MXPA01003727A - A seating unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A seating unit for a vehicle comprises a pair of seats facing in opposite directions with each seat comprising a seating space for receiving the seated body of an occupant and an extension space in which the legs of an occupant may be placed. The seats are positioned each side of a notional dividing axis with the seating space of one extending over the axis at the extension space of the other. The pair of seats is suitable for use in an aircraft cabin with one of the seats facing substantially forward in the cabin and the other of the seats facing substantially aft.

Description

U NA U N D Y OF SUCH ENTOS This invention relates to a seating unit. More specifically, the invention relates to a seating unit for aircraft. In our International Patent Application (Publication No. WO 96/18537) a seating unit comprising a primary seat and a secondary unit is described. The seat unit can be easily manipulated from a "sitting configuration" wherein the primary seat functions as a seat to a "bed configuration" wherein the primary seat cooperates with the secondary unit to form a flat sleeping surface. For increased passenger privacy each seating unit is contained within its own fixed accommodation. The seats described in WO 96/18537 are being used normally in our first class cabins. The ease of handling of each unit to sit from a "seat configuration" up to a "bed configuration" within a fixed housing, and also the stepped arrangement of the units helps to provide a level of comfort and privacy that has set a benchmark in the industry. On most aircraft, the executive class cabin is accommodated with large, reasonably separate seats. However, such seats are not designed to be extended and do not provide passengers with as much privacy as they would ideally prefer. Despite its success in the first class cabins, the seating units described in WO 96/18537 are not well • suitable for use in executive class cabins. This is due to the fact that accommodating such seats in an executive cabin would have to reduce the overall capacity of the cabin seats to a non-economic level. It is therefore desirable to provide a seating unit suitable for use in an aircraft cabin, the unit being private and comfortable and making efficient use of the space available in the cabin. According to the invention there is provided a seating unit for a vehicle comprising the seating unit a pair of front seats in opposite directions with each seat 15 comprising a seating space for receiving the sitting body of an occupant and a space for seating. extension in which the legs of an occupant can be placed, the seats being positioned on either side of a theoretical division axis with the seating space of one extending on the axis in the extension space of the other. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a pair of seats, one to look forward and the other to look aft when they are accommodated in an aircraft, each seat defining a larger area of occupancy and a smaller area of An occupation extending away from the area of greatest occupancy along a seating axis and comprising a wall on one side of the greater area of occupancy, the seats being placed adjacent to each other so that the walls of the seats share a common axis deviated with respect to the axes of the 5 seats to define a larger occupation area in one of the seats that is larger than the smaller occupation area in the other of the seats. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a seat is provided for use in an aircraft cabin, the seat being af? 10 comprises a back panel and a seat panel operable together for a plurality of different positions including a take-off position in which the seat panel is inclined with the floor of the car to compensate for the take-off angle of the aircraft. According to another aspect of the invention a secondary unit is provided for use in an aircraft cabin with an aircraft seat, the unit comprising: a cushion mounted on W an elongated support, the support being of variable height, so that the elevation of the cushion above the floor of the cabin can be altered. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a seating unit for an aircraft cabin, the unit comprising: a seat movable between a retracted position and an extended position; a foot rest that is movable towards and out of alignment with the seat; and a foot rest actuator arranged to move the foot rest in alignment with the seat, when the seat moves towards the extended position. