Ramps and tonneau covers are frequent pickup truck equipment. A lately surfaced Toyota patent software combines them.
Printed by america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) April 16, 2024, and initially filed by Toyota in 2022, the appliance particulars loading ramps that may very well be stowed on the underside of a tonneau cowl—releasing up extra space within the mattress.
Toyota patent picture for tonneau cowl with built-in ramp system
Based on the appliance, the ramps can be secured on rails that will permit them to slip out and used to load cargo on prime of the tonneau cowl, leaving the lined mattress area beneath free for different objects.
Toyota says within the software that the tonneau cowl can be made out of “a plastic materials or a composite materials,” however very sturdy variations of these supplies would probably be wanted to assist the burden of any cargo resting on prime of the quilt. The ramps may be used with out the tonneau cowl, attaching to the again of the tailgate like typical loading ramps, in line with the appliance.
Toyota patent picture for tonneau cowl with built-in ramp system
Different automakers additionally seem like contemplating built-in loading ramps. A Normal Motors patent submitting printed earlier this yr reveals foldable mattress ramps designed to create a shallow ramp angle for simpler loading whereas nonetheless with the ability to match into the mattress itself.
A ramp system was additionally talked about in a 2023 Ford patent submitting for an prolonged cargo mattress. On this case, the ramp would telescope out from the ground of a pickup mattress, which itself may very well be prolonged or retracted to elongate the loadspace. In one other patent submitting, Ford additionally mentioned an built-in loading ramp for SUVs.
