As lighting technology continues to advance in the years since the original Audi R8 debuted an LED setup, automakers have realized that they can create a sort of nighttime corporate identity even from a distance, which has made lighting signatures more important than badges. Volkswagen has even created a way of using light to communicate, but while some lights are anything but fun, Ford's latest invention certainly is.

In patent documents uncovered by CarBuzz, the American automaker has revealed an innovation that makes customizing your headlights and taillights so easy that you can create a new look for your car in a matter of minutes.

The drawings in the documents appear to represent a Ford Fusion with some extra ST spice. It's unclear if Ford aims to revive the Fusion ST project, but what we do see is a system that allows for the headlight or taillight to be opened from the interior side. Once open, this little door allows access to a panel where a removable insert on the interior wall can be mounted. A secondary light source is mounted directly to the interior wall of the lamp housing, allowing the removable insert to be illuminated separately, thereby making it stand out more clearly when viewing the entire lighting system from the outside of the vehicle.

The filing goes on to explain that this system for customizing lamps can be applied to any of the compartments of a headlight or taillight unit, including those housing turn signal indicators. It's unclear if the system is meant for user customization or is just designed to make things easier for Ford. If it's the latter, we imagine that the idea came from a desire to produce one sort of taillight and then easily restyle it for performance models like an ST variant of whatever vehicle the unique lighting system is fitted to. Still, it's quite possible that Ford will offer additional removable inserts as part of the options on new cars to make freshening up the look of your new car easier.