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an in-flight entertainment unit comprising: a housing; a monitor supported in the housing by a support arm, the support arm that is rotatable about the housing to move the monitor between a stored position and a display position and the monitor being rotatable about the support arm to vary an angle of display when 10 is in the display position. • According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an in-flight entertainment unit comprising a self-contained unit that facilitates the maintenance of the unit two or more of the following, namely: a monitor; an energy point for a computer; a cocktail table; a condition indicator; or an output socket for audio. The foregoing and additional aspects of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims and together with advantages thereof will become clearer from the consideration of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention given with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a side view of a pair of seats 25 incorporating the invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of a pair of seats embodying the invention; Figure 3 shows a plan view of a pair of seats • embodying the invention; Figure 4 shows a plan view of a pair of seats for the seats shown in Figures 1 to 3.; Figures 5a to 5c show an in-flight entertainment unit; Figures 6a to 6e show a pair of side views of a pair of multimodal seats; • Figure 7a shows a perspective view of a secondary unit; Figure 7b shows a secondary unit in a vertical configuration; Figure 7c shows a secondary unit having a cushion in a lowered configuration; Figure 7d shows a secondary unit having a cushion in a stored configuration; Figure 7e shows a plan view of a secondary unit 20; Figure 8 shows a plan view of a pair of seats embodying the invention; Figure 9 shows a plan view of a seating portion approaching a misaligned secondary unit; Figure 10 shows a side view in partial section of a secondary unit; Figure 1 1 shows an arrangement of seats in an aircraft cabin. • Referring now to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings attachments shows a pair of 1 seating units for an aircraft. The pair of seats 1 is mounted on a pallet to facilitate the accommodation of the pair in an aircraft cabin. Such vanes are known in the art and therefore do not need to be further described herein. The for of units of seat 1 are arranged side by side, with a first seat unit 2a for facing the front of the aircraft cabin and a second seat unit 2b facing the rear of the aircraft cabin. Each of the first and second seat units 2a and 2b comprises a primary reclining seat 4a, 4b the which looks at a secondary unit 5a, 5b. During a flight, a passenger can recline comfortably in a primary seat 4 while resting his feet in the corresponding secondary unit 5. The primary seat 4a is contained in a first housing 20 6, inside which the primary seat 4a can be reclined. The primary seat 4b is contained within a second housing 16 within which it can be reclined. The first housing 6 and the second housing 16 provide privacy between the two primary seats 4a and 4b. In many ways the two seating units are substantially identical. In order to simplify the following description, reference will be made to the aspects and operation of a single seating unit except when there are differences between the two. • Each primary seat 4 comprises a backrest portion 7 5 pivotally connected to a seat portion 8. The seat portion 8 is supported on the floor of the car by a trolley 9 that is manageable, under the control of a cushion 3 of respective control, by means of a motor driven screw arrow 9a. The drive of trolley 9 serves to move the primary seat 4 between a vertical position, as shown in Figure 1, to a bed position, as shown in Figure 2. In the bed position, the secondary unit 5 together with the seat portion 8 and the portion 7 backrest of the primary seat 4 form a sleeping surface. Also, in this bed position the The backing portion 7 is supported by a support 17 in the housing. The movement of the seat portion 8 and the backrest portion 7 between the vertical and bed positions is guided by suitable guide rails (not shown) contained in the housing 6 or 16 on each side of the primary seat 4. Such rails of guidance are well known in the art and are described in greater detail in the aforementioned International Patent Publication WO 96/18537. The first housing 6 and the second housing 16 are shown more clearly in the plan view in Figure 4. For Improved clarity the primary seats 4 and secondary units 5 are not shown in Figure 4. The first housing 6 comprises a first side wall 6a, a second side wall 6b, and a curved rear wall 6c which together define a space within which the seat unit 2a (not shown) is contained. The first side wall 6a, the second side wall 6b and the rear wall 6c are preferably separate structures and are assembled together holding the rear wall 6c to each of the first and second side walls 6a and 6b. The second housing 16 is similar in design to the first housing 6 and comprises its own first side wall 16a, second side wall 16b and curved rear wall 16c respectively. In the side-by-side arrangement in which the seating units are placed the first side wall 6a and the first side wall 16a are adjacent to one another. Thus, the first housing 6 and the second housing 16 together form a distorted S shape in plan view. Armrests 10a and 1 0b in the first side walls 6a, 16a and second side walls 6b, 16b. This arrangement simplifies the maintenance of