FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a stowage system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During taxi, takeoff and landing (TTL) commercial passenger aircraft require a lot of items to be appropriately stowed. In particular they require items in the galley or food service areas to be stowed so that during any severe turbulence or other incidence there are no loose items that may end up in the general passenger cabin area where they could cause harm. Furthermore some regulations require for such stowage to occur during severe turbulence in flight between TTL. This can be a problem in particular in a galley area where any food preparation or food service preparation may be in progress upon encountering severe turbulence. This may mean that a lot of items are exposed and not appropriately stowed. Therefore there is a need to increase the speed of stowage of items particularly in a galley or food service area yet have such items made available in a conveniently presented manner when desired and possible.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a stowage system in a galley or bar or service area of an aircraft that addresses the above mentioned issues and/ or at least provides the public with a useful choice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly in a first aspect the present invention may be said to be a stowage system, the stowage system enabling selective positioning of a display rack that holds or can hold utility items, between an elevated stowed position and a lowered display position, wherein in the elevated stowed position the display rack is in a position (a) where said utility items are stowed sufficiently for TTL (and preferably concealed from view) and (b) to expose useable or more useable space beneath.

Preferably the useable space provided beneath the display rack is above a horizontal surface defining member.

Preferably the horizontal surface defining member is a bench top, bar or table. Preferably the display rack is part of a cabinet that includes a fixed cabinet structure.

Preferably said display rack is moveably mounted by said fixed cabinet structure. A Preferably said display rack is mounted in a housing.

Preferably said fixed cabinet structure includes a housing and said display rack is mounted in said housing.

Preferably the display rack is mounted in a sliding relationship with the housing.

Preferably a rail assembly is provided to achieve the sliding relationship.

Preferably the display rack can be secured in the elevated stowed position by actuation of a latch.

Preferably in the elevated stowed position the display rack is concealed inside a cavity of the fixed cabinet structure.

Preferably a damper is provided to control the lowering of the display rack into the lowered display position from the elevated stowed position.

Preferably the display rack is suitable for displaying glassware and/ or bottles.

Preferably the useable space provided beneath the display rack is above a horizontal surface defining member and the housing extends between the fixed cabinet structure and the horizontal surface defining member.

Preferably the stowage system is incorporated into the galley of an aircraft.

Preferably the display rack is moved to the elevated stowed position during taxi, takeoff, and landing of the aircraft in order to ensure the items located on the display rack are appropriately stowed..

Preferably the display rack is moved to the lowered display position when the aircraft is at a cruising altitude to allow crew and/ or passengers of the aircraft to access the display rack as desired..

Preferably said utility items are any one or more of the following:

glassware,

cutlery

crockery,

containers,

beverage bottles.

A stowage system comprising or including:

a housing, a display rack slidingly engaged within the housing such that the display rack can be selectively positioned between an elevated stowed position and a lowered display position, wherein in the elevated stowed position the display rack is concealed from view and a useable space is provided beneath.

Preferably the useable space provided beneath the display rack is above a substantially horizontal surface defining member on top of which items can be placed to locate on said useable space.

Preferably the substantially horizontal surface defining member is a bench top, bar or table.

Preferably a rail assembly is provided to achieve the sliding relationship between the housing and the display rack mounted within the housing.

Preferably the display rack can be secured in the elevated stowed position by actuation of a latch.

Preferably in the elevated stowed position the display rack is concealed inside a cavity..

Preferably a damping means is provided to control the lowering of the display rack into the lowered display position from the elevated stowed position..

Preferably the display rack is suitable for displaying glassware and/ or bottles..

Preferably the stowage system is incorporated into the galley of an aircraft.

Preferably the display rack is moved to the elevated stowed position during taxi, takeoff, and landing of the aircraft in order to ensure the items located on the display rack are appropriately stowed..

Preferably the display rack is moved to the lowered display position when the aircraft is at a cruising altitude to allow crew and/ or passengers of the aircraft to access the display rack as desired..

