SEATTLE — Amazon has been granted a patent for guiding packages released from drones mid-air by parachuting them to the ground.

Amazon has been developing its Prime Air service, a delivery system that can deliver packages in 30 minutes or less using drones. The company previously showcased its drones landing on the ground to deliver packages, but the new patent suggests the company may have changed its strategy.

According to CNN, Amazon said landing a drone is less time- and energy-efficient than releasing the packages mid-air. This method may also prevent collisions between the drones and people, pets or objects on the ground.

Therefore, Amazon may fly its drones above customers’ homes and release the packages while still in the air. Once the package is released, the drone would monitor its descent and signal the deployment of equipment — such as a parachute, compressed air canister or landing flap — to guide the package onto the desired landing location.

Amazon made its first drone delivery in the UK in December last year. The process only took 13 minutes between being ordered to delivery.