components of the seating unit, because access to components that would otherwise be difficult, can be obtained by uncoupling and removing a back wall from its housing. The first side wall 6a of the first housing 6 and the first side wall 16a of the second housing 16 both extend along an axis A-A, said axis being offset with respect to the longitudinal axis B-B of the pair of a seat units. The second side walls 6b and 16b of the housings 6 and 16 extend along an axis that is substantially parallel to the • longitudinal axis of the pair of seating units. The space defined by the housings 6, 16 is therefore smaller in the secondary units 5 than in the rear walls 6c and 16c. It can therefore be thought that the first accommodation 6 as defining an area Xa of greater occupation for the upper part of an occupant and a smaller occupation area for the lower part of an occupant. occupant. Similarly, it can be thought that the second • accommodation 16 as defining an area Xb of higher occupancy for the upper part of another occupant and a lower occupancy area Yb for the lower portion of the other occupant. In this configuration, it can be thought that the units of as being positioned on each side of a theoretical division line corresponding to the longitudinal axis B-B of the pair of seating units. The accommodations 6 and 16 are formed of • so that the main occupation area Xa of the first seating unit 2a extends over the dividing line B-B in the area Yb of smaller occupancy of the second seating unit 2b and so that the main occupancy area Xb of the second seating unit 2b extends over the division line BB in the smaller occupation area Ya of the first seating unit 2a. Thus, extra space is provided where it is necessary for the body superior of a passenger and less space, where it is not necessary, for the legs. Sufficient space is made available for each of the seat units to be provided with the armrests 10a, 10b with the armrests 1 0a disposed a • along a common axis. Conveniently, each seat unit is also provided with storage space placed under the primary seat of the adjacent seat unit and accessible via a hatch 18a (see Figure 1). The storage space can be used to store personal belongings of a passenger, or safety equipment such as a lifejacket. It can • provide space for additional storage within each of the trolleys that support a seating portion. A depression 18b and a literature bag 18c are also provided above the storage hatch 18a. 15 To provide privacy between the two seat units 2a and 2b the seat unit 2a is provided with a petal privacy screen 1 1 a or as a leaf and the seat unit 2b is provided with a corresponding privacy screen 1 1 b (see Figures 1 and 2). The privacy screen 1 1 a is pivoted with the first side wall 6a of the housing 6 at the pivot point 12. The privacy screen 1 1 b is pivoted similarly at a pivot point (not shown) with the second housing 16. Each privacy screen 1 1 a, 1 1 b dissects the common axis of the first armrest 10a and is rotatable about of its respective pivot pin in a plane defined by the respective first side wall 6a, 16a. The direction of rotation of the screens 1 1 a, 1 1 b of privacy is indicated by arrows D-D and E-E respectively in Figure 1. • Ideally, each of the privacy screens 1 1 a and 1 1 b is rotatable to block eye-to-eye contact between adjacent passengers when either of the seat units is in any configuration between fully vertical and fully reclined positions. Each privacy screen can be fixed to a desired position by a suitable trigger mechanism 10 (not shown). Of course, if adjacent passengers • want to converse with each other, then the 1 1 a, 1 1 b privacy screens can be placed properly to allow visual contact between the passengers. Preferably, each of the screens 1 1 a and 1 1 b of privacy is composed of a light weight flexible material so that in the case of an emergency, the screen can be easily rotated out of the way, or if necessary pushed to a (fl side, to allow access to oxygen masks released from upper compartments.) A known material that has these properties from which the privacy screens can be built is Tufnol (RTM). As shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings, the first seat unit 2a is provided with a one-piece table 13 which is positionable to extend through the unit. seat 2a on the lap of a passenger (not shown). The table 13 is stored in a known manner in the armrest 10b. The table 13 is pivotably mounted to the armrest 10b of the seat unit 2a by means of a ball joint (not shown). To unfold the table 13 from the stored position the table 1 3 is first rotated in the plane of the arm 1 0 outside the storage area and then turned down on the passenger's lap. When the joint connecting the table to the armrest is deployed, it allows the table to slide perpendicular to the arm 10, in a forward and aft direction (indicated by arrows F-F) to a position in which the passenger is comfortable. The table 13 can also be rotated in a plane parallel to that of the floor of the cabin between the position in which the table 13 extends