Another diagram depicts the steps a drone will take when reading human body language as it delivers packages.
According to the patent, the drone's communication system would include an array of sensors, including a depth sensor and cameras to detect visible, infrared and ultraviolight light. The drones would be able to recognise hand and body gestures, human voices and movement, such as a person walking closer to the drone or away from it.
If the drones were cleared to deliver, they could release boxes with extra padding from the air, or they could land and then offer the parcels, the patent said.
Since unveiling its plans to develop an air delivery service, Amazon has applied for several ambitious patents which include the use of giant airships to serve as mobile, flying warehouses, and designs for drones that self-destruct during an emergency.
There's no word on when the gesture-recognition system might debut. Amazon declined to comment. In 2016, the company made its first autonomous drone delivery to a shopper in Britain. A private customer trial for drone delivery in Britain is ongoing.