Ford Files Patent for Retractable Tonneau Cover
Soon, accessing your truck’s bed won’t require lifting a finger. Well, except using one to push a button!
With every refresh of the iconic Ford F-150, we’re being treated to more and more useful features. From trailer backup assist to integrated bed steps, Ford puts a ton of research and development into making the lives of truck owners a little bit easier. And from the looks of their latest patent, we can expect our future trucks to do one more thing for us.
The patent filing, first discovered by Off-Road, is for a power retractable soft tonneau cover. The soft cover is supported by a frame, with rails on each side of the truck bed. The frame assembly itself is collapsible, with a motor attached to it. Controlling the cover could be accomplished via a button in the cab or by using the key fob. Or, more likely, both.
Unlike some other crazy patents we’ve seen over the years, this one makes a ton of sense. Tonneau covers are one of the first accessories owners purchase after bringing their truck home, after all. Options are many, but a lot of aftermarket covers don’t exactly fit very well. And some are downright hard or awkward to operate. This way, you get a convenient, perfectly fit cover already installed from the factory. One that conveniently folds out of the way when you don’t need it instead of commanding storage space somewhere.
The patent images show the retractable cover on a Ford Ranger, but Off-Road believes that it will appear on the F-150 first. In fact, they believe it could happen as soon as 2018. We certainly wouldn’t be surprised, considering the fact that this type of innovation is so simple. And we’ve already got power tailgates and pretty much everything else, so why not?
