Foamless tray table

Abstract

Described are tray table assemblies that include an upper cover, a lower cover, and a support structure disposed between the upper cover and the lower cover. The support structure may include a plurality of upper protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the upper cover and a plurality of lower protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the lower cover such that the support structure provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly. The plurality of upper protrusions may contact the inner surface of the upper cover, the plurality of lower protrusions may contact the inner surface of the lower cover, and the support structure may dissipate heat.

Claims

1. A tray table assembly comprising: an upper cover; a lower cover; and a metallic support structure disposed between the upper cover and the lower cover, the metallic support structure comprising a plurality of upper protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the upper cover and a plurality of lower protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the lower cover, wherein: the metallic support structure provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly; and each of the plurality of upper protrusions comprises at least one hole extending therethrough and each of the plurality of lower protrusions comprises at least one hole extending therethrough.

2. The tray table assembly of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of upper protrusions contact the inner surface of the upper cover; the plurality of lower protrusions contact the inner surface of the lower cover; and the metallic support structure dissipates heat.

3. The tray table assembly of claim 2, wherein the plurality of upper protrusions contact approximately half of the inner surface of the upper cover and the plurality of lower protrusions contact approximately half of the inner surface of the lower cover.

4. The tray table assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one hole extending through the plurality of upper protrusions is oval shaped and the at least one hole extending through the plurality of lower protrusions is oval shaped.

5. The tray table assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of upper protrusions and the plurality of lower protrusions extend parallel to each other along a first direction of the tray table assembly.

6. The tray table assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper cover comprises an indentation.

7. The tray table assembly of claim 6, wherein a portion of one or more of the plurality of upper protrusions are removed in an area corresponding to the indentation.

8. The tray table assembly of claim 1, wherein the metallic support structure includes one or more upstanding tabs extending from one of the plurality of upper protrusions toward the plurality of lower protrusions.

9. A passenger seat comprising: a tray table assembly comprising: an upper cover; a lower cover; and a support structure disposed between the upper cover and the lower cover, the support structure comprising a plurality of upper protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the upper cover, a plurality of lower protrusions extending toward an inner surface of the lower cover, and a plurality of intermediate portions extending between pairs of upper and lower protrusions, wherein the support structure provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly; and each of the plurality of intermediate portions comprises at least one hole extending therethrough, each of the plurality of upper protrusions comprises at least one hole extending therethrough, and each of the plurality of lower protrusions comprises at least one hole extending therethrough.

10. The passenger seat of claim 9, wherein: the plurality of upper protrusions contact the inner surface of the upper cover; the plurality of lower protrusions contact the inner surface of the lower cover; and the support structure is metallic and dissipates heat.

11. The passenger seat of claim 9, wherein: the at least one hole extending through the plurality of intermediate portions is oval shaped; the at least one hole extending through the plurality of upper protrusions is oval shaped; and the at least one hole extending through the plurality of lower protrusions is oval shaped.

12. The passenger seat of claim 9, wherein the plurality of upper protrusions and the plurality of lower protrusions extend parallel to each other along a first direction of the tray table assembly.

13. A method of manufacturing a tray table assembly, the method comprising: forming an upper cover; forming a lower cover; punching a flat component to form an outer shape of a metallic support structure with a plurality of holes therethrough; pressing the metallic support structure to form a plurality of upper protrusions and a plurality of lower protrusions such that the plurality of holes extend through at least one of the plurality of upper protrusions or the plurality of lower protrusions; and mounting the metallic support structure between the upper cover and the lower cover such that the plurality of upper protrusions extend toward the upper cover and the plurality of lower protrusions extend toward the lower cover, wherein the metallic support structure provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the plurality of upper protrusions contact an inner surface of the upper cover; the plurality of lower protrusions contact an inner surface of the lower cover; and the metallic support structure dissipates heat.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of holes are oval shaped.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of upper protrusions and the plurality of lower protrusions extend parallel to each other along a first direction of the tray table assembly.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming an indentation in the upper cover.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising removing a portion of some of the plurality of upper protrusions of the metallic support structure in an area corresponding to the indentation.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the metallic support structure includes one or more upstanding tabs extending from one of the plurality of upper protrusions toward the plurality of lower protrusions.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of upper protrusions attach to approximately half of an inner surface of the upper cover and the plurality of lower protrusions attach to approximately half of an inner surface of the lower cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a rear view of a passenger seat with a tray table assembly in a stowed position, according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the tray table assembly of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tray table assembly of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4A is an exploded view of the conventional tray table assembly of FIG. 4A.

