DE29580194U1 - Airplane phone - Google Patents

Description

Description Airplane phone

Related Applications

This application is a continuation-in-part of the co-pending design application entitled "Aircraft telephone headset assembly," filed April 21, 1994.

Background of the invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of telephone apparatus for use by passengers in commercial aircraft.

As most business travelers are well aware, space on a commercial aircraft is of paramount importance because airlines must maximize the number of passengers each aircraft can accommodate. It is important that additional equipment on the aircraft used to provide features and services does not affect the space on the aircraft that could be used to accommodate passengers.

An increasingly popular service provided on aircraft is the availability of telephones that are connected by radio to the normal ground telephone traffic. As the traveling public becomes more accustomed to the use of telephones on aircraft, the desire to provide a greater number of telephones on board aircraft without further cramping the passenger space is emerging.

In the prior art, it has been common to install telephones on the back of aircraft seats and in the fuselage walls near the front and rear of the aircraft. Both of these arrangements avoid the use of limited passenger space. However, they achieve this at the expense of passenger comfort.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

• *

In situations where the telephones are mounted in the fuselage walls, there are usually only one or two telephones for a whole group of passengers. Therefore, a passenger who needs to use the telephone must disturb the passengers in his row to get up and go to the available telephone. Furthermore, the passengers who are seated close to the telephones are disturbed every time a passenger wants to use the telephone.

In situations where the telephones are located in a seat back, it is common practice to provide a single telephone for an entire row or group of passengers. Therefore, passengers who do not have a telephone in front of them must disturb the passengers directly at the telephone in order to access the telephone and make their call.

Even in situations where each passenger has a telephone set available in the seatback of the next row, using the telephones is somewhat inconvenient. In order to reach the telephone from the seatback, the user may disturb the passenger sitting in the seat where the telephone is installed. Since the telephone is connected to the receiving device by a cord, the cord stretches between the rows of seats when the telephone is in use. For this reason, passengers cannot reach the aisle from their seat past the seat where the caller is sitting while using a telephone. It is therefore desirable to find another place where the telephone set can be installed, but most aircraft do not have an abundance of excess space where a telephone set could be installed.

Since size is not a major constraint when arranging telephones in the backrests of aircraft, the size of the state-of-the-art aircraft telephones varies considerably. The only major restriction when mounting a telephone in the backrest is the width of the backrest, i.e. it is important to ensure that the

CC 26111 DE PAe Bald Poop Fine etcol. 23 October 1996

• *

Telephone does not extend beyond the width of the seat back. The overall size of a conventional telephone mounted in a seat back or in the fuselage wall of an aircraft is such that there are not many other places where such a telephone can be mounted.

Therefore, it would be desirable to create a telephone device that can be installed in a small area somewhere in the aircraft so that every passenger could have access to a telephone without disturbing other passengers in order to reach the device.

An additional problem with installing special passenger service facilities on aircraft relates to maintenance. For an airline to operate profitably, it must reduce aircraft downtime as much as possible. As passenger amenities increase, they also contribute to maintenance difficulties, since each new system installed at every passenger seat has the potential to malfunction. If sufficient malfunctions occur, the aircraft must be taken out of service for a corresponding length of time to address repairs.

In general, passenger amenities are distributed in several locations around the passenger seat. The flight attendant call button is often located in an overhead control panel along with light switches and reading lamps. In cases where telephones are installed, these are usually located in the seatbacks along with video screens. Audio controls, such as volume and channel controls, are often located in the armrest, where lighting controls and flight attendant call buttons are sometimes located. If video game controls are installed, they are also often located in the armrest. This distribution of fixtures, all of which have the potential to fail, increases the complexity of aircraft maintenance and therefore the cost to the airline. Since repairs to most of these systems involve removing and replacing the poorly functioning

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

working unit so that it can be repaired without causing flight delays, removing several different systems in several different locations increases the number of spare parts the airline must keep in stock and increases the cost to the airline to train personnel to remove and replace each component.

For this reason, it would be advantageous to have a general purpose control instrument/telephone unit that could be easily removed by untrained personnel and control as many passenger amenities as possible.

