DETROIT: Ford was recently granted a patent for a portable entertainment system that features a pull-down screen that can be mounted in the bed of a pickup.
Late last week CNET's Roadshow spotted a Ford patent that has recently been granted, outlining a "portable entertainment support system for a pickup truck box."
Basically, the entertainment system would comprised two main components: one crossbar mount placed right behind the truck's cabin which supports a roll-down screen facing towards the bed and a second crossbar mount placed further down the bed towards its rear that supports a video projector for the display and two flanking speakers.
The system of mounts has been designed to be assembled and disassembled by truck owners so that they can set up their mobile cinema whenever and wherever they please; having a factory solution is far more practical than owners creating a similar mechanism themselves by drilling holes in the bed to add mounts and making damaging installations at home.
A couple of years ago, Hitch Theaters tried to bring a similar truck entertainment system into the world, but their Kickstarter campaign failed to earn enough funding to make the system a reality. Ford, however, may just make the dreams of those who did support the project come true.
