Drone air traffic control over wireless networks for package pickup and delivery in an order defined by coordinates

1. A drone method for package pickup and delivery, comprising:

in an air traffic control system configured to manage UAV flight in a geographic region, communicating to one or more UAVs over one or more wireless networks;

managing a waypoint directory of a plurality of waypoints, each waypoint of the plurality of waypoints defining a volume such that the plurality of waypoints blanket the geographic region;

directing a UAV to deliver a package to a delivery location; and

directing the UAV to follow an outbound flight path including multiple waypoints to travel to, in a specific order, while outbound to deliver the package, and an inbound flight path including the multiple waypoints to travel to, in an order reverse of the specific order, while inbound from delivering the package.

2. The drone method of claim 1 , wherein managing the waypoint directory of the plurality of waypoints includes managing a status of each waypoint.

3. The drone method of claim 2 , further comprising determining the outbound flight path based on the status of the multiple waypoints.

4. The drone method of claim 1 , wherein the air traffic control system provides a flight plan to the UAV including precise speeds and altitudes for the UAV to travel at and between each of the multiple waypoints.

5. The drone method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the multiple waypoints define at least a portion of a flying lane of a plurality of flying lanes defined and standardized within the geographic region.

6. A drone air traffic control system comprising:

a processor and a network interface communicatively coupled to one another; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

communicate to one or more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over one or more wireless networks, wherein the one or more UAVs are configured to constrain flight based on coverage of the one or more wireless networks;

manage a waypoint directory of a plurality of waypoints, each waypoint of the plurality of waypoints defining a volume such that the plurality of waypoints blanket the geographic region,

direct a UAV to deliver a package to a delivery location; and

direct the UAV to follow an outbound flight path including multiple waypoints to travel to, in a specific order, while outbound to deliver the package, and an inbound flight path including the multiple waypoints to travel to, in an order reverse of the specific order, while inbound from delivering the package.

7. The drone air traffic control system of claim 6 , wherein managing the waypoint directory of the plurality of waypoints includes managing a status of each waypoint.

8. The drone air traffic control system of claim 7 , wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

determine the outbound flight path based on the status of the multiple waypoints.

9. The drone air traffic control system of claim 6 , wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

provide a flight plan to the UAV including precise speeds and altitudes for the UAV to travel at and between each of the multiple waypoints.

10. The drone air traffic control system of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the multiple waypoints define at least a portion of a flying lane of a plurality of flying lanes defined and standardized within the geographic region.

11. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for delivering a package, the UAV comprising:

hardware and antennas adapted to communicate with one or more wireless networks;

a processor communicatively coupled to the hardware and antennas; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

communicate with an air traffic control system via one or more wireless networks, the air traffic control system configured to manage a waypoint directory of a plurality of waypoints, each waypoint of the plurality of waypoints defining a volume such that the plurality of waypoints blanket the geographic region;

obtain and send data to the air traffic control system in association with a flight of the UAV during delivery of the package, the data including status updates for waypoints, of the plurality of waypoints, encountered during the flight of the UAV;

deliver a package to a delivery location based on instructions received from the air traffic control system; and

follow an outbound flight path including a multiple waypoints to travel to, in a specific order, while outbound to deliver the package, and an inbound flight path including the multiple waypoints to travel to, in an order reverse of the specific order, while inbound from delivering the package.

12. The UAV of claim 11 , wherein the status update for each waypoint provides a status of the respective waypoint for the air traffic control system to maintain the waypoint directory.

13. The UAV of claim 12 , wherein the status for each waypoint is defined in the status update as being one of clear and obstructed.

14. The UAV of claim 11 , wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

follow a flight plan received from the air traffic control system, the flight plan including precise speeds and altitudes for the UAV to travel at and between each of the multiple waypoints.

15. The UAV of claim 11 , wherein at least some of the multiple waypoints define at least a portion of a flying lane of a plurality of flying lanes defined and standardized within the geographic region.