Essence of the invention

A preferred embodiment of the passenger telephone of the present invention is a telephone set designed so that a telephone receiver can be installed in the armrest of a standard class or tourist class seat of an aircraft. It is in this area of the aircraft that space is of course of the utmost importance and it is here that the airline must accommodate as many passengers as possible.

A preferred embodiment of the passenger telephone apparatus for a commercial aircraft comprises a standard class passenger seat having a reclinable armrest on at least one side; a telephone tray in the form of an open recess with a retaining element; and a telephone receiver handset secured in the open recess of the telephone tray. Preferably, the dimensions of the telephone receiver handset are such that it fits into the telephone tray mounted in the armrest so that the telephone handset does not protrude more than about 1.27 cm from the side of the armrest. This ensures that the seating area for the passenger is not restricted. Preferably, the overall external dimensions of the telephone tray mounted in the side of the armrest are less than 20.96 cm x 5.72 cm x 2.54 cm in width. The telephone receiver handset has an overall external dimension of less than 18.42 cm x 5.08 cm x 3.81 cm and has an element that works together with the holding element to hold the handset in the holder. The handset has

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

preferably a keypad with twelve keys for entering telephone numbers, a microphone located near one end of the handset, a loudspeaker located near the other end of the handset, and a multi-core cable cord that runs from the handset through the tray into the armrest.

Since the handset is designed to fit into the armrest of a standard class aircraft seat, it is preferable that each passenger has their own telephone handset mounted in their respective armrest. This eliminates the need for the passenger to disturb fellow passengers in order to access a telephone.

Since each passenger now has a telephone handset available in their armrest, other functions to which each passenger may wish to have access may desirably be incorporated into the telephone handset. For example, functions characteristic of a passenger digital control unit (DPCU), such as a flight attendant call button, a flight attendant call cancel button, and an individual lighting control for turning a passenger reading lamp on/off, may be incorporated into the handset so that each passenger has easy access to these buttons in their armrest. Other DPCU features, including radio or television control instruments such as a channel control, a channel display, and a volume control, may also be incorporated into the handset. Furthermore, features such as a series of video game control buttons, including, for example, cursor control buttons, game selection buttons and directional keys, and shooting control buttons, may be incorporated into the handset.

The handset is connected to a retractable cable reel by a multi-core cable. Preferably, the cable connection is so difficult to disconnect that passengers cannot simply remove the handset from the aircraft, but it can still be removed by aircraft maintenance personnel with very little practice and without special equipment. This enables

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

allows these personnel to easily replace virtually all passenger controls so that faulty switches or components can be repaired without stopping the aircraft. Since virtually all controls are located in a single handset, the airline only needs to stock this one control to repair most failures in the passenger adjustment controls.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention are more fully set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description.

Short description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the telephone handset installed in a telephone tray in a standard class aircraft seat.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the telephone receiver handset removed from the tray.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the first embodiment of the telephone handset.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the telephone handset.

Fig. 5 is a right side view of the first embodiment of the telephone handset.

Fig. 6 is a left side view of the first embodiment of the telephone handset.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the first embodiment of the handset connected to a cord cable reel.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the passenger seat showing the arrangement of the cord cable reel connected to the first embodiment of the handset by installing the cord cable reel under the seat.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

•&tgr;» · ; &iacgr;

·

Fig. 9 is a more detailed, exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the handset, telephone cradle and flexible cable guide around the telephone connection cord as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the passenger seat showing the arrangement of the cord cable reel connected to the fourth embodiment of the handset by installing the cord cable reel in an armrest.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the handset with digital control functions for the passenger;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the handset with digital control functions for the passenger and video game control buttons; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the handset with video game control buttons thereon.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments As shown in Fig. 1, a first embodiment of the telephone apparatus 18 of the present invention includes a telephone handset 20 which may be installed in a standard class passenger seat 24 having a reclining armrest 22 on at least one side. Preferably, the telephone handset 20 is sized to fit in a telephone tray 26 mounted in the side of an armrest 22 such that the telephone handset 20 does not protrude more than about 1/2 inch from the telephone tray 26 in the armrest 22 to avoid interfering with the passenger's movement space.

