Ever struggled to use a laptop on a plane? Robert Stahl and Daniel Poblete of California (US 2003/ 184957) have. Today鈥檚 tray tables are seldom big enough: you can鈥檛 set the laptop screen at a convenient angle, and you have to clear it all away when the food arrives.
Poblete鈥檚 idea is to have a tray table you can flip through 180 degrees. On one side is a keyboard and mouse pad, linked to the seat-back video screen. The keyboard and screen connect to a central computer providing in-flight applications. For dinner, you flip the table over to give you a clear surface for your rubbery chicken and plastic mousse.
