Amazon delivery drones may drop packages via parachute

Amazon has said its drones are coming soon - but don't necessarily expect them to land in your yard.

The US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Amazon a patent for a method to guide packages released from drones safely to the ground, the CNN reports.

Previously the e-commerce giant had publicly released demo videos of its drones landing in yards to drop off packages. The company has testing for several years to determine the best method to deliver to customers in the future.

The patent suggests Amazon is considering keeping its drones high above customers' homes, an approach that could be more efficient and safe. In the document, Amazon said that landing a drone takes more time and energy than releasing a package from high in the sky. If Amazon's drones don't land in yards, this prevents potentially dangerous collisions between the drones and any people, pets or objects in a customer's yard.

The patent also describes how Amazon's drones would use magnets, parachutes or spring coils to release the delivery while in mid-flight. Once the package is released, the drone would then monitor the descending box to make sure it's dropping properly onto the desired landing patch.