Future Ford Vehicles May Get Progressive Lockout Policy

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a progressive lockout policy that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on January 11^th, 2021, published on April 2^nd, 2024, and assigned serial number 11945403.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed a handful of patents in recent months that aim to improve access and security as it pertains to future vehicles, including ideas for enhanced contactless vehicle codes, a vehicle access card with a display, a remote keyless entry method that uses NFC key cards, and a window based keyless entry system. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going by presenting us with an idea for a progressive lockout policy that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

The concept behind this new patent is similar to the aforementioned filings in that it revolves around ways to grant access to vehicles without using a device, as well as providing a remote interface for managing lockout states. These days, we tend to use things like key fobs or phones to access vehicles, but given the prevalence of technology that allows thieves to gain access to that information and more easily steal vehicles, some sort of improvement is needed.

This patent aims to do precisely that with improved user authentication techniques such as a biometric sensor that would be able to authenticate users as they approach the vehicle. Perhaps more importantly, those that try to gain unauthorized access to the same vehicle could be locked out and this process shut down if they continue to try to do so. This seems like an interesting way to beef up vehicle security, and given the rise in thefts using data-grabbing devices, might prove viable for use in the future.

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