Garing

Robert J Henshaw

Philip D Palermo

Russell J Kroll

Alice Susan Gordon

Matrice Brown Jackson

Benjamin David Stephens

Kristy Jo Giebe

Alexander Nicholas Pozzi

Suzuko Hisata

In a preferred embodiment a friction bushing is configured to rotate a shaft with resistance having a housing with a bore to receive the shaft; a flange plate positioned on the housing around the bore; and a number of flanges that protrude axially from the flange plate to receive the shaft, where the flanges generate a radially-directed force by being flexible from a relaxed radius to a shaft radius of the shaft, and the flanges have internal circumferentially spaced surfaces in contact with an external surface of the shaft having a topology to control the resistance as the shaft rotates in the friction bushing.

Friction bushing

A friction bushing for being positioned on a shaft for friction-retarded rotation relative to the shaft, including a housing having a bore for receiving the shaft and a flange plate positioned on the housing around the bore. A plurality of flanges are carried by the flange plate and adapted for extending axially outwardly from the flange plate and along circumferentially-spaced apart areas of the shaft for frictionally-engaging axially-extending areas of the shaft.

In a preferred embodiment, an aircraft passenger seat base frame can include spaced left and right spreaders supporting a seat pan and a seatback. Additionally, a front transverse structural member and a rear transverse structural member can each interconnect with the left and right spreaders. An in-flight entertainment component compartment defined in the seat pan at least in part by placement of the front transverse structural member and the rear transverse structural member can enclose an in-flight entertainment component, wherein the front transverse structural member is positioned for aligning in a vertical plane with at least a portion of the in-flight entertainment component, and the rear transverse structural member is positioned for aligning in a horizontal plane with at least a portion of the in-flight entertainment component.

Aircraft seat base frame

In a preferred embodiment, an aircraft passenger seat includes a seat back and a laterally-expanding tray table including a telescoping table segment and a main table segment having an interior pocket for receiving the telescoping table segment in a retracted position, where the telescoping table segment is adjacent to the main table segment in a fully extended position to form a contiguous table surface. The seat back may include a mounting region for stowing the laterally-expanding tray table, including a latching mechanism for latching the main table segment in a stowed position. The mounting region may extend across half the width of the seat back. The seat back may include storage region(s) horizontally adjacent to the mounting region, each storage region configured to stow a passenger convenience feature.

Laterally-expanding tray table

An aircraft seating group has first and second laterally-adjacent passenger seats; a center console positioned between the first and second passenger seats; a center console disposed between the first and second laterally-adjacent passenger seats and having a shelf for supporting a handheld electronic device at approximately an eye level of a passenger in the first passenger seat. The center console may further include a retention system to maintain the electronic device in the shelf in a position allowing the passenger to comfortably view the screen of the electronic device.

Aircraft passenger seat center console unit

An aircraft seating group including first and second laterally-adjacent seats, a center console positioned between the seats, a rear privacy shell positioned behind the seats and forming part of the center console, a vertical partition extending forward from the rear privacy shell to divide the center console, and a deployable shelf positioned to one side of the vertical partition, the shelf configured to hold a tablet for viewing by a passenger facing the shelf.

Deployable center console shelf for an aircraft passenger seat

An aircraft passenger seat base frame including spaced left and right spreaders cooperatively supporting a seat bottom and a seatback, spaced front and rear transverse beams interconnecting the left and right spreaders, spaced left and right leg assemblies each including a front leg and a rear leg, an in-flight entertainment component position in a space below the seat bottom, and a life vest container positioned below a front end of the seat bottom.

A seat back tray table that includes an arm assembly attached to a seat having a seat back, and moveable between a stowed position and a deployed, use position, a first table segment carried by the arm assembly and moveable with the arm assembly between a stowed position against a stowage area of the seat back and a deployed position aft of the stowage area, and a second table segment carried by the first table segment and moveable between a stored position within the stowage area of the seat back and a deployed position laterally-extended from the first table segment to increase the total surface area of the tray table.

Growing community of inventors

Atlanta, GA, United States of America

Mark A Kruse