AIRCRAFT GALLEY STOWAGE COMPARTMENT EXTRACTOR

Abstract

The present invention is a bay for an aircraft galley that includes an extractor that retrieves objects from a compartment by slowly bringing the object forward using a free end. The free end is brought out of the compartment, carrying the object with it. The extractor is preferably a flexible sheet that is secured to the compartment and extends generally rearward to the rear wall. A pull cord may be attached to the free end to facilitate operating, and a mirror may be mounted to the compartment to provide the user with a view of the entrance to the compartment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/534,191, filed Sep. 13, 2011 incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Commercial aircraft that service hundreds of passengers or more are typically equipped with a galley to cater to those passengers. The galley of an aircraft provides the flight attendants with an area to store, cook, and prepare food and beverages for the crew, as well as other services of comfort and convenience for the passengers. Galleys include all of the equipment and utensils to conduct the passenger service, which are arranged in as efficient a manner as possible. Aircraft galleys must utilize available space in an economical manner since storage space is at a premium on an aircraft. To store everything that is required, galleys are equipped with tall bays with various compartments that house the equipment and other service items. In large aircraft the bays are deep and high, and the upper compartments require a certain height and arm length to reach back into a deep bay to retrieve an object that is stored or has settled to the rear of the compartment. If the object cannot be reached, the flight attendant may have to fashion a step or ladder to reach the object in question, which can lead to safety issues. In other instances, the rear portion of an upper compartment is not used for this reason, wasting available storage space. What is needed is a safe and effective way to retrieve an object that has settled in the rear of an aircraft bay so that all available compartment space can be utilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an extractor formed of a sheet of flexible material or the like that is fixed to a bottom surface of a galley bay compartment and extends first rearward to the back wall of the compartment, then up the back wall, and finally along the ceiling of the compartment toward the compartment's opening. The first end is secured to the galley bay compartment's floor, and the second end is free and is held against the compartment's ceiling, either by shape memory, guides, or other means. In a preferred embodiment, the free end includes a pull cord that allows the free end to be pulled toward and even out of the compartment. When the leading edge of the free end or the pull cord of the extractor is pulled away from the back wall of the galley bay compartment, the extractor is unfurled, carrying with it like an ocean wave any objects in the rear of the compartment and bringing them forward. In this manner, objects that have been placed or has settled in the rear of the compartment can be retrieved easily and safely.

In another preferred embodiment, the front of the compartment at or near the ceiling can also include a mirror that allows a user whose eye level is below the entrance of the compartment an opportunity to view objects as they approach the compartment's opening. To facilitate the viewing of objects as they are brought to the entrance by the extractor, the extractor may be made of a transparent or translucent material. As the free end of the extractor is withdrawn from the compartment, any object seated on the extractor within the compartment can be slowly brought to within reach without reaching into the back of the compartment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a bay incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, with a side panel removed, of a compartment of the bay of FIG. 1 illustrating the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of the bay with the extractor extended; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bay of FIG. 3 with the extractor extended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a sample aircraft bay 10 that includes a top compartment as is common in many of today's aircraft. The bay 10 is shown without a side wall so that the interior can be seen, and the bay 10 includes many compartments that house serving carts 12, shelves 14, and various other storage devices 16. The top compartment 18 of the bay 10 is a substantially open volume that can house objects of a larger or unusual size. The compartment 18 is rectangular, with a floor 20, ceiling 22, rear wall 24, and left and right walls 26. A cover or door would typically close the compartment 18 at the front to prevent any contents from falling out during flight. With the compartment 18 on the top of the bay 10, an object 28 that has settled to the rear of the compartment 18 may be out of reach of an attendant who needs to retrieve the object.

The extractor 30 of the present invention may be any suitable material that is flexible and that maintains its shape with some resiliency. In is preferably formed of a sheet that has some rigidity, but can be shaped to mimic the contour of the rear portion of the compartment 18. That is, the sheet substantially bears against the surfaces of the compartment floor, rear wall, and ceiling so as not to appreciably reduce the available space in the compartment 18. The extractor 30 is preferably substantially the width of the compartment 18, although the portion along the ceiling is preferably narrower than the portion along the floor, and in fact may be significantly narrower to save material and weight while increasing visibility. The total length of the extractor 30 is approximately one and one half times the depth of the compartment, although other lengths will work depending on the length (or absence) of the cord.