through the seat (shown in full lines), to a position (shown in dotted lines) in which the table 13 extends parallel to the axis of the seat. This allows easy access to and from the seat without a passenger having to return table 13 to the storage area. The table 13 includes at one end a fin shaped projection 14 formed and positioned to rest on the armrest 9 of the seat unit 2a when the table 13 extends through the seat unit 2a. Preferably, the projection 12a is made of an elastic material so that when the table 1 3 bears a load, and the projection 14 rests on the armrest 1 0a the armrest 10a is not damaged. Traditionally, devices have been assembled for in-flight entertainment, such as display screens, points for hearing aids and the like in the armrests of aircraft seats. Accommodate such devices in • Armrests have resulted in armrests that are more than 5 wide than would otherwise be necessary just to support the arms of an occupant. This is an inefficient use of space. Each of the seat units 2a and 2b is therefore provided with a self-contained flight entertainment unit 15a and 15b respectively, each of which is placed in front of its corresponding primary seat 4 and fixed to the housing • of the adjacent seat unit. Such an entertainment unit, shown in detail in Figures 5a to 5c, comprises a housing 20 containing a display monitor 21, audible points 22, a power point 23 for CP, a table 24 for cocktail and a light 25 for reading. The display monitor 21 in which a passenger can watch in-flight movies and the like is pivotally connected to the housing 20 by a support arm 21 a. The support 21 a is rotatably hinged to the housing 20 and can be rotated to move the viewing screen 21 from a stored position shown in Figure 5a, in which the screen 21 is suitably accommodated in a depression 21 b in the housing 20, to a deployed position shown in the Figure 5b, in which the screen faces the passenger in the seat. The display 21 is rotatably mounted itself on the support arm 21 a and can be rotated about the axis of the support arm 21 a thereby allowing the passenger to place the screen at a comfortable viewing angle. • depending on whether the passenger is sitting or lying down. A swiveling hatch 21 c is provided to lock the display 21 in the stored position for take-off and landing. The cocktail table 24 is placed above the support arm 21 a to prevent the drinks placed on the table 24 from spilling accidentally during the adjustment of the position of the display 21. The cocktail table 24 is hinged to the • housing 20 by a hinge connection 24a and is movable between a stored position in which the table 24 is suitably accommodated in a depression 24b formed in the housing 20, as shown in Figure 5c, and a position deployed in the which table 24 extends from housing 20, as shown in Figure 5a. A rotary pin 24c is provided to secure the table 24 in the stored position. The 22a hearing aid and 23 power points for CP are properly positioned to minimize the risk of entanglement. hearing aid and C P cables, when such devices are being used. The reading light 25 is positioned in the upper part of the housing 20 and is arranged to direct light downwards towards the primary seat of the other seating unit. Advantageously, access is achieved to the rear of an entertainment unit for maintenance or removal of the unit by removing the rear portion of the housing from the adjacent seating unit and removing the rear portion of its unit. • seat and the pallet on which the seat unit is placed. 5 After a unit has been repaired or replaced, the back portion is clamped in place again. How a passenger chooses to configure his seat during normal flight depends entirely on the passenger and for this purpose, the primary seat is manageable between any position between vertical and fully reclined. In addition, each seat unit also has a plurality of predetermined modes associated therewith in which the seat unit moves automatically by the use of a control block. At each node, rest support 4 and seat portion 8 of a seat unit are fixed at predetermined angles in the vertical and horizontal respectively, the horizontal being defined by the floor plan of the cabin. Figures 6a to 6e each show the seat unit 2a in a different predetermined seat mode. For reasons of clarity, the trolley that supports the seat portion 8 of the seat unit 2a not shown. During take-off and landing, an aircraft tilts to approximately 15 ° with the horizontal. If the seat units were designed so that the seat portion and the If the backrest portion were parallel to and perpendicular to the cab floor respectively, a passenger in a rear facing seat would feel that during takeoff he would be sliding forward out of his seat. This is undesirable, because passengers understandably disagree with such uncomfortable feeling. In order to avoid such a problem, one of the ways in which a seating unit can be configured is a run-off, take-off and landing (TTOL) mode which is shown in Figure 6a. In this TTOL mode, which passengers would be required to adopt during the runway, takeoff