PRESS RELEASE
TORRANCE, Calif. — A2Z Drone Delivery, Inc., an American aerospace and engineering company pushing the boundaries of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles, today announced it has been granted U.S. Patent No. 12,258,153 B2 for its portfolio of A2Z Air Docks. Granted on March 25, 2025, the patent covers a novel method for automatically recharging commercial drone systems from an elevated drone docking station. Combined with the company’s companion Longtail AirDock Edition UAVs, the A2Z AirDock offers the unique ability for unmanned aerial systems to move from dock-to-dock to automatically top off batteries and pick up or deliver packages, infinitely expanding the drone’s service area. The Longtail AirDock Edition’s customizable payload bay can be configured for almost any drone service mission from autonomous patrol and data collection, to last-mile delivery and payload retrieval, to nonstop ground inspections, medical deliveries, and more. Featuring independent pilot and end-user interfaces, the AirDock operations center ensures all team members can access and leverage the drone dock network and its mission capabilities. For more information about the now-patented A2Z AirDock systems, please visit http://www.a2zdronedelivery.com/airdock.
This latest patent attributed to A2Z Drone Delivery and CEO and Co-Founder, Aaron Zhang, supports multiple iterations of the solid-state AirDock which features no moving parts to ensure minimal maintenance demands and maximum durability in diverse outdoor environments. The AirDock Portable is a single-UAV version of the AirDock that easily packs small for rapid relocation, and the AirDock Shelter features a durable clam-shell enclosure for the weather-proof Longtail AirDock Edition to be stored in extreme weather. Additionally, the elevated AirDock Dual and AirDock Quad support two and four drone docking positions, respectively. The multiple AirDock variants can be combined with a fleet of custom Longtail UAVs to simultaneously deliver multiple drone-born services across a shared AirDock network stretching beyond the horizon. Commercial delivery drones operating on the dock network also leverage the company’s growing library of patented designs including its patented RDS2 commercial drone winch (US Patent No. 11,155,449 B2) and quick-release mechanism (US Patent No 20,230,303,249 A1), that seamlessly deliver payloads, from altitude where spinning propellers are kept far from people, property or potential ground obstructions, and without human interaction.
“Our A2Z AirDock system eschews the complexities seen in most drone docking systems, instead moving all the moving parts, automatic battery charging, and quadruple redundant precision landing capabilities to the airborne UAV system,” said Aaron Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of A2Z Drone Delivery.” This simplification in design allows multiple A2Z AirDocks to be positioned across wide regions while minimizing their need for maintenance. As the demand for drone services continues to push beyond the reach of current-day battery life, the AirDock offers a backbone upon which to build the drone infrastructure necessary for reliable drone service missions to reach beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS).”
The A2Z AirDock system was also designed to be shared between multiple stakeholders seeking to deploy drone-borne services across municipalities, counties, or other large regions. Drone service providers, enterprise-level operators, and government agencies can choose to own and operate the drone dock network themselves, or as a partnership between multiple public departments or public/private entities. As a budget-friendly alternative, A2Z Drone Delivery also offers the drone-network-as-a-service (DNaaS) model, under which the company owns and maintains the network of AirDocks, and the customer focuses on the operation of the cargo or patrol flights through the network.
“Unmanned aerial drones offer significant efficiency, emissions reduction, and cost-savings to many use cases, and our A2Z AirDocks mitigate much of the financial barrier to entry associated with getting these services off the ground,” said Zhang. “We’ve designed the entire AirDock and companion drone ecosystem to maximize safety and ease-of-use for the pilots overseeing a fleet of drones, as well as the end-users of those customer enterprises or government agencies.”
The company has also created two intuitive software platforms to manage and operate a network of AirDocks and its associated UAV platforms. A pilot interface enables the trained pilots to establish re-occurring drone mission routes, monitor the entire AirDock network and overlapping drone fleets, and commandeer manual control to respond to evolving conditions in the area of operation. An independent end-user interface allows non-pilots to interact with the system, requesting patrol missions, reviewing patrol footage, analyzing data reports, ordering drone delivery or pickup, etc.
About A2Z Drone Delivery, Inc.
Headquartered in Torrance, C.A., the aerospace capital of the world, A2Z Drone Delivery, Inc. is an American aerospace and engineering company pushing the boundaries of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles. With a core dedication to safety, the company designs UAV solutions that enable payload delivery and drone docking at altitude where spinning propellers are kept far from people and property. Founded in 2016 to bring its patented commercial drone delivery winch to market, the company has expanded to offer a suite of customizable, off-the-shelf commercial drone products and services for customers worldwide. For more information please visit: https://www.a2zdronedelivery.com/.