In another aspect the present invention may be said to be a galley or bar or servery of an aircraft comprising:

a bench,

a cabinet structure located above said bench that has at least part thereof elevated above at least part of the bench,

a utility item storage rack movably mounted from said cabinet structure to move between a stowed condition where said rack is retracted into a cavity of said cabinet structure, and a deployed condition where the rack is at least in part exposed from said cavity and located proximate more the bench.

Preferably in the deployed condition, the rack is located on top of the bench.

Preferably in the deployed condition, the rack is supported by the bench.

Preferably the rack is at least partially open so when in the deployed condition it can present said utility items for direct access by persons.

Preferably in the stowed condition, the rack is fully supported by said cabinet structure.

Preferably the rack moves in a linear manner between the stowed and deployed conditions.

Preferably guide rails are provided by said cupboard for guided movement of the rack between the stowed and deployed conditions.

Preferably guide rails are provided by said rack for guided movement of the rack between the stowed and deployed conditions.

Preferably in the deployed condition, the rack presents or is capable of presenting utility items that can be accessed by a person for removal from said rack.

Preferably the stowed condition corresponds to a condition appropriate for taxi take-off and landing aviation regulations or requirements.

Preferably the cabinet structure is at least in part an overhead cabinet structure. Preferably the cavity is defined by the overhead cabinet structure.

Preferably the rack, when not in the deployed condition, exposes part of said bench sufficiently to allow that part of the bench to be at least partially occupied by an item.

Preferably the item is a vase..

Preferably the item is a vase containing flowers..

Preferably the item is picture frame..

Preferably the item is a sculpture..

Preferably the item is a bowl such as a fruit bowl..

In a still another aspect the present invention may be said to be a stowage system comprising:

a housing,

a display rack slidingly engaged within the housing such that the display rack can be selectively positioned between a stowed condition and a presented condition, wherein in the stowed condition the display rack is concealed from view and a useable space is provided adjacent the display rack that is not usable when the display rack is in the presented condition by virtue of the space being occupied by said rack.

Preferably the useable space provided adjacent the display rack is above a substantially horizontal surface defining member.

Preferably the surrounding substantially horizontal surface defining structure is a bench top, bar or table.

Preferably the display rack is at least in part below the bench top when in the stowed condition.

Preferably the useable space is a horizontal surface defining member defined by an upper surface of the display rack.

Preferably the upper surface forms a part of a bench top when the display rack is in the stowed condition.

Preferably a rail assembly is provided to achieve the sliding relationship between the housing and the display rack mounted within the housing..

Preferably the display rack can be secured in the stowed condition by actuation of a latch..

Preferably in the stowed condition the display rack is concealed inside a cavity..

Preferably a damping means is provided to control the lowering and/ or rising of the display rack between the presented condition and the stowed condition..

Preferably the display rack is suitable for displaying glassware and/ or bottles..

Preferably the stowage system is incorporated into the galley of an aircraft.

Preferably the display rack is moved to the stowed condition during taxi, takeoff, and landing of the aircraft in order to ensure the items located on the display rack are appropriately stowed.

Preferably the display rack is moved to the presented condition when the aircraft is at a cruising altitude to allow crew and/ or passengers of the aircraft to access the display rack as desired.

Preferably the display rack remains enclosed entirely within a three dimensional volume when moving between the presented condition and the stowed condition and wherein the three dimensional volume is defined by the combined spaces occupied by the display rack when in the presented condition and in the stowed condition. Other aspects of the invention may become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As used herein the term "and/ or" means "and" or "or", or both.

As used herein "(s)" following a noun means the plural and/ or singular forms of the noun.

The term "comprising" as used in this specification means "consisting at least in part of. When interpreting statements in this specification which include that term, the features, prefaced by that term in each statement, all need to be present but other features can also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprised" are to be interpreted in the same manner.

The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications, cited above and below, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows an aircraft galley with two stowage systems of the present invention, Figure 2 shows the aircraft galley of Figure 1 with the display racks of the stowage systems in the elevated stowed positions.