or landing roll, the seat portion 8 is inclined at a predetermined angle with the horizontal, and the backrest portion 4 is inclined at an angle default with the vertical to compensate for the takeoff angle of the aircraft and thus let a passenger feel comfortable in their seat. Studies have shown that passengers find that having the back inclined at 30 ° with the vertical and the resting seat inclined to ° with the horizontal is particularly comfortable and also acceptable for safety reasons. Preferably, each seat bears solenoid-operated trigger screws (not shown) that equalize with openings in the seat guide rails (not shown) to lock the seat in the TTOL position, thereby providing passenger safety during the bearing on the runway, takeoff and landing. During the course of a flight, passengers will spend some time trailing and some time eating and drinking. One of the default modes in which the seats are designed to adopt is a work and food mode which is shown in Figure 6b. In work and food mode, the backing portion 4 • it is more vertical than it is in TTOL mode, and portion 8 of 5 seat is less inclined to horizontal than it is in TTOL mode. This is necessary because passengers would find the orientation of the back and seat portions in uncomfortable TTOL mode to work or eat. Preferably, but not essentially, in the way of work and food the rest of backrest 8 is inclined at approximately 13 ° with the horizontal • and the seat portion is inclined by approximately 4 ° with the horizontal. If passengers find their posture in the uncomfortable work or lunch mode, a mode of work and less vertical food in which the seat unit 2a is shown in Figure 6c. In this mode, the back portion 8 is preferably inclined by about 20 ° with the vertical and the seat portion 4 is inclined by about 10 ° with the horizontal. Figure 6d shows a seat unit 2a in a half-reclined mode in which it is conceived that a passenger can rest comfortably to watch the entertainment in flight on the display or read monitor. Preferably, in this mode, the backing portion is inclined approximately 25 ° with the vertical and the seating portion 8 approximately 12 ° with the horizontal. Figure 6e shows the seat 2a in a bed mode similar to that already shown in Figure 2a. In this mode, the seat • Primary 14 and secondary unit 5 form a substantially flat surface 5. Figures 7a to 7e of the accompanying drawings represent a secondary unit 50 which is shown in more detail than the secondary unit 5 shown in Figures 1 to 3. The secondary unit 50 comprises a cushion 51 supported by a member 52 of support which is anchored to a base part 53. The member 52 • support comprises a first portion 52a that supports the cushion 51 and a second portion 52b on which the first portion 52a is slidably mounted. The second portion 52b is firmly attached to the base portion 53. In use, the cushion can be raised and lowered to any position between the raised position shown in Figures 7a and 7b and the lowered position shown in Figure 7c. This is achieved by manually sliding the first portion 52a of the support member on the second portion 52b. Preferably, the unit The secondary unit is configured so that if a minimum predetermined excessive force is exerted thereon, for example 136 kilograms, then the unit is automatically lowered to the lowered position. When in the upright position, the cushion 51 can cooperate with a primary seat to form a flat surface, as shown in Figure 2a. The cushion 51 is pivotally connected to the support 52a on a pivot 54. This allows the cushion 51 to be pivoted • between the horizontal position shown in Figure 7b and 7c and the vertical position shown in Figure 7d. It is conceived that the cushion 51 will be placed in the vertical position for takeoff and landings and also to allow the passenger to leave a seat. In the upright position, the foot pad may be locked, to the rear of the housing (not shown) of the next seat opposite or to the bulkhead or other fixed structure inside the cabin. • Figure 7e shows a plan view of the cushion 51. The cushion 51 is angled to allow a passenger to place his legs on the floor of the cab on each side of the cushion. This allows the passenger to leave the seat without having to turn around necessarily to the cushion to the stored position shown in Figure 7d. This is possible because the front edge 55 of the cushion 51 is wider than the trailing edge 56. EFK Preferably, the base portion 53 is pivotally connected to the floor of the car at the pivot point 57. The The entire secondary unit is rotatable about pivot point 57 for rotation out of center through 90 ° in the plane of the cabin floor. The rotation of the secondary unit in this plane allows a passenger to change positions more easily in a seat during a flight. The full support of the legs of the The passenger in the secondary unit produces uniform pressure on the legs which in turn reduces circulation over a period of time. The rotation allows the passenger to avoid such discomfort as a feeling of "sleeping legs" when he gets up from the seat.

