Ford is seeking to patent new {hardware} for pickup truck beds.

In response to a patent software revealed on April 20, 2023 (and initially filed Oct. 19, 2021), the Blue Oval is designing a pop-up mattress rail system. Rails could be housed within the mattress sides and raised up utilizing actuators, based on the applying.

This sort of rail system provides just a few prospects, Ford says within the software. Rails may assist safe taller cargo by stringing nets between them, and so they look like a great potential mounting level for rooftop tents or different equipment, as different automakers and aftermarket firms at present do with fastened bed-rail techniques.

Ford additionally proposes utilizing movable rails in some extra uncommon methods. The patent software describes utilizing the rails to elevate cargo from the bottom to mattress top with a pivoting attachment, a bit like an in-bed crane. A pair of pivoting crossbars may additionally help a cargo cowl, which might be made flush with the highest of the cab to enhance airflow over the truck whereas nonetheless offering room for taller cargo.

 

This is only one of a number of truck-related Ford patent filings. To this point this 12 months patent functions have been seen for a pickup with a midgate and fold-flat seats, a mattress cross-member system that would enable customers to winch cargo into the mattress, and a stable axle with hub motors that might be appropriate for electrical vehicles.

Ford’s rivals have been getting artistic, too. Rivian has tried to patent a brand new mattress storage system, and Normal Motors not too long ago trademarked the Multistow tailgate title, indicating a brand new tailgate design. Patent and trademark filings will not be proof of manufacturing plans, nonetheless, so it is onerous to say which of those concepts—if any—will transfer past the patent stage.