Online retailer Amazon has been granted a patent on a system to deliver packages via parachutes.

The retailer filed its patent application at the US Patent and Trademark Office in August 2015.

US patent number 9,663,234 was granted on Tuesday, May 30 by the office.

The system works by placing a parachute inside a package’s label, allowing the package to be dropped from an aerial vehicle and land at its destination without damage.

“The system can include a self-adhesive backing, a plurality of parachute cords, a parachute, and a breakaway cover. The parachute cords can include a shock absorber to reduce the shock on the package of the parachute opening,” said the patent abstract.

In its application, Amazon explained that newer generation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can provide “significant payload capabilities”.

This means that UAVs can be used for delivering packages, groceries and post.

Source: WIPR