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The "Detailed Description" of the actual patent[1] reads like wonderful science fiction. It uses the familiar UAV for "unmanned aerial vehicles" and introduces

The "Detailed Description" of the actual patent[1] reads like wonderful science fiction. It uses the familiar UAV for "unmanned aerial vehicles" and introduces AFC for "aerial fulfillment center." They have visions of the AFCs not only being placed above metropolitan areas where people can simply browse the inventories of them, but actually moving into place in on demand scenarios: "An AFC may navigate to an area based on various positioning factors. For example, a temporal event (e.g., a football game) may be expected to produce a demand for certain types of items (e.g., sporting paraphernalia, food products, etc.). In advance of the event, the items may be delivered to the AFC in a quantity sufficient to satisfy the expected demand and the AFC may navigate to a position such that UAVs deployed from the AFC can safely navigate to the location of the event and deliver the items, thereby satisfying the demand. In some implementations, the AFC may navigate to a lower altitude and provide advertising for the temporal event or for other occasions (e.g., product announcements, product releases, sales)." Very reminiscent of carriers from StarCraft slowly lumbering into position and releasing robotic fleets from their bowels. But they don't stop at just advertising for these "temporal events." Bringing up visions of the omnipresent geisha blimp from Blade Runner, they describe ways in which ads can be displayed around 2,000 feet in the air above cities as well. There's language like "docking bays" and "dirigibles" in a world with shuttles going to and from AFCs, charging and repairing UAVs autonomously. The patent is a long read, as patents tend to be, but definitely fun if you're into this sort of stuff. [1] - http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=9305280.PN.&OS=PN/9305280&RS=PN/9305280 http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=...

empath75 10y ago
The best part of this is they felt like they needed to patent this idea. Tell me, what other company would be crazy or ambitious enough to even attempt this?
- Twirrim 10y ago
  Amazon files a lot of patents. Most of which never actually end up being used. It's not that they're not viable, it's that sometimes better options are discovered. In no small part it's building up a nuclear arsenal, as it were. With the way patents are being used to attack companies and extort them, having many patents in your arsenal gives others pause for thought as the odds of there not being something you're doing that isn't covered by a patent they hold gets lower and lower all the time.
  - cookiecaper 10y ago
    While this is true, we need to de-weaponize our patent system and restore its original purpose of protecting innovators (especially and specifically small innovators) rather than forcing everyone to acquire a defensive arsenal of nuclear IP, and hoping they never decide to take a "best defense is a good offense" approach.
    - Twirrim 10y ago
      No argument from me there.
- beambot 10y ago
  Plenty. Others are even further along... I can't talk about the one I know deeply about, but here's a public resource about another from Lockheed: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/HybridAirship.html http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/HybridAirship.html
- jpalomaki 10y ago
  Probably at Amazon level the main problem is not legitimate competition but patent trolls. Better to be on safe side and just patent everything.
burger_moon 10y ago
Having beer and brats delivered to your tailgate party at a baseball game by an Amazon blimp and drone sounds pretty awesome. It sounds quite ambitious with current technology of drones but if successful could really change the landscape of public events. I wonder how long it would be before the NFL banned them from selling merchandise at games.
- Alupis 10y ago
  > Having beer and brats delivered to your tailgate party at a baseball game by an Amazon blimp and drone sounds pretty awesome It does sound pretty awesome - but after the novelty wears off, is this a viable business? If you're going to a tailgate party, chances are you're going to bring the food with you - after all, Amazon is going to have to charge some additional delivery fee vs. you just picking things up at your local store.
  - birdmanjeremy 10y ago
    The store has to charge an additional fee for having a retail location.
    - Alupis 10y ago
      Well, you can go browse the Amazon Fresh selection, and compare it to your local grocery store. Things are considerably more expensive on Amazon Fresh - you're paying for convenience. The cost of a blimp to have a refrigeration system onboard, the cost of carrying brats around just in case someone orders them, plus the cost of the drone to make a special trip down to you all adds cost on top of the base food item price. That doesn't even take into account the cost to Amazon to purchase the brats in the first place, and have them shipped/trucked to their facilities before loading onto this blimp. The grocery store pays this same acquisition fee, and pays for storage, but that's about it. Right now, you even have to pay an additional fee just to use Amazon Fresh - again, because it's the convenience you're paying for. So, I'd wager, after people use the service a few times for kicks, they'll get tired of paying more for the novelty of a drone delivery to their car in a parking lot... and go back to using regular grocery stores. This drone delivery thing is probably better for last-second/forgotten items - but again, that's the convenience your're paying for.
oh_sigh 10y ago
I proposed this during an idea hackathon at amazon 4.5 years ago, and got laughed at. I also proposed drone delivery at the same hackathon - though granted, not delivering from the FC, but having drones deliver the "last 1/20th of a mile" from a delivery truck to the persons door, so the truck could just roll down the street without the driver stopping every 50 feet, and the drones could constantly be recharged. Gur Kimchi(who went on to lead some of the amazon drone business) was my VP at the time, told me it was a silly idea :( Oh well, ideas are cheap.

