Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for versatile floor panels that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on June 17th, 2022, published on January 14th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12195096.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford continues to publish patents outlining ways that it could potentially innovate in the pickup space moving forward, specifically, which is an area that it has traditionally dominated. In that realm, the automaker has introduced us to ideas including a multifunction bed extender, a multi-panel bed, and an accessory attachment system in recent months, all of which aim to improve the utility of future Ford pickups. Now, this newly published patent aims to do precisely the same thing, this time, with an idea for versatile bed floor panels.
Generally speaking, the bed floor area of pickups has remained largely the same for a very long time now, in that it’s a stationary panel designed to hold all sorts of goods. In this patent, Ford proposes adding a floor panel with a main section that slides outward when the tailgate is open, which would seemingly make it much easier to load and unload cargo. We’ve seen ideas like this before, but in this case, the bed would also feature a cover panel that can slide as well, providing some protection for items in the process.
The chief benefit here is that future Ford pickup truck owners could effectively extend the bed of their vehicles when needed, which would come in handy for hauling longer items or just more gear in general. At the same time, those goods could be protected from the elements if needed or desired, which vastly expands the type of cargo one could carry utilizing this system. It’s a pretty genius and yet simple idea, making it seemingly likely to one day come to fruition – though whether or not it will remains to be seen.
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