• Furthermore, this rotation about point 57 allows the cushion 5 to be rotated from a position in which its front edge 51 faces the primary seat of the seat unit, to a position where its front edge 51 faces away from the primary seat . This is illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings, where the front axle 61 of a secondary unit 60 looks at a primary seat 63 and a secondary unit 64 has been rotated 90 ° so that its axis • front 66 looks away from the primary seat 65. When a primary seat moves to a fully extended position, in order to form a bed with its secondary unit, it is preferable that the secondary unit is aligned with the primary seat so that the front axle of the unit faces the primary seat. In this configuration maximum support is given to the legs of a passenger. It would be inconvenient for a passenger to have to get up from a primary seat to properly align the secondary unit each time a unit of seat is put in bed mode. Therefore, preferably each seat unit is arranged so that the primary seat moves to the bed mode, if the secondary unit is not aligned with the primary seat, then, the secondary unit is automatically caused to rotate until the front edge of the unit, face front with primary seat. A mechanism to accomplish this is shown in Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings. Figure 9 shows a plan view of a seat portion 71 that approaches a secondary unit 74 which is • misaligned with the seat and has a cushion 75 with a front edge 5 76 looking behind the seat. The seat portion 70 is carried by a trolley 71 running on the rails 72a, 72b on the floor of the cabin. The trolley 71 has a pusher 73 extending from that running in front of the trolley on the rail 72a. The secondary unit 74 has a base 77 A 10 on which the cushion 74 is supported by a support 78. The base 77 is pivotally mounted on the floor of the car at a pivot point 79. The base 77 of the secondary unit 74 is formed so that the seat portion 70 and the trolley 71 approximate the unit 74, if the front edge 76 of the cushion 75 is misaligned with the seat portion 70, the pusher 73 makes contact with the base 77 by exerting a force thereon which causes the base 77 to rotate counterclockwise about the pivot point 79 until, when the portion 70 of seat reaches its fully extended position, unit 74 The secondary section has been rotated until its front edge 76 faces the seat portion 70. Now looking at Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings, a partial section of a secondary unit 80 including a mechanism for raising and lowering the unit 80 is shown. secondary, between a fully vertical position and a fully lowered position. The unit 80 comprises a first support 81 in the form of an elongated bar which is slidably mounted on a second support 82 as a tube. The first • support 81 carries at one end a foot pad, which for 5 reasons of clarity is not shown, and at the other end is attached to a metal stock 83. The second support 82 contains a pair of spaced vertical support bars 84 each of which passes through a respective pair of holes (not shown) formed in the stock 83. The stock 83 thus bridges the bars 84 of support and adjustment between each bar and hole is sufficient • loose to allow the stock 84, and thus the first support 81 and the cushion, to slide between the fully raised position (shown in full lines) and the fully lowered position (shown in dotted lines). The first support 81 and the cylinder head 83 can be locked in any position between the completely raised and fully lowered positions by means of a "mechanical seal" 85 attached to the cylinder head 83. The "mechanical seal" 85 is operated by means of a handle. activation (not shown) fixed below the cushion for feet (not shown), the handle being connected to the "mechanical seal" 85 via an operating cable 86. Preferably, the closure is configured to be released if a force of 1 36 kilograms or more is applied to the unit. "Mechanical seals" are well known in the art and will not be discussed additionally in the present. Preferably, the first support 81 and the cable are surrounded by a protective sheath (not shown), which hides the first support 81 and the cable 86 from the view and which, as the first support 81 is raised and lowered, is • slides on the external surface of the second support 82. A possible cabin arrangement for the seating units described above is shown in Figure 11. In this arrangement, pairs of seating units 1 are arranged in rows A, B, extending across the width of the car, and plural lines C, D, E, F, along the length of the car.

