Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been awarded two new drone patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The two new drone patents were originally filed by Amazon.com, Inc. back in 2015. However, they were only granted to the company by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday.
Amazon.com, Inc.’s first new drone patent describes a system that could be used to allow for easier landing of the vehicles. The patent includes images and text that talk about a landing system that could detect the terrain below. It would then use this information to adjust the length of extendable legs to remain horizontal on uneven surfaces.
The patent also mentions that these extendable legs may contain special feet for clinging to surfaces. This may includes a magnet for holding to metal, suction cups, and screw that could push into the ground. The patent also talks about the ability of the drone to rotate separate of the landing gear to accommodate for wind.
The second patent doesn’t have quite as much flair to it as the first. It is for an adjustable propeller system that would allow drones to more easily move through the air. These could be used in normal transit and when heavy winds are present, reports CNBC.
Amazon.com, Inc. appears to be getting closer and closer to rolling out its Amazon Prime Air drone delivery service. It has been testing drones in different countries and recently ran an ad for the service during the 2017 Super Bowl. Other companies, such as United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS), have also been testing drone delivery.