Since the dimensions of standard class or tourist class passenger seats 24 vary depending on the manufacturer, the handset 20 has been designed to fit into the armrest 22 of one of

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

a majority of aircraft seat manufacturers. The smallest armrest 22 construction into which the telephone receiver handset 20 of the present invention will fit without altering the size of the armrest 22 is a standard class seat manufactured by PTC Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of BE Aerospace Corporation. Preferably, the dimensions of the telephone tray 26 mountable in the armrest 22 of a standard class seat 24 are no more than 8.25 inches long x 2.25 inches high x 1 inch wide. Preferably, the dimensions of the telephone handset 20 substantially enclosed by the telephone tray 26 in the armrest 22 of a standard class seat 24 are less than 7.25 inches long x 7.25 inches high x 1 inch wide. 5.08 cm in height x 3.81 cm in width. Even more preferably, the dimensions of the telephone tray 26 which can be installed in the armrest 22 of a standard class seat 24 are approximately 20.84 cm in length x 5.33 cm in width x 2.46 cm in height. Even more preferably, the dimensions of the telephone handset 20 which is largely enclosed by the telephone tray 26 in the armrest 22 of a standard class seat 24 are approximately 18.03 cm in length x 4.47 cm in width x 3.28 cm in height. Using the more preferred dimensions of the telephone tray 26 and the more preferred dimensions of the telephone handset 20, the telephone handset 20 is substantially within the telephone tray 26 except for an approximately 0.32 inch high portion of the telephone handset 20 that protrudes from the telephone tray 26 in the armrest 22.

As telephone professionals will readily appreciate, the dimensions given above for the handset 20 are much smaller than the preferred ergonomic standard design of a telephone handset in a number of ways. First, the length of the aircraft handset 20, which limits the distance between the microphone voice pickup box and the speaker in the earpiece, is significantly shorter than the preferred distance for a typical telephone handset. In addition, the

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

Aircraft telephone handset width 20, which determines the width of the telephone keypad, is considerably narrower than the preferred keypad width of a typical telephone handset. To overcome these design constraints and at the same time create a properly functioning telephone handset, many standard features of telephone handset construction had to be reinterpreted.

A first embodiment of the telephone handset 20, as shown in Figures 2-6, preferably includes the following features of a typical telephone handset: a microphone 28, a receiver 30 with a speaker, a twelve-segment telephone keypad 32, and a volume control 34. In addition, the handset also includes a plurality of function control buttons 36, such as a start/stop button for beginning and ending a series of calls charged to a caller, a trunk button so that the caller can initiate a new call charged to the same credit card number, and a function key used to provide access to enhancements that may be added to the telephone handset in the future. The telephone handset also includes an LED display panel 38 which indicates the status of the telephone call. The LED display panel 38 may include indicator features such as a first indicator 40 that indicates when a line is available; a second indicator 42 that indicates when an error has been made in the ring sequence; and a third indicator 44 that indicates when the user must wait before proceeding to the next step in the calling process. Finally, the handset additionally includes a credit card reader unit 46. The credit card reader unit 46 provides a convenient means of payment for the user's use of the telephone; however, the space required for the credit card reader unit 46 also reduces the amount of space available for the telephone features listed above.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

The credit card reader unit 46 includes a groove 48 with a magnetic card reader 50 therein, which is disposed in a side 52 of the telephone handset 20. The credit card is inserted into the groove 48 and pulled lengthwise through the groove 48 so that the magnetic stripe of the credit card passes the card reader 50. The width of the groove 48 is defined by the location of the magnetic stripe on a typical credit card; therefore, the groove 48 must have this minimum width to perform its function. The required groove width reduces the amount of space in the telephone handset 20 available for the telephone electronics. In addition, physical, electrical and magnetic insulation is provided to prevent the magnetic stripe of the credit card from affecting the telephone electronics in the handset 20. Preferably, the groove 48 is shielded from the internal electronics of the handset, with the exception of the magnetic card reader 50 itself, which extends into the groove 48 for reading the magnetic strip of the credit card.

