Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a deployable tray system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on November 30th, 2022, published on May 30th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0174155.
The Ford Authority Take
Over the past couple of years, Ford has introduced a pair of new features that help make certain vehicles more mobile office spaces than just modes of transportation – the new Interior Work Surface feature that debuted in the 2021 Ford F-150, as well as the trick steering wheel present in the redesigned Ford Transit Custom. It then filed a patent for a tray assembly similar to the one in the Transit Custom back in March, as well as a deployable heated shelf last November. Now, this newly published patent presents us with another, similar idea for a deployable tray system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.
The concept behind this new idea is quite simple – Ford is working on various ways to incorporate trays into vehicles that can be stowed away out of sight when they’re not needed, and then deployed when they are. In this case, that involves a multi-piece tray that’s actually made up of three pieces, which could be stored in the dash area and then pulled down and out as needed.
This way, users could simply take advantage of a single tray piece if desired, or they could fold the entire unit out and have a larger set of trays to hold everything from laptops and tablets to drinks and food. It’s certainly a useful idea that pretty much anyone could take advantage of – given how much time we spend in our vehicles – and if nothing else, we’re pretty certain to see something like it wind up in future Ford vehicles.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford patent news, Ford business news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
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