New Ford Patent Previews Potential Center Console Folding Table Design
If this newly-filed Ford patent comes to life, we could soon have a new, convenient way to work or eat on the go.
Ford – like most major companies – files a number of patents on a nearly daily basis, always working to stay ahead of the competition in terms of innovative features. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of trucks, where each passing generation means at least a handful of cool and nifty features that aim to make our lives a bit easier or more convenient. The latest possible future feature we may one day see in our trucks stems from this – a Ford patent outlining an idea for a center console with a fold-out table – that was first discovered by Motor Authority.
The redesigned 2021 Ford F-150 debuted with an array of new features, including its now-quite-popular Interior Work Surface, which enables users to transform the console into a flat working surface perfect for everything from clipboards with paperwork to laptops. Additionally, the all-new Transit Custom features a steering wheel that folds flat and doubles as a table. Thus, it’s no surprise to learn that The Blue Oval is also thinking about taking that concept a step further, as we can see in these patent drawings.
Instead of merely folding the center console forward and creating a flat surface, however, this patent takes that idea to the next level by incorporating a folding table into the console lid. In fact, that lid would double as both a traditional armrest and a table that’s hinged from the inside.
To access it, users would simply pull up on the lid and then fold out a pair of sides, creating an instant place for work, somewhere to set a meal, or merely to use as a general spot for just about anything one might want to set down. Unlike many patent filings, it’s an incredibly simple idea that seemingly wouldn’t cost a ton of money or take a lot of time to bring to life, making it somewhat likely that we’ll see it – or something like it – in the near future.
Given the fact that Ford has filed a large number of patents outlining ways it’s thinking about incorporating different types of work surfaces into its future models, that possibility grows even stronger. And truthfully, who wouldn’t want something like this in their center console?
Photos: Ford
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