Due to the reduction in space available in the telephone handset 20, the keypad 32 of the handset 20 is greatly reduced in size, but still allows the required functions to be performed. The preferred center-to-center spacing between the keys 54 on the keypad 32 used in the handset 20 is greatly reduced from that of a conventional telephone keypad; that is, the keys are spaced closer together than on a typical telephone keypad. In addition, the actual size of the keys 54 on the keypad 32 of the handset 20 is reduced from that of standard telephone keys. The keys 54 are preferably made of conductive silicone rubber and cooperate with a printed circuit board for the keypad connection located under the keypad pads. When the keys 54 are pressed, the conductive silicone keys form an electrical connection with the printed circuit board matrix for the keypad, which is connected to the telephone electronics.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

·» ■

·

indicates when a key has been pressed. In addition, the silicone rubber keys 54, despite the fact that they are extremely small, are designed to provide the user with the necessary tactile sensation to know when the key 54 has been depressed and has made contact with the key switch membrane located beneath the silicone keys 54.

Furthermore, a commercial aircraft capable of being moved at night must have a keypad 32 provided with a backlight feature to allow the user to use the telephone handset 20 in a dark aircraft cabin. The silicone keys 54 are preferably translucent so that a light source positioned behind the keys 54 illuminates the key 54. The area around each key is provided with an opaque cover panel so that each key 54 is individually illuminated and easily distinguishable from the other keys 54 immediately adjacent to it. The key identifier 56, such as numbers, letters and/or symbols, is printed in opaque ink on the surface of the key 54. When the key 54 is illuminated, the opaque identifiers 56 are easily distinguishable from the illuminated key 54.

As shown in Figure 7, the first embodiment of the handset 20 is connected to one end 58 of a multi-conductor cord 60 that is wound around the cord reel 62 and retained within the housing when the cord reel 60 is not stretched during use. The size of the cord reel housing 62 preferably depends on the mounting location and the amount of cord that must be retained. Desirably, a first embodiment of the cord reel 62 has a diameter of 3.5 inches and can hold up to 60 inches of cord 60. A second embodiment of the cord reel 62 has a diameter of 2.5 inches and can hold up to 40 inches of cord 60. As the cord 60 extends away from the cord reel 62, the cord reel housing 62 is secured to the end 58 of the cord reel housing 62.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

, the cord 60 is preferably covered with a flexible cable conduit 68. The other end of the multi-core cord 60 contained in the housing 62 is connected via an electrical connector 64 to a portion of the main telephone electronics control system which controls the operation of the telephone handset 20 in the aircraft. Preferably, a portion of the main telephone electronics control system is located under one of the seats (Fig. 1) of a seating group; therefore, the connection of the electrical connector 64 from the cord reel 62 to the portion of the telephone electronics control system located under the seat is not complicated. The cord reel 62 provides a convenient storage means for a substantial length of the multi-core cord 60 so that the telephone handset 20 can be removed from the armrest (Fig. 1) to reach to a user's ear. Moreover, the cord reel 62 provides a convenient means of storing a sufficient length of cord 60 so that the cord reel 62 can be installed in a variety of locations around the armrest and yet provide a sufficient length of cord 60 to the handset 20 for the user to reach a variety of locations near his armrest and remain in that chosen location without a drag pull on the handset 20. Furthermore, since the passenger has control over the length of cord 60 extending from the cord reel 62, excess lengths of cord 60 do not hang down from the handset 20 in such a way that they become inadvertently trapped between the seats, between the telephone handset and the tray, or on a portion of the armrest.

