Honda Patents Neat Remote-Controlled Rear Bumper Drawer
Honda has filed for a unique design patent: an air-conditioned drawer built into rear car bumpers. The drawer will mainly allow delivery drivers to place packages inside and securely lock them away.
Honda claims this is a viable alternative to leaving packages out in the open, where they are susceptible to theft and damage from the elements.
The drawer will be temperature-controlled via a set of compact fan motors. The AC would kick on when the drawer detects it has been locked with a package inside.
The design reflects tech that will allow the drawer to be unlocked and locked remotely by what appears to be a cell phone. We assume there would be an app to do so.
There isn’t a specified car model associated with the patent. However, one of the renderings looks to be an SUV. This might be indicative of future installation in one of the four SUVs in Honda’s current lineup. This includes the CR-V and the Pilot.
While the patent focuses on package delivery, we could see the drawer simply providing additional consumer storage. The Honda Ridgeline, the OEM’s popular midsize truck, already has a large storage compartment built under the truck bed. These storage compartments lock and unlock with the doors.
My family has had a few Honda Ridgelines over the years, and we find the extra storage compartment really convenient. I see this bumper storage patent proving successful for smaller passenger cars, even if package deliverers don’t use it. We’ll have to see how Honda implements the design, if ever.
Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
