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Amazon Patents Way To Turn Lampposts, Church Steeples Into Drone Perches (consumerist.com)
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Consumerist: Amazon has received a patent that shows what drones may be doing when they're not flying throughout the sky delivering packages: sitting on lampposts and church steeples. "Amazon was recently awarded a patent for docking and recharging stations that would be built on tall, existing structures like lampposts, cell towers, or church steeples," reports The Consumerist. "Once the drone is done making a delivery, it would be able to land on the station, recharge and refuel, as well as pick up additional packages." A "central control system" would then be able to control each docking station and connect the docked drone(s) with a local or regional packaged handling center or central facility. Based on weather or package data, the drones may be commanded accordingly. The patent says the system will not only provide directions based to the drone, but will have the ability to redirect the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the most favorable conditions, such as a route with less wind. The patent describes a system in which the drone delivers a package to the platform that then moves the item via a "vacuum tube, dumbwaiter, elevator, or conveyor to the ground level." From there, the package could be transferred to an Amazon Locker or a local delivery person. The docking stations could also act as cell towers that "provide local free or fee-based Wi-Fi services. This can enable cities to provide free Wi-Fi in public parks, buildings, and other public areas without bearing the burden of installing some, or all, of the necessary infrastructure."
they are
Unbelievably ass-ugly, and i doubt many cities would relax their building codes for them.
The Goodfeathers are suing for prior art.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
How can they grant a monopoly to a single entity over such an obvious and necessary infrastructure item? What are all the other companies supposed to do, pay fees to amazon? Pay orders of magnitude more money to build on cell tower land or something? How can the government justify this action?
This is a complete failure of the patent system, except for one thing, the entire patent system is a complete failure from the start.
So apparently the US Patent Office will now grant a patent for a transcript of a late night undergrad bull session where at least 2 of the participants are high...
That seems the most likely source of this patent, to me. I think the USPTO has inverted the obviousness clause: the very most obvious of business method patents require and obviously deserve to be granted, or how can US businesses continue to get richer?
"Our drones are really short range. How do we use them to deliver stuff everywhere?"
"Drone docks everywhere!"
"Ok. So we put drone docks everywhere. How do we keep people from stealing or vandalizing them?"
"They fly, right?
"Yes."
"So like.... like.... uhmmmm.... what was I saying.... this is really good weed..... flying... oh yeah, put 'em high up!"
"Like on top of lamp posts and church steeples?"
"Yeah!"
"And make 'em deliver roaches!"
"Yeah!"
Thankfully, Amazon figured out that drones can have wings, and eliminated the problem entirely. So they got a patent granted for some stoner's idea. They'll never use it.
I can only support this idea if the drones are redesigned to look like gargoyles - now, that would be cool!
They want their drones struck by lightening?
...Time to patent a way to make a steeple/pole/tower (that I own, on private property) "look" like a drone recharging station, that actually fries those fuckers.
Make no mistake, I have nothing against drones, as a concept; but fuck me if I'll give Amazon a free charge to help them expand Prime.
A bird shits on it ? ( docking station)
Finally, a use for the abandoned Metricom Ricochet equipment on the top of street lights!
Instead of tying perching drones to fixed recharging stations, why couldn't idle drones just roost on a roof or other sunny spot, spread solar wings, and recharge while waiting for the next assignment? During bad weather, they could hide under eaves or other protected places.
The lightning problem means that church steeples are not particularly safe places for drones to wait out weather in any case.
Amazon plans to lease the lamp post space, cost of electricity factored into the lease.
I'm worried - that could really change the balance of power in Narnia.
#DeleteChrome
I'd rent them space for a drone recharging station/rest stop especially if it got me preferred delivery or a discount on delivery. I'm already a prime member and get more than my monies worth in Prime video and discounted shipping, not to mention the kindle library and streaming music. I hate coming of like a shill but I like amazon and my family and I shop a lot online. I buy paperback books by the boatload from amazon for ridiculously low prices and then share them with friends or donate them to the local school.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Clearly an idea by someone who has no clue about religious sensitivities, congregations, and the like.
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
I know this is an aggregation site and that slashdot does not have control. However, the title is incorrect. Amazon has not 'patented' "Way[s] To Turn Lampposts, Church Steeples Into Drone Perches".. at least based on the linked granted patent. Read the numbered claims, which are found at the end of the document. In particular, check out independent claims 1, 9 and 18 which are the legally enforceable part of the granted patent. These claims recite a method that includes using docking stations for purposes of flight path rerouting. In fact, the claims are from the standpoint of some controller and not from the drones themselves. Simply stated, the claims are the legally enforceable part and represent what the inventor/applicant believes to be their invention. People seem up in arms over what this patent actually protects without understanding what the 'scope' of the patent actually is. Note they could certainly file additional claims in another application that cover additional aspects of their specification (e.g., the technical write-up that includes reference numbers and figures), which is known generally as a continuation application. However, those claims would be examined by the USPTO and rejected if there is prior art out there that renders them not-novel or obvious.
Birds have prior art.
So a church is going to give away its tax free status to rent roof space for profits? Not going to happen. Plus, church steeples are a work of art no way they are going to allow a charging system to muck it up.
Jack of all trades,master of none
Of course they'll be outfitted with cameras and microphones and people would get used to having them around, how convenient for the NSA/CIA/FBI, and the soon-to-be formed Thought Police.
Fuck off, Amazon.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Can't wait until an endangered species decides to start nesting on these. Apparently Amazon doesn't worry about things like bird crap, ice, UV exposure, and so on. These "docks" will never last.
Maintenance drones will handle any such issues.
Great, now we're going to have wars over "on a lamppost" patents.
That drones would be cheaper than cars for deliveries at least make sense. Not anymore. Cars have always won based on their independence -- aside from roads, they require very little infrastructure, and that infrastructure requires very little maintenance, and it's all mobile and weather-proof. But these lamppost upgrades are hugely expensive to install, maintain, co-ordinate. Elevators, perches, chargers, ground-level co-ordination, weather-specific calibration. So if it rains for three days, that's the end of everything. Can't wait for water-proofing.