As shown in Fig. 8, the cord cable reel 62 is preferably constructed so that the cord 60 becomes longer when the telephone handset 20 is taken from the telephone rest 26 in the armrest 22 and the user pulls on the handset 20. Once the user has pulled the handset 20 to the desired location and stops, a

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

in. &ogr;&kgr;

locking mechanism on the cord cable reel 62 and temporarily fixes the usable length of the electrical connection cable 60 to the user's preferred connector length. When the user wishes to return the handset 20 to the telephone cradle 26 or change the cord length, the user pulls the handset 20 away from the telephone cradle 26, which releases the locking mechanism on the cord cable reel 62 and makes it possible to extend or retract the length of the cord cable 60. When the user pulls the handset 20 away from the telephone cradle 26, the length of the cord cable 60 is extended again. If the user does not hold the handset 20 away from the telephone cradle 26 after the locking mechanism is released, the multi-core cord cable 60 is retracted into the cord reel 62 while the handset 20 is pulled toward the telephone cradle 26. This locking mechanism on the cord cable reel 62 is advantageous over other cord length control devices on prior art telephone handsets which provide a constant retraction force on the cord cable 60 which tends to pull the handset away from the user while the user is attempting to make a call.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the first embodiment of the cord reel 62, capable of holding up to 60 inches of cord 60, is installed under the seat cushion of the passenger seat 24 and is connected to a first embodiment of the handset 20 disposed in the armrest 22. The installation of the cord reel 62 under the seat is preferably used in seat designs where the armrest 22 is extremely small so that the handset 20 can be disposed in the armrest 22, but there is not enough additional space to mount the cord reel 62 in the armrest 22. The cord reel 62 is mounted in a bracket mount 67 mounted on the underside of the seat cushion 66 of the seat 24. The length extending from the cord reel 62 to the telephone tray 26

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

the cord 60 is preferably covered by the flexible cable guide 68 and protects the cord 60 from becoming trapped in the armrest 22 or under the seat 24 as it is pulled out and in. The flexible cable guide 68 extends from the seat cushion 66 of the seat 24 along one side of the backrest 70 and into the armrest 22 where the handset 20 is stored. When the handset 20 is removed from the armrest 22 and moved around, the cord 60 is unwound in the cord cable reel 62 and advanced through the flexible cable guide 68 and out of an opening 72 in the telephone tray 26 to provide the length of multi-core cable cord 60 required to provide the required freedom of movement of the handset 20. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the second embodiment of the cord cable reel 62 may be located in any other suitable location in the vicinity of the armrest 22 known to those skilled in the art to enable installation of a handset of the present invention, such as a third embodiment of the handset 130, in any armrest 22 of standard class aircraft seats 24.

Referring to Fig. 9, the telephone tray 26 is a five-sided recess 74 that is completely enclosed by the armrest 22 of the aircraft seat 24. The sixth side 76 of the telephone tray 26 is open to a side portion 78 of the armrest (Fig. 8) to allow the telephone handset 20 to be inserted into and substantially enclosed by the telephone tray 26. When the telephone handset 20 is inserted into the telephone tray 26, a first end 80 of the telephone handset 20 is preferably inserted into an opening at a first end 82 of the telephone tray 26. A second end 84 of the telephone tray 26 includes a pivotal mounting or retaining member 86 having a flange 88 biased to extend perpendicularly into the receiving opening 76 to retain the telephone handset 20 in the telephone tray. A receiving groove 90 in a second end 92 of the telephone handset 20 cooperates with the flange 88 of the

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

Fastener 86 cooperates to retain handset 20 in telephone tray 26. Fastener 86 is preferably integral with telephone tray 26. Fastener 86 is cantilevered from telephone tray 26 such that an upper end 85 is movable due to release slots 87 separating the sides of member 86 from the adjacent structure. Fastener 86 is automatically biased to the locked position but is movable outwardly against structural support 89 for releasing handset 20. A structural support 89 is preferably located on the periphery of the telephone tray 26 below the attachment member 86 and stabilizes the structure of the second end 84 of the telephone tray 26 adjacent the attachment member 86. A travel limiter 91 is attached to the back of the attachment member to limit movement of the attachment member 86 from normal removal to protect the attachment member against overload and breakage. However, as one skilled in the art will recognize, any other set of attachment means may be used to substantially retain the handset 20 in the telephone tray 26 when the handset 20 is not in use.

