Aerospace giant Airbus scored a point against U.S. rival Boeing this week when it secured exclusive patent rights to a put a toilet beneath the stairs.
The patent (U.S. 8,109,469), issued Tuesday, describes an aircraft with a crew rest area upstairs (303), accessible by a staircase (behind dividing wall 103). The inventors cleverly place the toilet seat in the area where the ceiling is lowest.
[T]he arrangement of the divider element, the on-board lavatory and the wash basin is such that it may be possible for a person to stand upright (erect) at the wash basin but not in the region of the on-board lavatory.
According to the patent, the arrangement obviates the need for "an additional lavatory monument," thereby saving weight and opening space for additional seating.
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