Apple might have canned its plans for an Apple Automobile, however the firm continues to be submitting for vehicle-related patents. The most recent is quantity US 20240116337 A1 for “Physique and Closures.”
Concerning the patent submitting
The patent submitting — which appears designed to learn of us with mobility points — entails a car that features a car physique, a gap that’s outlined by the car physique, a door, and an entry construction. The door is related to the car physique for motion between a closed place and an open place by pivoting outward and downward relative to the car physique.
The entry construction is related to the door and is movable from a stowed place to a deployed place when the door is within the open place, whereby the entry construction defines a strolling floor within the deployed place.
The entry construction may embody a movable ramp. The movable ramp could also be situated contained in the door within the stowed place and should lengthen outward from the door within the deployed place.
What’s extra, the entry construction may features a stairway meeting that features movable stair treads which can be related to the door and transfer with respect to the door throughout motion of the entry construction between the stowed place and the deployed place, whereby every of the movable stair treads defines a strolling floor portion of the strolling floor when the entry construction is within the deployed place.
Abstract of the patent
Right here’s Apple’s summary of the patent submitting: “A closure features a door configured for motion with respect to a gap between a closed place and an open place, and a movable roof panel that configured for connection to the physique for motion with respect to the opening between a closed place and an open place by pivoting relative to the physique. The closure additionally consists of an entry construction that’s configured to be movable from a stowed place to a deployed place when the door is within the open place, whereby the entry construction defines a strolling floor within the deployed place.”