To remove the telephone handset 20 from the telephone cradle 26, the user presses the pivot fastener 86 on the telephone cradle 26, which compressively retracts the fastener flange 88 from the receiving groove 90 on the handset 20 and releases the handset 20 from the telephone cradle 26. The telephone cradle 26 also has a spring-loaded eject button 94 in the base 96 of the telephone cradle 26 that provides an ejection force on the handset 20 to push the handset 20 out of the telephone cradle 26. When the handset 20 is held by the fastener 86 on the telephone cradle 26, the spring in the eject button 94 is compressed and the spring force is absorbed by the fastener 86 that holds the handset 20 on the telephone cradle 26. Once the

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

If}.ü

When the fastening element 86 is released from the handset 20, the spring force of the eject button 94 pushes the handset 20 out of the telephone cradle 26.

In another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10, the second embodiment of the cord reel 62 is located in the armrest 22. The armrest installation of the cord reel 62 is used with seats 24 that have armrests with more interior space for mounting the cord reel. The armrest installation is preferable because the electrical cord reel 62, telephone tray 26 and telephone handset 20 can be located entirely in one place in the aircraft, i.e., in the armrest 22, preferably together with the length of the cord 60 extending from the cord reel 62 to the telephone tray 26. As described above, a portion of the telephone electronics control system is installed under one of the seats of a seating group; therefore, an electrical connector (not shown) is required to connect the cord reel 62 in the armrest 22 to the electronics located under the seat 24.

Since the handset 20 is designed to fit in the armrest 22 of a standard class seat 24 of an aircraft, each passenger preferably has his or her own telephone handset 20 installed in the respective armrest and therefore does not need to disturb his or her fellow passengers in order to have access to a telephone. Furthermore, by locating the telephone handset 20 in the armrest 22, the cord 60 attached to the handset 20 does not protrude into the space of other passengers or block the aisle as in the prior art seatback telephone handset systems.

Since each passenger now has a telephone handset 20 available in their armrest 22, other functions to which each passenger may wish to have access can desirably be integrated into the telephone handset 20. As shown in Fig. 11, a second embodiment 100 of the handset includes the functions of a

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

t1 ·

digital passenger control unit (DPCU) 102. For example, the following functions of a digital passenger control unit (DPCU) 102 may be integrated into the handset 100 to allow any passenger easy access to these buttons on the armrest 22: flight attendant call button 104, flight attendant call cancel button 106 and light switch 108. Other functions of a DPCU 102, including radio or television control instruments such as channel control 110, channel display 112, volume control 114 and television power button 116, may be incorporated into the handset. Preferably, the DPCU functions 102 are implemented using a plastic membrane switch block. In a membrane switch block, the upper membrane is compliant to actuate a distinctive button-like switch below the membrane.

As shown in Fig. 13, a third embodiment of the handset includes video game control buttons. Video game control buttons consist of cursor control switches and game selection switches. For example, video game control buttons 122, such as a cursor position adjuster 124, game selection buttons 126, and trigger buttons 128 may be integrated into the handset 120. The video game functions, such as the game selection buttons 126 and trigger buttons 128, are preferably implemented using hard cap buttons with a spring mechanism with a rubber actuator. All video game control buttons 122 preferably conform to the Nintendo Super NES video game standard. As shown in Fig. 12, a fourth embodiment 130 of the handset includes functions of the passenger digital control unit 102, as well as video game control buttons 122, as described above.

The handset is advantageously designed in such a way that, in addition to the conventional telephone headset functions, a wide range of control functions can be integrated into the handset.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

Depending on the type of aircraft in which the handsets are installed, some or all of the additional functions discussed above can be integrated into the handset without taking up additional space in the aircraft. By combining some of the DPCU functions with the telephone handset, the amount of space normally reserved for the DPCU functions for each passenger is now available for other purposes. Since the telephone handset of the present invention requires very little additional space in the aircraft, it can therefore be used to free up some of the space normally reserved for these additional functions and thus achieve a net gain in available space in the aircraft, while at the same time providing additional service to the airline passenger.

