One focus of Apple's Vehicle project, known as Project Titan, is including a table in van or shuttle bus style vehicles. Patently Apple covered two such patents in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Late last month, another Apple patent was published in Geneva Switzerland that covers this very same subject matter. A second Project Titan patent covers a unique approach to side windows of a vehicle.

In Apple's patent background they note that some environments within a vehicle have few locations where an occupant may securely place an object (such as a cup of coffee). As an example, occupants of vehicles typically hold the object or place the object in a predetermined location, such as a cup holder, that may be inconvenient.

Apple's patent notes that occupants may benefit from convenient locations for placing and/or securing objects, such as a beverage cup. The invention is directed to a table that is configured for use within an interior of a vehicle, such as within a passenger compartment of a van or shuttle vehicle. The table includes features that enable use of an object during travel. The table may also be configured such that the features are usable by multiple occupants positioned throughout the passenger compartment.

The table is connectable to a vehicle, the table having a top surface and a channel defined in the top surface, the channel extending curvilinearly at least partially around a central portion of the top surface of the table, wherein the table is rotatable relative to the vehicle about a table axis. The accessory housing is disposed in the channel, wherein the accessory housing is configured to receive an object. The cover connectable to the table and is configured to selectively cover a portion of the channel.

Apple's patent FIGS. 1A and 1D are schematic side view illustrations of a vehicle having a table in accordance with the present invention.

Apple's patent FIG. 4 above is a top view of the table with hidden components illustrated with dotted lines and movable positions of components illustrated with dashed lines.

Apple later notes that the cup holder may include elastically deforming protrusions disposed on the sides of the cup holder that squeeze the container when the container is inserted into the cup holder. As another example, the cup holder may include magnets that retain the container when the container is inserted into the cup holder where the container includes ferromagnetic portions.

For more on this, read Apple's patent application WO2024019837 published in Geneva on January 25, 2024.

Side Note: On January 23^rd, Patently Apple posted a report titled "With governments failing to start smart road projects supporting autonomous vehicles, Apple refocuses Project Titan on conditional automation."

Vehicle Side Window Panels

A second Project Titan patent was published by USPTO and WIPO (Geneva) on February 1^st covering future window panels. What's unique here is that Apple notes; "the door defines a door surface portion and the window surface of the window is flush relative to the door surface portion when the window is in the closed position. 

Later in the patent Apple notes that "The windows described herein are supported using brackets and guide structures that allow for complex motion of the window and complex shapes for the window, as opposed to motion and shapes that are dictated by linear translation or constant radius translation, as is the case in some common window designs. This complex motion allows an outer surface of the window to be positioned flush relative to surrounding surfaces of the vehicle body when the window is in the closed position.

The vehicle windows being flush with the vehicle body when closed would provide the outer design of the vehicle with a unique appearance. Whether this could provide better aerodynamics is unknown and not found as a patent point.

For full details, review Apple's patent application 20240035327.