Amazon awarded patent for flying warehouse

As Amazon inches closer to establishing a drone delivery system, the e-commerce giant may one day keep its inventory in the sky. The US Patent Office earlier this year awarded Amazon a patent for an airborne fulfillment center (AFC) from which drones could launch to make local deliveries. The AFC could sit at an altitude of about 45,000 feet, the patent explains, allowing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to be stocked and deployed as necessary. "As the UAVs descend, they can navigate horizontally toward a user specified delivery location using little to no power, other than to stabilize the UAV and/or guide the direction of descent," the patent says. "Shuttles (smaller airships) may be used to replenish the AFC with inventory, UAVs, supplies, fuel, etc. Likewise, the shuttles may be utilized to transport workers to and from the AFC."