Ford designs passenger-mounted folding tray storage system

Ford has developed a foldable tray system for use in the passenger seat of a vehicle, but this is not an airline-style tray table.

The tray system consists of up to 3 sections connected by a hinge, and the entire assembly can be folded and stored in the vehicle's glove box.According to Ford's patent application, which was announced by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) at 5.30 am and first filed by Ford in 2022, the system was first filed in 2022.

One of the 3 sections will be attached to the inside of the glove box and the other end will be secured to the passenger seat belt buckle through the connector, Ford said in the patent application.1

Depending on the application, at least 3 of the 1 tray sections also have molded recesses to hold the item. The accompanying drawings show the number of circular sculpted-outs they seem to be able to serve as cup holders, as well as the slits they may be able to support a phone or tablet.

This tray system provides more space for storing small items, but the trade-off is the front seat, which is not available to passengers, and the fully deployed tray assembly appears to be directly above the lower cushion of the passenger seat, leaving no space for the person's feet. If the driver stops short, it's probably the same, as the items on the tray can become projectiles.

This is just one of several recent Ford patent applications related to reconfigurable interior appliances.1 Others range from deployable dashboard desks to workstations for EV frunks. None of these ideas are guaranteed to reach production, but the level of activity shows that Ford puts a lot of emphasis on rethinking the interior.