Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090108065 | METHODS AND APPARATUS PROCESSING CONTAINER IMAGES AND/OR IDENTIFYING CODES FOR FRONT END LOADERS OR CONTAINER HANDLERS SERVICING RAIL CARS - An optical characteristic system configured to couple to a container handler for transferring a container to/from a rail car. A server interface configured to receive from at least one container handler. An optical characteristic system configured to couple to a front end loader. A container handler configured to transfer at least one container to/from a rail car and to report its container image, optical characteristic, container code estimate of the container, a rail car identifier estimate and/or a container chassis identifier estimate. A rail kiosk configured to receive the container image, etc from at least one container handler to create the optical characteristic, the container code estimate, manifest for the rail car, confirmation of the manifest and/or an insurance record for the container. A method operating at least one of the server interface, the rail kiosk and a container inventory management system and the products of those operations. | 04-30-2009 |
20090109295 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING AT LEAST ONE CAMERA FROM A POSITION ESTIMATE OF A CONTAINER TO ESTIMATE ITS CONTAINER CODE - Methods and apparatus are disclosed that operate at least one camera configured to mount on a container handler by creating a position estimate of a container being handled by the container handler and controlling the camera with a directive in response to the position estimate, to generate a container image to estimate a container code of a container that is used to move cargo typically through container terminals. | 04-30-2009 |
20090110283 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING, INTERFACING AND/OR MANAGING FOR AT LEAST ONE OPTICAL CHARACTERISTIC SYSTEM FOR CONTAINER HANDLERS IN A CONTAINER YARD - Methods and several apparatus embodiments are disclosed operating Optical Characteristic Systems (OCS) in a container storage and/or transfer yard supporting the automated recognition of container codes displayed on various sides of the containers being stored and/or transferred. At least one processor may initiate an operational process by an OCS mounted on a container handler to create an operational result, select the operational process based upon an operational schedule and communicate with at least one OCS to receive an image of a container being handled by the container handler to at least partly create a container code estimate for a container inventory management system. A program system directing at least one computer implementing these operations, and may reside in computer readable memory, an installation package and/or a download server. The computer readable memory may or may not be accessibly coupled to the computer. | 04-30-2009 |
20100214056 | EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN SHIPPING TERMINALS - Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a shipping yard and/or a container yard that is configured to communicate with at least one status reporting device to create at least one status report for a container handling device and/or the status reporting device. The status report may be processed to create at least one system action request and/or it may be logged to maintain at least one system log for the container handling device and/or the status reporting device. The container handling device may include any of an optical characteristic system and means for sensing the machine state of the handling device and/or any component coupled to it. | 08-26-2010 |
20100243593 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRANE TOPPLE/COLLISION PREVENTION - Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a crane safety device configured to operate a processor estimating a trajectory for the crane, determining a potentially dangerous event in response to a yard estimate and the trajectory, and sending alert messages in response to the potentially dangerous event. The processor may further generate the yard estimate. The embodiments may include means for implementing these operations, sensors of the yard estimate to generate the yard estimate, computer readable devices and/or a server containing a program system to instruct a computer to at least partly operate the processor and/or an installation package to create the program system. | 09-30-2010 |
20100243594 | GANTRY CRANE TRUCK JOSTLE PREVENTION AND/OR HATCH COVER DETECTION - A safety device is disclosed for a gantry crane configured to lift containers from a truck driven chassis. The safety device estimates truck movement when the gantry crane lifts the container and sends an alert to avert lifting the truck when the container fails to decouple from the chassis. Motion sensors are disclosed that are configured to coupled to a trolley of a gantry crane and used to create an estimate of the front or back region near a container being lifted. A processor may use the motion sensor signals to avert lifting the truck and/or to avert an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system reporting a container identification failure when a hatch cover is lifted off of a ship. In various embodiments, the processor may be included in the safety device and/or in the OCR system. | 09-30-2010 |
20100298968 | QUAY CRANE HATCH COVER SAFETY SYSTEM - A safety device and a processor are disclosed for a quay crane, both are configured to avert the hatch cover being lifted from a ship as a container on the hatch is lifted. A computer readable memory and server are disclosed that may provide the processor with a program system and/or installation package. Motion sensors are disclosed for use with the safety device that may contribute to estimating the movement of the hatch cover. | 11-25-2010 |
20110270488 | EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING FOR CONTAINER YARDS - A processor is disclosed that may be configured to receive a status report for a vehicle in a container yard and/or a status reporting device configured to monitor the vehicle. The processor may respond to the received status report by creating a system action request and/or a system log. The system action request may include a fault condition problem report and/or a maintenance schedule request for the vehicle and/or the status reporting device. The processor automates generating responses to the received status reports, providing a fundamental tool to reduce down time for vehicles and improve their support of container transfer operations in the container yard. The system action request, system log and/or system action may be products of the processor's operation. A computer readable memory and/or a server may be configured to deliver a report, program system and/or an installation package to the end user. | 11-03-2011 |
20140147045 | Method and Apparatus for Operating, Interfacing and/or Managing for at Least One Optical Characteristic System for Container Handlers in a Container Yard - Methods and several apparatus embodiments are disclosed operating Optical Characteristic Systems (OCS) in a container storage and/or transfer yard supporting the automated recognition of container codes displayed on various sides of the containers being stored and/or transferred. At least one processor may initiate an operational process by an OCS mounted on a container handler to create an operational result, select the operational process based upon an operational schedule and communicate with at least one OCS to receive an image of a container being handled by the container handler to at least partly create a container code estimate for a container inventory management system. A program system directing at least one computer implementing these operations, and may reside in computer readable memory, an installation package and/or a download server. The computer readable memory may or may not be accessibly coupled to the computer. | 05-29-2014 |