US Patent Issued to Ford Global Technologies on April 8 for "Autonomous vehicle configurable for transportation of passengers and cargo" (Michigan Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,269,326, issued on April 8, was assigned to Ford Global Technologies LLC (Dearborn, Mich.).

"Autonomous vehicle configurable for transportation of passengers and cargo" was invented by Michael John Harmon (Westland, Mich.) and Robert Walker (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "This disclosure relates to an autonomous vehicle configurable for transportation of either passengers, cargo, or both. The various aspects of this disclosure, which include moveable seat assemblies, a door arrangement, and storage bins, among other things, provide the vehicle with increased functionality and versatility, leading to more efficient...