Each row comprises 4 pairs of seating units 1 that are • extend across the width of the cabin. In Figure 9, only two rows A and B of pairs of seating units are illustrated although of course there would be many more rows in a real aircraft. The first and second pairs and the third and fourth pairs in each row are separated by corridors 92, which provide access to the seating units and of course, allow passengers and crew to come and go through the cabin. Each of the seating units that is adjacent to a corridor faces toward the front of the cab, while the seats that are not at a side of the hallway they look towards the back of the cabin. Having thus described the present invention by reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be well understood that the modality in question is exemplary only and that it will occur to those who have appropriate knowledge and skill.

Modifications and variations that can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and equivalents thereof. • •

Claims (33)

1. RE IVI N D I CAC ION ES 1. A seat unit for a vehicle, the seat unit comprising a pair of seats facing in opposite directions with each seat comprising a seat space 5 to receive the sitting body of an occupant and an extension space in which the legs of an occupant may be placed, the seats being positioned on either side of a longitudinal axis of the seat unit with the seat space of one extending on the longitudinal axis in the space of extension of the other; characterized because any of said • seats have a seat axis substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.
2. 2. A seating unit according to claim 1, wherein the pair of seats is arranged so that one of 15 seats will look substantially forward when accommodated in one vehicle and the other of the seats will look substantially aft.
3. 3. Lina seating unit according to claim 1, • where each of the seats includes a armrest, with 20 the rest of the armrest of one of the seats arranged along a common axis with the armrest of the other seat.
4. 4. A seating unit according to claim 3, wherein the common axis substantially coincides with the longitudinal axis of the seating unit.
5. 5. A seating unit according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pair of seats are contained within a housing or each seat is contained within a respective housing, the housing or housings limiting the • seating spaces and extension spaces, and forming a wall between the seats, said wall is offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the seating unit. A seating unit according to any preceding claim, wherein each of the seats comprises a backrest portion and a seating portion and in ^ 10 where the seat portion of each seat is movable to allow the backrest portion of each seat to be reclined. A seating unit according to claim 6, further comprising an extension unit in each of the extension spaces placed to face the seat 15 respective. A seating unit according to claim 7, wherein the seat portion of each seat is movable to a fully extended position to allow the backrest portion to recline to a fully reclined position so that the unit together of extension, the seat portion and the backrest portion form a flat surface. 9. A seat unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat unit is for an aircraft. 25 1 0 A pair of seats, one to look forward and the other to look aft when they are accommodated in an aircraft, each seat defining a main occupation area and a smaller occupation area that extends away from the occupation area • main along a seat axis and comprising a wall 5 on one side of the main occupancy area, the seats being placed adjacent one another so that the seat walls share a common axis offset from the seats. seat axes to define a main occupation area in one of the seats that is larger than the smaller occupation area in the other 10 seats. eleven . A seat for use in an aircraft cabin, the seat comprising a back panel and a seat panel operable together for a plurality of different positions including a take-off position in which the seat panel 15 is inclined with the floor of the cabin to compensate for the take-off angle of the aircraft. 12. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat is for looking aft when it is accommodated in an aircraft cabin. 20 13. An aircraft seat according to the claim 1 or 12, wherein the seat is operable between a plurality of different modes including a take-off mode in which the seat panel is in the take-off position and in which the backrest portion is partially reclined in the mode of Takeoff is between a fully reclined mode in which the backrest panel is fully reclined and a fully vertical mode in which the backrest portion is completely vertical. 14. A seat according to claim 1, 12 or 13, wherein the seat panel is less inclined to the horizontal when the seat is in the fully vertical mode than when the seat is in the take-off mode. 15. An aircraft seat as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, comprising pin means 10 to lock the seat in position in the takeoff mode during • the takeoff. 