• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechPointCloud

Amazon Snags Another Patent to Ease Drone Deliveries

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 31, 2017, 8:01 AM ET

In case you hadn’t noticed, e-commerce giant Amazon is obsessed with delivering products to you any way it can. And this week, it received a patent from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office that, in theory, would enable packages to parachute to your doorstep.

The patent, first spotted by Geekwire, calls for package labels to bundle up their own parachutes, which would presumably deliver the goods safely without harming either the contents or anything (or anyone) on the ground.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The patent says the new system can include adhesive backing, cords, a parachute, and a breakaway cover.

Amazon (AMZN) is not resting on its laurels. In March, it showed off its commercial delivery drone at the SXSW conference in Austin, although it did not demonstrate the drone in flight.

Drone delivery technology is marching on with UPS, Walmart (WMT), and Google (GOOGL), among other companies, also working on delivery drones. Thus far, Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that drones be flown within sight of their (human) operators, which limits their range.

Related: Amazon Drone Delivers Sunscreen in Demo

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators, including Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), introduced legislation that would let state and local authorities regulate the use of drones in their jurisdictions. Scatter shot regulations could also impede the use of drone delivery.

Another limitation: So far, the most advanced batteries can only drive a drone for about 30 minutes without a recharge.

Related: Walmart Explores Blockchain for Drone Delivery

For Amazon and other players, commercial drone delivery remains in process. In February, the company got a related patent to enable a flying drone to eject a package using “pneumatic actuators, electromagnets, spring coils, and parachutes [to] generate the force that establishes the vertical descent path of the package,” according to the patent filing published Tuesday.

Earlier this year, market research firm Gartner (IT) said it doesn’t expect commercial drone delivery to become a major business in the foreseeable future.

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Alex Karp smiles on stage
Big TechPalantir Technologies
Alex Karp credits his dyslexia for Palantir’s $415 billion success: ‘There is no playbook a dyslexic can master… therefore we learn to think freely’
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 3, 2025
24 minutes ago
Isaacman
PoliticsNASA
Billionaire spacewalker pleads his case to lead NASA, again, in Senate hearing
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
34 minutes ago
Kris Mayes
LawArizona
Arizona becomes latest state to sue Temu over claims that its stealing customer data
By Sejal Govindarao and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
50 minutes ago
Startups & VentureLeadership Next
Only social media platforms with ‘real humanity’ will survive, investor and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says
By Fortune EditorsDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Dave’s Hot Chicken is placing broad bets on AI to give the restaurant chain an edge in the chicken wars
By John KellDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
AITech
IBM CEO warns there’s ‘no way’ hyperscalers like Google and Amazon will be able to turn a profit at the rate of their data center spending
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.