Patent ID: 8488884

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a control module configured to initiate an operational process by at least one optical characteristic system configured to mount on at least one container handler to create an operational result; a management circuit configured to select said operational process for said optical characteristic system based upon an operational schedule, said management circuit comprising: a processor configured to select said operational process for said optical characteristic system based upon said operational schedule; and said processor configured to communicate with said optical characteristic system to initiate said operational process on said optical characteristic system creating said operational result; and a server interface configured to communicate with at least one of said optical characteristic systems to receive a version of an image of a container being handled by said container handler to at least partly create a container code estimate of a container code on said container for transmission to a container inventory management system, wherein said processor configured to communicate with said optical characteristic system further comprises: said processor configured to communicate with said control module to initiate said operational process; said processor configured to communicate with said control module to receive said operational result; said processor configured to communicate with said optical characteristic system to receive said operational result; said processor communicatively coupled with a wireless network access point to communicate with at least one of said optical characteristic system and said control module; and said processor communicatively coupled with said server interface configured to communicate with at least one of said optical characteristic system and said control module; and said operational schedule includes at least one operational event.