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of a display rack for use with a stowage system,

Figure 4 shows a front view of a galley of an aircraft incorporating the stowage systems,

Figure 5 shows a cross section through A-A of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a stowage system, Figure 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a stowage system where the biasing means is exploded, Figure 8 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a stowage system with the biasing means mounted in an alternative orientation,

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the same stowage system as figure 7 but with the biasing means assembled,

Figure 10 is a enlarged perspective view of one embodiment of a biasing means and latch,

Figure 11A is an enlarged perspective view of one embodiment of a friction means, Figure 11B is back elevation of one embodiment of a friction means, and

Figure 11C is a perspective view of one embodiment of a friction means and latch mounted on the housing of a stowage system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to Figure 1 there is shown a portion of an aircraft galley with two stowage systems 100 incorporated therein. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the stowage systems 100 are located adjacent to a bar top 1 in the galley. The bar top 1 could alternatively be a bench top or table top surface It should be appreciated that the stowage system 100 of the present invention may be used for other purposes other than in the galley of an aircraft.

The stowage system 100 of the present invention includes a display rack 2 located within a housing 3. The display rack 2 may be suitable for containing glassware and/ or bottles and/ or any other product or container found in a galley.

The display rack 2 is slidingly engaged within the housing 3 such that in a preferred embodiment it can be selectively positioned between a lowered display position as shown with reference to Figure 1 and an elevated stowed position as shown with reference to Figure 2. In the elevated stowed position as shown with reference to Figure 2, the display rack is concealed from view in a cavity 5. The effect of positioning the display rack 2 in the elevated stowed position inside the cavity 5 is that a useable space 6 is provided in the space in which the display rack 2 would be positioned if it were in the lower display position.

In an alternative embodiment the display rack 2 can be selectively positioned between a stowed condition and a presented condition where in the presented condition the display rack is presented to allow access by a user to the contents of the display rack 2 and when in the stowed condition the display rack 2 is substantially contained within the cavity 5. In the preferred embodiment the display rack 2 slides between the stowed and presented conditions. Such motion is preferably linear. Alternatively the display rack moves between the stowed and presented condition by rotating or a combination of rotating and linear movement.

In an alternative embodiment the cavity 5 is formed at least in part below the bar top 1 of the galley. In this alternative embodiment the display rack 2 lowers from the presented condition sliding relative to the housing 3, into the cavity below the display rack. The upper surface 10 of the display rack 2 in this embodiment is configured to provide a surface suitable to be used in conjunction with the bar top 1 thereby creating a larger work surface when the glass rack is in the stowed condition. The upper surface 10 in this embodiment of the invention preferably forming a flush continuous surface with the bar top 1.

A rail assembly 20 may be provided to enable the sliding relationship between the display rack 2 and the housing 3. Such a rail assembly 20 may be of the type incorporated in conventional sliding drawers. The rail assembly 20 may facilitate the smooth transition of the display rack 2 from the lower display position to the elevated stowed position and vice versa. The rail assembly in an alternative embodiment again will facilitate the smooth transition of the display rack 2 between the stowed condition and the presented condition.

When the display rack 2 is raised to the elevated stowed position and is concealed in the cavity 5 as shown with reference to Figure 2 the display rack 2 may be locked into place so that it remains in the elevated position. A latch 90 or similar device may be actuated in order to lock the display rack into the elevated stowed position. By unlatching the latch 90, the display rack 2 may be lowered from the elevated stowed position as shown in Figure 2 down to the lowered display position as shown in Figure 1. Similarly a latch may be incorporated in an alternative embodiment of the invention maintaining the display rack in the stowed condition when it is not needed and when unlatched allowing the display rack to move into the presented condition.

Damping means may be provided to control the lowering of the display rack 2 into the lower display position from the elevated stow position. The damping means may for example be a hydraulic damper. However, any other suitable method of damping may be employed.