(5) FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the conventional tray table assembly of FIG. 4A.

(6) FIG. 4C is a partial exploded view of the conventional tray table assembly of FIG. 4A.

(7) FIGS. 5A and 5B show bottom views of two embodiments of a support structure of the tray table assembly of FIG. 1.

(8) FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the support structure of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

(10) The described embodiments of the invention provide a tray table assembly for passenger seats. While embodiments of the tray table assembly are discussed for use with aircraft seats, they are by no means so limited. Rather, embodiments of the tray table assembly may be used in passenger seats or other seats of any type or otherwise as desired.

(11) Tray Table Assembly

(12) According to certain embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, a tray table assembly 100 may include an upper cover 101, a lower cover 102, and a support structure 105 disposed between the upper cover 101 and the lower cover 102.

(13) In some embodiments, the upper and lower covers 101 and 102 may be formed of materials including, but not limited to, aluminum, stainless steel, aramid fibers, polycarbonate, polypropylene, other metallic materials, composite materials, plastic, thermoplastic, or other similar materials. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, both the upper cover 101 and the lower cover 102 may include a relatively flat central portion with an upstanding flange at or near at least one edge thereof. When the covers are assembled, in some embodiments, the upstanding flanges may abut or overlap one another.

(14) The support structure 105, in certain embodiments, is disposed between the upper cover 101 and the lower cover 102. The support structure 105 may be formed of materials including, but not limited to, aluminum, stainless steel, aramid fibers, polycarbonate, polypropylene, other metallic or sheet metal materials, composite materials, any conductive material, or other similar materials. As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the support structure 105 may include a plurality of upper protrusions 501 extending toward (and in some embodiments are positioned adjacent to or contact) an inner surface of the upper cover 101 and a plurality of lower protrusions 502 extending toward (and in some embodiments are positioned adjacent to or contact) an inner surface of the lower cover 102 such that the support structure 105 (1) dissipates heat and/or (2) provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly. In certain embodiments, the upper protrusions 501 may be attached to an inner surface of the upper cover 101 via suitable fasteners, which include, but are not limited to, screws, bolts, rivets or other mechanical or chemical fasteners. In addition, in certain embodiments, the lower protrusions 502 may be attached to an inner surface of the lower cover 102 via suitable fasteners, which include, but are not limited to, screws, bolts, rivets or other mechanical or chemical fasteners. The upper protrusions 501 (and the lower protrusions 502) may include surfaces that are parallel to the respective inner surfaces of the upper and lower covers 101 and 102. The support structure 105 may also include intermediate portions 503 that connect a respective upper protrusion 501 to a respective lower protrusion 502. Based on the structural arrangement, the support structure 105 may provide structural rigidity to the tray table assembly.

(15) As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in some embodiments, the support structure 105 may include a plurality of holes 504 to reduce weight. The holes 504 may be arranged on the upper protrusions 501, the lower protrusions 502, and/or the intermediate portions 503. The holes 504 may be circular, oval shaped, rectilinear, or any suitable geometry.

(16) In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the support structure 105 is constructed such that the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502 extend parallel to each other along a first direction of the tray table assembly 100. In some embodiments of this construction, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, elongated surfaces are created on the external surfaces of the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502. In other embodiments, the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502 may include shortened external surfaces that do not extend the entire length of the tray table assembly 100 (as a substitute for the elongated surfaces).

(17) As shown in FIG. 2, the upper cover 101 may include an indentation 103. To accommodate the inclusion of the indentation 103, a portion of some of the upper protrusions 501 of the support structure 105 may be removed in an area 506 corresponding to the location of the indentation 103.