A first end 32 of the extractor 30 is fixed to the floor 20 of the compartment 18 approximately one third to one half of the distance from the front to the rear of the from the left wall to the right wall, with the sheet extending rearward from this first end. Of course, the extractor's location where it is fixed to the floor of the compartment can change depending upon the needs and conditions of the galley. The extractor extends to the rear wall 24 lying flat on the floor 20 of the compartment 18, until it engages the rear wall 24 as it rises upward, and then along the ceiling 22 extending back to the opening of the compartment 18. The compartment may include guides (not shown) on the ceiling near the entrance of the compartment to keep the extractor away from the opening of the compartment 18. The extractor 30 preferably extends to at least the half-way point of the compartment along the ceiling 22, and may include a pull cord, handle, or other grasping device 34 at the free end to allow favorable purchase of the extractor 30.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, where an object 28 is located at the rear of the compartment 18 it will be seated on top of the extractor 30, possibly against or adjacent the rear wall 24. In many cases, this object 28 may occupy a location that cannot be reached by certain attendants without stepping on some nearby step of some kind. Because turbulence on a flight can happen at any time, this is a potentially dangerous situation that is avoided by the present invention. The flight attendant wishing to retrieve object 28 pulls either the free end 38 of the extractor or the pull cord 34, to extend the free end 38 of the extractor 30 out of the compartment. As the free end 38 of the extractor 30 continues to be pulled toward and then out of the entrance of the compartment 18, the object 28 at the rear of the compartment will be collected by the extractor 30 and urged forward by the unfurling flexible sheet. By this method and further movement of the extractor 30, the object 28 can be slowly and safely brought to the opening of the compartment where it can be acquired easily without any safety concerns to the attendant. Once the object is retrieved, the extractor is returned to its original position either by the resiliency of the flexible sheet, by shape memory, or other means to reestablishing the full volume of the compartment 18.

To further aid in the retrieval of the object 28 and improve the safety of the device, a mirror 40 may be placed on or about the ceiling 22 of the compartment near the opening, positioned at an angle that allows a flight attendant a view of objects approaching the entrance of the compartment 18. That is, if the bay is very high, to avoid objects falling on an attendant because they cannot be seen at eye level, the mirror 40 provides an early notice that an object 28 is approaching the entrance of the compartment. The mirror 40 need only be located near the opening of the compartment and should have a low profile so as not to interfere with the operation of the flexible extractor during extraction and reinsertion. To further increase visibility, the extractor may be made transparent or translucent so that the mirror 40 can be viewed through the extractor 30, and also so that the object may come into view through the extractor as it approaches the edge of the compartment 18. This invention allows full use of the entire volume of the compartment 18 by creating a method of retrieval of an object in a bay compartment no matter how deep the compartment.

The present invention lends itself to many possible variations and modifications that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the invention is intended to include all such modifications and variations, whether they are specifically described herein or not, and whether they are specifically shown in the drawings or not. For example, the extractor could operate while attached to a side wall rather than the floor of the compartment, dragging the object as the free end is pulled out of the compartment. The material used to construct the extractor can be made of various materials that yield a sturdy but flexible device capable of retrieving a heavy object without tearing. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is properly interpreted by the words of the appended claims using their ordinary and customary meanings, in light of the teachings herein without limiting the invention to any specific embodiment described or shown herein.

Claims

1. A storage bay comprising:

a compartment with an interior volume defined by a floor, a rear wall, a ceiling, and a pair of side walls;

a flexible extractor affixed to the floor of the compartment, the extractor comprising a flexible sheet extending rearward from a fixed position between an opening of the compartment and the rear wall, to the rear wall and thereupon to the ceiling, the flexible extractor having a free end extendible out of the compartment;

whereupon an object placed on the extract is carried out of the compartment by extending the free end out of the compartment.

2. The storage bay of claim 1, wherein the extractor has a pull cord at the free end.

3. The storage bay of claim 1 wherein the extractor is transparent.

4. The storage bay of claim 1 wherein the extractor is translucent.

5. storage bay of claim 1 further comprising a mirror placed on the ceiling.

6. The storage bay of claim 5, wherein the mirror is angled to view the opening of the compartment from below said opening.

7. The storage bay of claim 1, further comprising a storage area for food service carts.

8. The storage bay of claim 1, wherein the extractor returns to an original position through shape memory.