An additional feature incorporated into the telephone set of the present invention is a data link port for facsimile and/or modem transmissions. Referring to Figure 9, the telephone tray 26 includes a so-called RJ-11 connector 140 in the floor 96 of the telephone tray 26 so that the user can connect a facsimile or modem device using a mating connector and send facsimile and modem data from the aircraft to a receiving location on the ground. The RJ-11 connector 140 is preferably wired directly to the telephone control electronics located under the seat row; i.e., the RJ-11 connector does not connect to the wires in the cord 60 on the handset that is wound around the cord reel 62.

As described above, an additional problem related to the installation of special passenger service facilities relates to maintenance. In order for an airline to operate profitably, it must reduce aircraft downtime as much as possible. By separating the telephone set into easily serviceable, partially replaceable units, the telephone handset of the present invention is designed to

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

can be serviced quickly. Preferably, the telephone set is divided into three separately arranged replacement units, the handset, the cradle and the cord reel. As described above in connection with Fig. 9, the handset 20 can be easily removed from the telephone cradle 26 by releasing the fastener or retaining mechanism 86; however, the cord 60 attached to the end of the handset 20 is still attached to the cord reel mechanism 62. The cord 60 terminates in an electrical connector 142 which connects to a mating connector (not shown) on the handset 20. The termination of the electrical connector 142 is enclosed in a fastener housing 146. The mounting housing 146 preferably includes a first protruding pin 148 that engages a slot 150 (see Figure 3) in the handset 20 to connect and retain the first end 58 of the cord 60 to the handset 20. To disconnect the handset 20 from the cord 60 and cord reel mechanism 62, the mounting housing 146 is detached from the handset 20 to expose the first terminal of the cord 60 on the handset 20. The electrical connector 142 on the end 58 of the cord 60 is disconnected from the mating connector (not shown) on the handset 20. Once the cord 60 is removed from the handset 20, the handset 20 can be easily replaced with another handset unit.

When the cable cord 60 is detached from the handset 20, the flexible cable guide 68 in which the cable cord 60 lies is still connected to the telephone tray 26. In order to remove the telephone tray or the cord reel 62, the connection of the flexible cable guide 68 to the telephone tray 26 must be removed. Preferably, the cable guide 68 is connected to the telephone tray 26 via a clip connector 152. The clip connector 152 engages with a receiving opening 72. As soon as the clip connector 152 is removed from the receiving opening 72 in the telephone tray 26,

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

*&Idigr;

either the telephone tray 26 or the cord reel 62 can be easily replaced. Preferably, the telephone tray 26 is secured to the metal sheet of the armrest 22 by a pivot pin/latch assembly (not shown) at the location at the first end 82 of the telephone tray 26 and at two locations at the second end 85 of the telephone tray 26, as shown in Fig. 10. To remove the telephone tray 26, the pins are rotated counterclockwise, which releases the contact between the latch and the armrest 22. By performing the steps described above in reverse order, a different telephone tray 26 can be installed.

The cord reel 62 is installed in either the armrest 22 or under the seat 24 and can be easily replaced as a single part. The only difficulty in the replacement process for the cord reel 62 is advancing the flexible cord guide 68 containing the multi-conductor cord 60 through the armrest 22 and/or from under the seat 24 to the telephone tray 26 to which the flexible cord guide 68 is connected. The multi-conductor cord 60 is then connected to the mating connector on the handset 20 as described above. Likewise, the mounting housing 146 on the cord 60 is plugged into the proper location on the handset 20. In the event of a failure in any part of the system, the telephone apparatus of the present invention advantageously provides for easy replaceability. Therefore, the downtime attributable to a failure of the telephone system should be kept to a minimum.

