Damage Scanner, Green Light Predictor and Restaurant Caller: Ford's (NYSE:F) Three Wildest Patents of 2025

Legacy automaker Ford (F) had quite a year in patent filings in 2025. They filed a whole string of them, with at least 18 different patents coming to light. And some of them were downright amazing. Others of them were just plain wild. Three of the new patents immediately caught my attention, and so, to kick off the year, let's take a look together at some of the wildest patents Ford filed in 2025.Claim 70% Off TipRanks This Holiday SeasonUnlock hedge fund-level data and powerful investing tools for smarter, sharper decisions Stay ahead of the market with the latest news and analysis and maximize your portfolio's potential 3. The Car-to-Car Damage Scanner If cars were to insult each other, chances are they would call each other out on their overall condition. "Rusty Chassis" might well be the worst of pejorative slurs. But that is actually what Ford had in mind with one new patent. Known as "System and Method for Identifying a Vehicle in Suboptimal Condition," the system can not only identify a vehicle in need of maintenance, but also, it can do so remotely, and notify other drivers. The exact "how" of it is a bit unclear from the patent, but one line specifically mentions "Obtain inputs from a sensor unit." Could this be a vehicle oil debris monitor (ODM) sensor or something similar set to transmit? There are several possibilities here.That may sound as unnecessary as it is intrusive, but consider: you may one day find yourself driving behind a car in poor repair with an unsecured load. The Ford system would effectively notify you that that vehicle is a Final Destination sequence waiting to happen. And maybe, just maybe, you keep yourself from ending up with a log through your windshield. 2. The Restaurant Connector Eating while driving is a standard. Eating in your car, or just going somewhere for a meal—particularly while traveling—has become a way of life for many. And with this in mind, Ford's patent for a system known as "Method and System for an Automated Restaurant Experience Assistance for a Vehicle." This tool opens up several potential use cases. Not only would it allow for users to order food directly from their infotainment screens about as easily as changing a radio station, but also, it would allow for users to make reservations from that same display. Placing pickup orders would also be on the table, all of which would dovetail handily into a car platform. It might also prove a useful revenue stream for Ford itself. Ford could easily offer space at the top of the list to interested "partner" restaurants, making their results easier to spot and order from. While certainly every restaurant could get in on this, highlighted options have been worth paying for in the past. 1. The Green Light Predictor If you have ever been driving and muttered something to the equivalent of "stay green, stay green," then you know one of the most common issues for drivers: never knowing just how much time is left on that green light. But with a new Ford patent, Ford drivers may be able to tell just how long they have before that yellow light hits. The patent, known as "Systems and Methods for Predicting Probability of Vehicle Passage During Traffic Light Green Phase," does not depend on a connection to local government systems, but instead, uses math to do the job instead. It analyzes how long cars have been at the light, and then estimate how long it takes a vehicle to cross the intersection the light governs. With that information, the system can then project whether or not you will cross in the time it takes to reach the intersection. The results would have to be taken with a grain of salt—it is not as though light lengths are synchronized throughout the United States—but a little extra information could make some real difference for drivers. Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on two Buys, 10 Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 35.96% rally in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $13.27 per share implies 1.14% upside potential.