From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 31:
Amazon has received a
patent for a shipping label that contains a built-in parachute
that
would be used when dropping packages from drones for home deliveries.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane … oh wait, it’s my package of diapers.
Amazon customers could someday be repeating this phrase as the online retail giant on Tuesday received a patent for a shipping label with a built in parachute to help packages make a soft landing when dropped out of the air by drone or other airborne craft.
According to the newly issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the parachute label could look and act just like any other shipping label, but underneath is a system of cords, a parachute, a breakaway cover and possibly a harness to keep everything in place. The package could also be loaded with sensors to make sure the package hits its landing zone and a shock absorber in case the cargo is coming in a little too hot.Images in the patent file suggest that the parachute labels could be applied to every package, once drone delivery becomes a more common method for Amazon, and then later removed if a truck or other ground-based method makes more sense than drone delivery. The parachutes could be adorned with everything from bar codes and QR codes, to the delivery address, to coupons and more.
Parachutes could be of all different shapes and sizes and Amazon could apply multiple parachute labels to keep larger, heavier items from careening to the ground....MOREHT the patent was out there: DCVelocity, your source for logistics, material handling, transportation and more.