Generally, passenger amenities are distributed in several locations around the passenger seat 24. The flight attendant call button is often in a control panel overhead along with light switches and reading lamps. In those cases where telephones are installed, they are usually in the seat backs along with video screens. Audio controls, such as volume and channel controls, are often in the armrest,

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

where lighting controls and flight attendant call buttons are also sometimes located. If video game control controls are installed, they are also often installed in the armrest. This distribution of fixtures, all of which have the potential to fail, increases the complexity of aircraft maintenance and therefore the cost to the airline. Since repairs to most of these systems require removing and replacing the malfunctioning unit so that it can be repaired without causing flight delays, installing several different systems in several different locations increases the number of spare parts the airline must keep in stock and increases the cost to the airline to train personnel to remove and replace each component. The handset of the present invention advantageously combines many of the above-described features of a digital passenger control unit with other passenger amenities such as television and video game control buttons, along with a telephone handset to provide a general purpose control instrument/telephone unit that can be easily replaced by untrained personnel. By reducing the number of replaceable units and making the replacement process as easy as possible for untrained personnel, the general purpose control instrument/telephone unit of the present invention improves the overall reliability of the aircraft and reduces the amount of downtime required to troubleshoot problems related to the above functions.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essence thereof. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is therefore indicated more particularly by the appended claims than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are intended to be embraced within their scope.

CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996

Claims (10)

Protection claims 1. Passenger telephone and video game control unit for a commercial aircraft, comprising: - a standard class passenger seat with a reclining armrest on at least one side; - a telephone tray in the form of an open recess with a holding element, the telephone tray being mounted on the side of the armrest; - a combined telephone receiver, handset and video game control unit secured in the open recess of the telephone tray, which has an element cooperating with the holding element for holding the handset and video game control unit in the tray, the handset and video game control unit comprising: - a keypad with twelve keys for entering telephone numbers; - a microphone located close to one end of the handset; - a loudspeaker located close to the other end of the handset; - a series of video game control buttons including cursor control buttons and selection buttons; and - an individual lighting control for switching a passenger reading lamp on/off; - a flight attendant call button; and - a multi-core cable that runs from the handset through the tray into the armrest. 2. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the handset further comprises a flight attendant call cancel button. 3. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the handset further comprises a volume control and a channel control. CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996 4. Passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft, comprising: - a standard class passenger seat with a reclining armrest on at least one side; - a telephone holder in the form of an open recess with a holding element, whereby the total external dimensions of the telephone holder mounted in the side of the armrest do not exceed 20.96 x 5.72 x 2.54 cm; - a telephone receiver handset secured in the open recess of the telephone rest with an overall external dimension of less than 18.42 x 5.08 x 3.81 cm, which has an element cooperating with the holding element for holding the receiver in the rest, the handset having: - a keypad with twelve keys for entering telephone numbers; - a microphone located close to one end of the handset; - a loudspeaker located close to the other end of the handset; - a multi-core cable that runs from the handset through the tray into the armrest; - a row of video game control buttons including cursor control buttons and selection buttons; - an individual lighting control for switching a passenger reading lamp on/off; and - a flight attendant call button. 5. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 4, wherein the handset further comprises a flight attendant call cancel button. 6. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 5, wherein the handset further comprises a volume control and a channel control. 7. Passenger telephone and control unit for a commercial aircraft, comprising: - a standard class passenger seat with a retractable armrest on at least one side; CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996 - a telephone tray in the form of an open recess with a holding element, the telephone tray being mounted on the side of the armrest; - a combined telephone receiver, handset and control unit fastened in the open recess of the telephone tray, which has an element cooperating with the holding element for holding the handset and control unit in the tray, the handset and control unit having: - a keypad with twelve keys for entering telephone numbers; - a microphone located close to one end of the handset; - a loudspeaker located close to the other end of the handset; - a row of video game control buttons including cursor control buttons and selection buttons; - an individual lighting control for switching a passenger reading lamp on/off; - a flight attendant call button; and - a multi-core cable that runs from the handset through the tray into the armrest. 8. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 7, wherein the handset further comprises a flight attendant call cancel button. 9. A passenger telephone for a commercial aircraft according to claim 8, wherein the handset further comprises a volume control and a channel control. 10. Telephone handset comprising: - a keypad with twelve keys for entering telephone numbers; - a microphone located close to one end of the handset; - a loudspeaker located close to the other end of the handset; - a row of video game control buttons including cursor control buttons and selection buttons; CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etc. 23 October 1996 -4- a lighting control; and a flight attendant call button. CC 26111 DE PAe Kahler Käck Fiener etcol. 23 October 1996