Ford Motor Co., the 112-year-old automaker, has sought a record number of patents in 2015 as Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields pushes the company toward Silicon Valley-style innovation. The company applied for 5,872 patents so far this year, a 36 percent increase from all of 2014, in areas including autonomous cars, wearable devices and ride-sharing, according to a statement Tuesday. Ford said its filings related to electrified vehicles have almost tripled in the past five years, including more than 400 last year.
