The patent, which was spotted by Motor Trend, focuses on an "in-vehicle advertisement presentation system" to display commercials on the car's infotainment screen.

The patent also highlights how the technology can listen in on conversations.

"For example, this can include listening to conversations between occupants in the vehicle," the patent says.

"The conversations can be parsed for keywords or phrases that may indicate where the occupants are travelling to."

The technology is said to use previous mobile history and historical behaviour.

The in-car advertising proposes to use destination data to serve relevant ads. For example, if your car thinks you're going to a shopping centre, it will serve you commercials for products sold in the centre.

"These systems and methods may intelligently schedule variable durations of ads, with playing time seeking to maximise company revenue while minimising the impact on user experience," the patent adds.

Ford says that the feature would be configured so that the car will not show ads when it is unsafe to do so.

It is said the technology will show you fewer ads while driving faster on a highway, for example, and more ads while driving at lower speeds.

Ford released a statement defending the patent saying “Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property”.

"The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans," Ford added.

"No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services."