ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 4 -- United States Patent no. 12,319,361, issued on June 3, was assigned to Hyundai Motor Co. (Seoul, South Korea) and Kia Corp. (Seoul, South Korea).
"Sliding tailgate for a vehicle" was invented by Manikandan Babymony (Superior Township, Mich.) and Jason J. Lilburn (Superior Township, Mich.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A tailgate opening system includes a first panel and a second panel forming a tailgate of the vehicle. The vehicle has a first vehicle sidewall and a second vehicle sidewall. A first hinge is coupled between the first panel and the second panel. The first hinge is configured to rotate the second panel toward the first panel, moving the second panel tow...