Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a heated side window system, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on June 12th, 2019, published on May 3rd, 2022, and assigned serial number 11324078.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent months, Ford has filed a number of patents for heated elements located both inside and outside of a vehicle, including one for a heated steering wheel equipped with multiple heaters, as well as another for heated windshield wiper blades. This latest Ford patent aims to bring a heating element to side windows, one of the few places that most vehicles don’t have any sort of heating element at all, at least for now.
The patent describes precisely what one might think – a heated side window system consisting of two heating zones, a heating element, and an actuator capable of determining which of the zones to heat based on the position of the window or the eye line of a user. Aside from the dual-zone element, it’s a pretty straightforward idea that has some obvious merit.
Side windows tend to fog and ice up nearly as frequently as windshields and rear windows, and yet, generally don’t contain any sort of heating element like those other two pieces of glass. Rolling the window down or blasting the defroster helps eventually, but it seems as if a direct heating element would help clear up these vision obstructors much faster.
That’s precisely where this Ford patent comes into play, and it does so in a rather innovative manner. Users would presumably only have to heat up the portion of the window needed to clear ice or fog, making it more efficient. Either way, this is an idea that obviously has a place in the automotive world.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comment
Strange that these patent filings are for application and innovation already exhibited last few years