empath75 10y ago

The best part of this is they felt like they needed to patent this idea. Tell me, what other company would be crazy or ambitious enough to even attempt this?

Twirrim 10y ago
Amazon files a lot of patents. Most of which never actually end up being used. It's not that they're not viable, it's that sometimes better options are discovered. In no small part it's building up a nuclear arsenal, as it were. With the way patents are being used to attack companies and extort them, having many patents in your arsenal gives others pause for thought as the odds of there not being something you're doing that isn't covered by a patent they hold gets lower and lower all the time.
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  While this is true, we need to de-weaponize our patent system and restore its original purpose of protecting innovators (especially and specifically small innovators) rather than forcing everyone to acquire a defensive arsenal of nuclear IP, and hoping they never decide to take a "best defense is a good offense" approach.
  - Twirrim 10y ago
    No argument from me there.
beambot 10y ago
Plenty. Others are even further along... I can't talk about the one I know deeply about, but here's a public resource about another from Lockheed: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/HybridAirship.html http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/HybridAirship.html
jpalomaki 10y ago
Probably at Amazon level the main problem is not legitimate competition but patent trolls. Better to be on safe side and just patent everything.

burger_moon 10y ago

Having beer and brats delivered to your tailgate party at a baseball game by an Amazon blimp and drone sounds pretty awesome. It sounds quite ambitious with current technology of drones but if successful could really change the landscape of public events. I wonder how long it would be before the NFL banned them from selling merchandise at games.

Alupis 10y ago
> Having beer and brats delivered to your tailgate party at a baseball game by an Amazon blimp and drone sounds pretty awesome It does sound pretty awesome - but after the novelty wears off, is this a viable business? If you're going to a tailgate party, chances are you're going to bring the food with you - after all, Amazon is going to have to charge some additional delivery fee vs. you just picking things up at your local store.
- birdmanjeremy 10y ago
  The store has to charge an additional fee for having a retail location.
  - Alupis 10y ago
    Well, you can go browse the Amazon Fresh selection, and compare it to your local grocery store. Things are considerably more expensive on Amazon Fresh - you're paying for convenience. The cost of a blimp to have a refrigeration system onboard, the cost of carrying brats around just in case someone orders them, plus the cost of the drone to make a special trip down to you all adds cost on top of the base food item price. That doesn't even take into account the cost to Amazon to purchase the brats in the first place, and have them shipped/trucked to their facilities before loading onto this blimp. The grocery store pays this same acquisition fee, and pays for storage, but that's about it. Right now, you even have to pay an additional fee just to use Amazon Fresh - again, because it's the convenience you're paying for. So, I'd wager, after people use the service a few times for kicks, they'll get tired of paying more for the novelty of a drone delivery to their car in a parking lot... and go back to using regular grocery stores. This drone delivery thing is probably better for last-second/forgotten items - but again, that's the convenience your're paying for.

oh_sigh 10y ago

I proposed this during an idea hackathon at amazon 4.5 years ago, and got laughed at. I also proposed drone delivery at the same hackathon - though granted, not delivering from the FC, but having drones deliver the "last 1/20th of a mile" from a delivery truck to the persons door, so the truck could just roll down the street without the driver stopping every 50 feet, and the drones could constantly be recharged. Gur Kimchi(who went on to lead some of the amazon drone business) was my VP at the time, told me it was a silly idea :( Oh well, ideas are cheap.