ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,491,823, issued on Dec. 9, was assigned to MACNEIL IP LLC (Bolingbrook, Ill.).
"Truck bed liner with cushioning elements" was invented by Frederick W. Masanek Jr. (Barrington, Ill.) and Andrzej Bunda (St. John, Ind.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A truck bed liner is integrally molded of a thermoplastic material. Arrays of spaced-apart, endless cushioning elements downwardly depend from the bottom surface of the liner body. Notches are made in the bottom margins of the cushioning elements to permit fluid ingress to and egress from the cushioning element interiors. In one embodiment, the depth of the elements is uniform, and the top surfac...