A biasing means 40 may be included to help support the weight of the display rack 2. The biasing mean 40 may be a spring, actuator, magnetic, electromagnetic or similar device. The display rack 2, especially once fully laden with products will be much heavier. The biasing means 40 in the preferred embodiment is configured to bias the display rack 2 upwards applying a force that partially supports the weight of the display rack 2. The biasing means 40 is configured such that the force it applies is not large enough to cause the display rack 2 to move from the lower displayed position into the elevated stowed position but it is sufficient that it reduces the force required by a user to slide the display rack 2 into the stowed position.

In the alternative embodiments such as when the display rack 2 is located substantially below the bar top 1, the biasing means 40 is configured to bias the display rack 2 into the presented condition. In this alternative embodiment the biasing means 40 provides force sufficient to maintain the display rack 2 in the presented condition preventing it from sliding back into the cavity 5 under its own weight. Whilst the biasing means 40 provides sufficient force to support the display rack 2, the biasing means 40 is configured such that a user can easily overcome the force allowing the user to move the display rack 2 from the presented condition to the stowed condition.

In the preferred embodiment a friction element 30 may be provided to at least in part provide a frictional interference between the display rack 2 and the housing 3. In the preferred embodiment the friction element 30 includes a friction block 31 and a friction surface 32. The friction block 31 being mounted on or integrally formed with either the display rack 2 or the housing 3, the corresponding friction surface 32 being mounted on or integrally formed with the other of either the display rack 2 or the housing 3 to which the friction block 3 is mounted. The friction block 31 and friction surface 32 are configured such that they interfere with each other providing at least in part a frictional force that must be overcome in order for the display rack 2 to slide relative to the housing. In the preferred or alternative embodiments the frictional force is sufficient to slow the accent or decent of a sliding display rack but not sufficient to stop it from sliding.

In the preferred embodiment the biasing means 40 is a spring such as a coil spring 41. The coil spring 41 is mounted such that one end of the spring 41 is connected to the display rack 2 and the other is connected to the housing 3. When the display rack 2 slides from the elevated stowed position to the lowered displayed position the coil spring 41 tightens thereby increasing the tension in the spring 41. In an alternative embodiment the display rack 2 could be moved between the deployed position and the stowed position using an actuator or motor and an appropriate control system.

In an aircraft, it is important that items such as glassware and bottles are appropriately stowed during taxi, takeoff and landing (TTL). This is to ensure that such items are not loose and can move around. Similarly, during turbulence, it is important to have such items appropriately stowed. The display rack 2 of the stowage system 100 of the present invention may be easily elevated into the stow position or lowered into the display position as required. Likewise in the alternative embodiment the display rack can easily be moved between the presented condition and the stowed condition depending on the situation. It therefore lends itself to use in aircrafts, and in particular to use in the galley of an aircraft for presenting glassware and/ or bottles. When the aircraft is at an cruising altitude, the display rack 2 may be permanently positioned in the lowered stow position to allow crew and/ or passengers of the aircraft to access the display rack as desired.

Increasing the maximum possible space on the bar top 1 of an aircraft galley is advantageous for a number of reasons. One reason is that there is more room to display other items such as decorative items, for example flowers, when the aircraft is boarding. The useable area of the bar top 1 may be increased when the display racks are in the elevated stow position due to the useable space 6 created. As the useable space 6 is adjacent to the bar top 1 the effective area of the bar top 1 is increased.

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the display rack 2. The display rack 2 may include any number of shelves 4 as required in order to display the glassware, bottles or any other products to be located on the display rack 2. In addition to the shelf 4 the display rack 2 may include shaped inserts 7 which may be shaped to fit glassware and/ or bottles. It should be appreciated that the display rack 2 may incorporate any particular

configuration of shelves 4 and/ or inserts 7.

Figure 4 depicts an exemplary galley configuration in an aircraft. In such a configuration two stowage systems 100 are provided.

Figure 5 shows a cross-section through A-A of Figure 4, showing the two display racks incorporated in the respective stowage systems 100. As can be seen, the display racks may be of different sizes. Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to elements or integers having known equivalents, then such equivalents are included as if they were individually set forth.

Although the invention has been described by way of example and with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and/ or improvements may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.