US Patent Issued to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES on June 23 for "Accessory steps for vehicle closure members" (Michigan Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 15 -- United States Patent no. 12,662,055, issued on June 23, was assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC (Dearborn, Mich.).

"Accessory steps for vehicle closure members" was invented by Joseph Prior (Detroit).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Accessory steps are provided for use on motor vehicles during stationary or non-moving conditions of the vehicle. Exemplary accessory steps may include a step portion and a hook portion. The step portion may be configured to provide a step surface for a user to step on in order to access an upper vehicle structure. The hook portion may be configured to engage a hinge assembly of a closure member system of the stationary motor vehicle....