(18) In certain embodiments, the support structure 105 includes one or more upstanding tabs 505 that extend from one of the plurality of upper protrusions 501 toward the plurality of lower protrusions 502. As shown in FIG. 5B, some embodiments include two tabs 505. The tabs 505 are configured to facilitate mounting hinge hardware to the tray table assembly 100. FIG. 5B shows certain embodiments of the support structure 105b with tabs 505, while FIG. 5A illustrates certain embodiments of the support structure 105a without tabs.

(19) As discussed above, the support structure 105 may be constructed such that the upper protrusions 501 (and the lower protrusions 502) include elongated outer surfaces that are parallel to the respective inner surfaces of the upper and lower covers 101 and 102. In some embodiments, the elongated outer surfaces are attached to a portion of the respective inner surfaces. The geometric relationship between the upper protrusions 501, the lower protrusions 502, and the intermediate portions 503 defines the amount of the inner surfaces that are adjacent to or contact the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502. For example, if the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502 are approximately equally sized and the intermediate portions 503 are approximately perpendicular to the inner surfaces (i.e., the cross-section of the support structure 105 is a square wave), the plurality of upper protrusions 501 will be adjacent to or contact approximately half (50%) of the surface area of the inner surface of the upper cover 101 (and the plurality of lower protrusions 502 will be adjacent to or contact approximately 50% of the surface area of the inner surface of the lower cover 102). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to minimize material and associated weight for the support structure 105, the angle between the intermediate portion 503 and an upper protrusion 501 may be obtuse. Similarly, the angle between lower protrusions 502 and the intermediate portion 503 may be obtuse. In some embodiments, these angles may be acute. In some embodiments, angle is equal to angle . Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, in zone A, upper protrusion 501 may be adjacent to or may contact upper cover 101. In zone B, lower protrusion 502 may be adjacent to or may contact lower cover 102. Between zones A and B, zone C corresponds to the intermediate portion 503 where no part of support structure 105 is adjacent to either upper cover 101 or to lower cover 102. The size of zone C is related to angle and to angle . As shown in FIG. 6, even when angle and angle are obtuse, the plurality of upper protrusions 501 may be adjacent to or may contact over one-third and approaching approximately half of the inner surface of the upper cover 101 and the plurality of lower protrusions 502 may be adjacent to or may contact over one-third and approaching approximately half of the inner surface of the lower cover 102.

(20) In addition to the above-described embodiments, a hybrid construction is possible where a structure, such as support structure 105, is combined with a foam material, such as an injected polyurethane foam material, as needed to achieve the desired properties of the tray table assembly 100. In some embodiments, foam material may be added to cavities 507 in between upper and lower covers 101 and 102 where the cavities 507 are defined by the shape of support structure 105. For example, in some embodiments, foam could be added under upper protrusions 501 (and above lower cover 102) and/or above lower protrusions 502 (and under upper cover 101).

(21) Method of Manufacturing Tray Table Assembly

(22) According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a tray table assembly 100 may include forming an upper cover 101, forming a lower cover 102, punching a flat sheet metal component to form the outer shape of a support structure 105, pressing the support structure 105 to form a plurality of upper protrusions 501 and a plurality of lower protrusions 502, and mounting the support structure 105 between the upper cover 101 and the lower cover 102 such that the upper protrusions 501 extend toward the upper cover 101 and the lower protrusions 502 extend toward the lower cover 102 such that the support structure 105 provides structural rigidity to the tray table assembly 100.

(23) The support structure 105, in certain embodiments, is configured such that the plurality of upper protrusions 501 are positioned adjacent to or contact the inner surface of the upper cover 101, the plurality of lower protrusions 502 are positioned adjacent to or contact the inner surface of the lower cover 102, and the support structure 105 dissipates heat.

(24) In some embodiments, the punching step may also include punching a plurality of holes in the support structure 105 to reduce weight. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the support structure 105 may be formed such that the upper and lower protrusions 501 and 502 extend parallel to each other along a first direction of the tray table assembly 100. The step of forming the upper cover 101, as shown in FIG. 2, may include forming an indentation 103 in the upper cover 101. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the method may also include removing a portion of some of the upper protrusions 501 of the support structure 105 in an area 506 corresponding to the indentation 103.

(25) Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.