So you bought yourself a new Ford F-150 truck (or perhaps it was a Ranger) with a bed to haul all the bigger items a car or SUV wouldn’t even imagine carrying. But, you still have smaller things that need their storage place. Like a roadside service kit, or something of the sort. Of course, you could put them inside the cab, but say all your underseat storage is full. With that in mind, it appears that Ford has come up with a solution, as their work continues toward perfecting the truck bed. A trunk, but this isn’t just any trunk; this is a trunk for your truck’s trunk. This particular storage feature looks to be for the Ford F-150, though it could work for all their trucks.
Ford Truck Trunk Patent: Details
The patent discovered by Carbuzz shows a cubby on the side of your F-150’s bed where you can put smaller items. The documents illustrate two separate bins, one directly behind the bed wall and another recessed down into the bed, tucked just behind the wheel liner. The first provides storage within the wall of the bed, and the second appears to be modular and can be moved about and customized as needed. It also looks like the door for this mechanism is a feature that can double as a holder for cargo within the bed.
Ford has also included an arm in the patent that can extend from the opening, working as a divider. Ford hasn’t provided any dimensions within the patent filing, which is likely intentional as the sizes could differ for each truck. But, it looks like this would end up being an option that would replace Ford’s Pro Power Onboard generator. The location shown in the diagrams appears to be where the system currently lives. There’s also a Cupholder solution, which means you’ll have to pick between having some added cargo and a place for your drink or portable power.
That being said, Ford can move the added cargo space elsewhere since there’s plenty of unused side wall space throughout the bed. So it doesn’t have to go where the Onboard generator is.
