Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a vehicle seating system that could be used in future Ford pickup beds, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on March 11th, 2022, published on September 21st, 2023, and assigned serial number 0294562.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent months, Ford has filed a few patents outlining new ways to incorporate seating areas into vehicles, including cargo area seating for the rear of a crossover or SUV, along with another filing outlining an idea for a transformable rear seat that can be flipped around if one wants to use it for tailgating purposes, too. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going, albeit in a different direction, as it presents us with yet another new idea – this time, for a vehicle seating system that could be used in future Ford pickup beds.
Ever since, well, the advent of the pickup, people have been sitting in the beds of those types of vehicles, though it isn’t quite as common – at least in moving vehicles – as it used to be. Regardless, there are times when using the bed of a pickup as a seating area might be useful, such as camping or tailgating, and that’s precisely where this patent comes into play.
As one might imagine, the idea here is to provide seating in the bed of a pickup that can be stowed away when it isn’t in use, then deployed when it is needed. The seats would be mounted into the sidewalls of the bed, along with a support structure. The seats would also be attached in a way that one could remove them if so desired, which would give them full use of the bed, while also having the option to leave the seats in place, too.
This is certainly an interesting idea, and given its modular nature, Ford could even use the same mounts that hold the seats for additional items, such as ramps, ladders, or other things one might want to stow in a pickup bed. As such, it’s something that we could very well see used in future Ford pickup beds at some point.
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Comments
We already had that back in the 60’s and 70’s. It was called the bed floor.
Yes, and that was uncomfortable as hell. Even when we used our truck bed at the drive-in, we needed to bring padding. No one wants to sit on a hard, uneven surface like a truck bet for more than a minute.
This patent drawing nearly leaks the entire T3 truck cab design, surprised that got through.
Gosh I hope not. That cab is horrid. Looks like a minivan with a 4’ bed tacked on the back.
A.K.A. : Subaru Brat
Seats in the pickup bed!! (Subaru brat) someone has too much time on their hands. What idiot is going to put their kids or friends in the bed and hope you don’t have a bad accident or rollover! Just go buy an explorer!
Notice on the patent that it states, “for a stationary vehicle.” Details, details.
Might be fun to use at the drive in, if you can even find one anymore! Or when camping, hunting, or tailgating. I would be interested in something like this.