16. A secondary unit for use in an aircraft cabin with an aircraft seat, the unit comprising: a cushion mounted on an elongated support, the support being of variable height, so that the elevation of the cushion above The floor of the cabin can be altered. 17. A secondary unit according to claim 16, wherein the cushion is supported for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to that of the cab floor. 20 18. A secondary unit according to the claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the cushion is mounted on the support for pivotal movement about an axis substantially perpendicular to the support between an unfolded position and a locked position. A secondary unit according to claim 1 8, wherein the The cushion in the deployed position is substantially parallel to the floor of the cab and in the locked position is substantially perpendicular to the floor of the cab. A secondary unit as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 1 9, wherein the support comprises means arranged to lower when a load in excess of a predetermined maximum is applied to the unit. twenty-one . An aircraft seating unit comprising: a reclining primary seat; and 10 a secondary unit as claimed in any of the • claims 16 to 20, which faces the primary reclining seat. 22. An aircraft seating unit as claimed in claim 21, wherein the primary seat is reclinable 15 to a position in which the primary seat and the secondary unit cooperate to form a flat surface. 23. A seating unit for an aircraft cabin, the unit comprising: a seat movable between a retracted position and an extended position; a clescansapies that is movable towards and out of alignment with the seat; and a footrest actuator arranged to move the footrest in alignment with the seat, when the seat moves toward the extended position ^^^ __ ^ __ 24. A unit of seats according to the claim 23, wherein the footrest actuator comprises a projection extending forward from the seat which • makes contact with the footrest when the seat moves 5 towards the extended position. 25. A unit of seats according to the claim 24, wherein the seating unit comprises a carriage for moving the seat and where the projection extends forward of the carriage. 26. A unit of seats according to the claim 25, wherein the seating unit comprises movable rails on a cabin floor so that the car moves along to move the seat, with the projection extending from the carriage along one of the rails. 27. A seating unit according to any of claims 23 to 26, wherein the footrest comprises a base mountable on a cabin floor for rotation on the floor plane of the cabin and where the projection is arranged to make contact with the base of the footrest to rotate the 20 footrest in alignment when the seat moves to the extended position. 28. A seating unit according to any of claims 23 to 27, wherein the seat comprises a reclining backrest portion and a seat portion and when the 25 seat is in the extended position the backrest portion, Does the seat portion and footrest together form a substantially flat surface. 29. A flight entertainment unit comprising: • accommodation; 5 a monitor supported in the housing by a support arm, the support arm that is rotatable about the housing to move the monitor between a stored position and a viewing position and the monitor that is rotatable about the support arm to vary a Viewing angle when in the 10 vision position. 30. An in-flight entertainment unit according to claim 29, further comprising a cocktail table mounted in the housing and movable between deployed and undeployed positions. 15 31. An in-flight entertainment unit according to claim 29 or 30, further comprising one or more power points for a computer, an output socket for audio and a condition indicator. 32. An in-flight entertainment unit comprising at 20 a self-contained unit that facilitates the maintenance of the unit two or more of the following, namely: a monitor; an energy point for a computer; a cocktail table; 25 a condition indicator, or , áÍ? j- .. .MLIO.A an output socket for audio. 33. An entertainment unit in combination with a seating unit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the unit for a seat is mounted in a housing associated with the other seat. • R ES U MEN A seating unit for a vehicle comprises a pair of seats facing in opposite directions with each seat comprising a seating space for receiving the sitting body of an occupant and an extension space in which they can be placed. the legs of an occupant. The seats are placed on each side of a theoretical division axis with the seat space of one extending on the axis in the extension space of the other. The pair of seats is suitable for use in an aircraft cabin with one of the seats facing substantially forward in the cabin and the other of the seats looking substantially aft.