ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,576,919, issued on March 17, was assigned to FCA US LLC (Auburn Hills, Mich.).
"Combined drivetrain access panel and footrest" was invented by Michael L Nemeth (Holly, Mich.), Kevin A Spangler (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Chris Borczon (Livonia, Mich.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A vehicle including a vehicle cabin floor having an aperture formed therein for providing access to a vehicle drivetrain component located beneath the vehicle cabin floor. The aperture is covered by a removable panel. The removable panel, in addition to providing access to the vehicle drivetrain component, also includes a planar section that may serve as a footres...