米国特許出願（自動車関連）

自動車関連の特許権は「出し尽くした」と言われておりましたが、まだまだ発明は出そうです。これはFordの特許出願に関するニュースです。

Ford patent application imagines more sunshine with canopy-style windshield
The application shows a Ford Mustang, but maybe this style could make its way to other models.

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Sean Szymkowski
December 30, 2019 11:30 AM PST
Ford canopy windshield patent
Depending on how its implemented, this could look pretty neat.
USPTO
Ford may want to bathe drivers in even more sunshine, if one of its latest patent applications has any teeth to it.

A patent application for a canopy-style windshield was published this past November, which Mach E Club forum first posted earlier this month. CarAdvice first reported on the patent on Monday.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office documents, this design features a windshield and rear window that covers almost the entirety of the roof. Officially, the patent application title is for a "vehicle roof bow" and details the structural changes needed to make this kind of design feasible.

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Side roof rails would connect with front and rear bows, and the bows would lock into place via what the patent describes as "fingers." The entire construction would, supposedly, be able to handle energy created during a side-impact crash, and a lot of the patent application details how the rails and bows would handle said energy.

The sketches in the patent application show a current Ford Mustang, but don't take that as evidence the pony car is in for an all-glass makeover. Patents, in general, are never a perfect indicator as to what may be coming from an automaker. Oodles exist, and few make their way to production.

However, a predominantly glass roof could be a pretty mesmerizing trait for future Ford or Lincoln models. Perhaps not a sports car like the Mustang, but certainly some more luxurious offerings.