Aircraft interior lavatory

Abstract

A lavatory for an aircraft cabin includes a wall having a forward wall portion disposed immediately aft of and substantially conforming to an exterior aft surface of an aircraft cabin structure, such as a passenger seat, that is substantially not flat in a vertical plane. The forward wall portion includes a forward projection over an aft portion of the adjacent passenger seat. The forward wall portion can define a secondary space in the interior lavatory space, which can provide an amenity stowage space, and can include design elements providing visual space.

Claims

1. A lavatory unit for a cabin of an aircraft, comprising: an aft wall; and a forward wall comprising: an upper portion; a lower portion; a middle portion below the upper portion defining an upper recess aftward of at least a portion of the lower portion; wherein the upper recess is adapted to receive at least a portion of the exterior aft surface of a seat back of a seat immediately forward of the forward wall; wherein the lower portion of the forward wall is adapted to receive at least a portion of a seat support of the seat aftward of at least a portion of the lower portion for mounting the seat support to the aircraft; and wherein the forward wall is adapted to receive loads.

2. The lavatory unit of claim 1, wherein the forward wall is adapted to receive loads from the seat.

3. The lavatory unit of claim 1, wherein the forward wall is adapted to receive loads from an adjacent structure exterior of the lavatory unit.

4. The lavatory unit of claim 1, wherein the forward surface of the forward wall is shaped to substantially conform to the shape of the upwardly and aftwardly inclined seat back of the seat.

5. The lavatory unit of claim 4, wherein an aft-facing surface of the lower portion is accessible from the interior.

6. The lavatory unit of claim 4, wherein an aft-facing surface of the middle portion is accessible from the interior.

7. The lavatory unit of claim 4, wherein at least an aft-facing surface of the upper portion, an aft-facing surface of the middle portion, and an aft-facing surface of the lower portion of the forward wall are accessible from an interior of the lavatory unit.

8. The lavatory unit of claim 1, wherein the upper recess is adapted to receive at least a portion of the exterior aft surface of the seat back when the seat back is in an upright and not a reclined position.

9. The lavatory unit of claim 1, wherein the aft-facing surface of the upper portion defines an interior secondary space aftward of the aft-facing surface of the upper portion, and wherein the secondary space is accessible from the exterior of the lavatory unit.

10. A lavatory unit for a cabin of an aircraft, comprising: an aft wall; and a forward wall comprising: an upper portion; a lower portion; a middle portion below the upper portion defining an upper recess aftward of at least a portion of the lower portion; wherein the upper recess is adapted to receive at least a portion of the exterior aft surface of a seat back of a seat immediately forward of the forward wall; wherein the lower portion of the forward wall is adapted to receive at least a portion of a seat support of the seat aftward of at least a portion of the lower portion for mounting the seat support to the aircraft; and wherein the forward wall is configured to be positioned adjacent a structure within the cabin without a gap and accept loads from the structure.

11. The lavatory unit of claim 10, wherein the structure comprises the seat.

12. The lavatory unit of claim 10, wherein the structure is exterior of the lavatory unit.

13. A lavatory for a cabin of an aircraft, the cabin having an aircraft passenger seat positioned forward of and adjacent to the lavatory, the lavatory comprising: an aft wall; and a forward wall, wherein an interior of the lavatory is disposed between the aft wall and the forward wall, the forward wall comprising: an upper portion; a middle portion defining an aft-extending upper recess below the upper portion, the middle portion including a flat portion; a lower portion below the middle portion; wherein the lower portion comprises a downward extending vertical portion, and wherein a seat support of the aircraft passenger seat is secured aft of the downward extending vertical portion, the seat support configured to interface with a floor of the cabin and hold a seat bottom of the aircraft passenger seat in an elevated position.

14. The lavatory of claim 13, wherein the flat portion of the middle portion defines an aft-most portion of the upper recess and the portion of the exterior aft surface of the seat back is an upper seat back such that the aft-most portion of the upper recess is parallel to an aft surface of the upper seat back when the seat back is in the unreclined position.

15. The lavatory of claim 13, wherein the forward wall is configured to accept loads from a structure adjacent the lavatory.

16. The lavatory of claim 15, wherein the lavatory is configured to be positioned adjacent a portion of the structure with no gap.

17. The lavatory of claim 15, wherein the structure comprises the aircraft passenger seat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art installation of a lavatory immediately aft of and adjacent to an aircraft passenger seat.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an installation of a lavatory according to the present invention immediately aft of and adjacent to or abutting an aircraft cabin passenger seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(3) Referring to the drawings, which are provided by way of example, and not by way of limitation, the present invention provides for an enclosure 10, such as a lavatory for a cabin 12 of an aircraft (not shown), although the enclosure may also be an aircraft closet, or an aircraft galley, or similar enclosed or structurally defined spaces, for example. As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the cabin includes a structure 14, and the enclosure may be taller than the cabin structure. The cabin structure can be a passenger seat 16, for example, installed immediately forward of the enclosure and having an aft portion 18 with and exterior aft surface 20 that is substantially not flat in a vertical plane 22. The lavatory includes a lavatory stall unit 24 having one or more walls 26 having a forward wall portion 28. The one or more walls define an interior lavatory space 30, and the forward wall portion is configured to be disposed immediately aft of and adjacent to or abutting the exterior aft surface of the aircraft cabin structure. The forward wall portion has a shape that is substantially not flat in the vertical plane, and preferably is shaped to include a recess 34 such that the forward wall portion substantially conforms to the shape of the exterior aft surface of the aircraft cabin structure. In a presently preferred aspect, the forward wall portion of the lavatory stall unit is configured to accept loads from the passenger seat. As shown in FIG. 2, the forward wall portion 28 can be configured to provide a lower recess 100 formed between the forward wall portion 28 and the cabin deck 102. As also shown in FIG. 2, the lower recess 100 can be configured to receive at least a portion of an aft-extending seat support 17 therein. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the recess 34 and the lower recess 100 combine to permit the passenger seat 16 to be positioned farther aft in the cabin than would be possible if the lavatory enclosure 10 included a conventional flat and vertical forward wall without recesses like that shown in FIG. 1, or included a forward wall that did not include both recesses 34, 100.

(4) In another presently preferred aspect, the forward wall portion defines a secondary space 36 in the interior lavatory space in an area 38 forward of an aft-most portion 40 of the forward wall portion, and the forward wall portion includes a forward projection 42 configured to project over the aft portion of the adjacent passenger seat back 44 immediately forward of the lavatory stall unit. The secondary space can include an amenity stowage space 46 inside the lavatory stall unit in the area forward of the aft-most portion of the forward wall portion, and the secondary space can include design elements providing visual space, such as a visual perception of space, inside the lavatory in the area forward of an aft-most portion of the forward wall portion.

(5) It will be apparent from the foregoing that while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.