The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 30, 2026
Filed:
Aug. 26, 2024
Ford Global Technologies, Llc, Dearborn, MI (US);
Stuart C. Salter, White Lake, MI (US);
Kendra White, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Ryan O'gorman, Beverly Hills, MI (US);
Brendan Diamond, Naples, FL (US);
Keith Weston, Canton, MI (US);
Abstract
A vehicle that can assist with preventing predatory towing is provided. The vehicle includes one or more sensors that can capture audio-visual and other data related to a location at which the vehicle may be parked. Based on the captured data, the vehicle can determine if that location has any specific parking rules and whether the vehicle is subject to towing. If the vehicle detects that it is being towed, it can verify based on the captured data whether the towing is legal or illegal. If the vehicle determines that the towing is illegal, it can output a notification to the tow operator that the towing activity is illegal. Additionally, the vehicle can capture data as the vehicle is being towed. This data along with the data captured by the vehicle prior to parking or just after parking can then be sent to the proper authorities.