Patent Filing Suggests Ford Vehicles May Get Heated SecuriCode Keypad

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a possible heated SecuriCode keypad, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on January 22^nd, 2020, published on August 2^nd, 2022, and assigned serial number 11405984.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a host of convenience-related patents in recent months, including one for a heated side window system, heated windshield wiper blades, heated windshield camera viewing zones, and a steering wheel with multiple heaters built in. Now, this new Ford patent keeps that trend going by depicting an idea for a heated “exterior interface” that closely resembles the automaker’s existing SecuriCode keypad.

This Ford patent doesn’t mention the SecuriCode keypad by name, but notes that this system could be used on “B-pillar appliqués” such as keypads, including those used to gain access to a vehicle without using a key by entering a code. This system would utilize a heater with a conductive polymer designed to keep the keypad dry and free of ice, which could make it difficult or impossible to operate.

According to Ford, the heater would take very little power to operate, and that it would also be cheap to manufacture and assemble. For those that appreciate the SecuriCode keypad and live in colder climates, such a feature would also be quite welcome, given the fact that it’s often difficult to gain access to vehicles in the winter regardless, whether that be by key or keypad, or even via increasingly-common flush door handles. If such a feature is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, it’s a pretty safe bet that it will show up on some future vehicles as well.

We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.