Patent ID: 8757957

Claim:
An apparatus configured to label one or more boxes supported by a pallet, the pallet having a pallet label, the pallet has four sides, at least one surface of each box of the one or more boxes is accessible from at least one of the four sides of the pallet, the apparatus comprising: a reading mechanism configured to read first information from the pallet label; a computing system configured to determine one or more markings to apply at one or more predetermined locations of the one or more boxes at least partially based on the first information; a marking mechanism configured to apply the one or more markings at the one or more predetermined locations of each of the one or more boxes; and a first movement mechanism configured to at least partially position the marking mechanism to apply the one or more markings at the one or more predetermined locations, the first movement mechanism comprises: a mechanical stage coupled to the marking mechanism and configured to move the marking mechanism along three substantially perpendicular axes such that the marking mechanism applies at least one mark of the one or more markings to each of the at least one surface of each box of the one or more boxes of the pallet at the one or more predetermined locations, wherein: a first one of the one or more predetermined locations are accessible at a first side of the four sides of the pallet; a second one of the one or more predetermined locations are accessible at a second side of the four sides of the pallet; a third one of the one or more predetermined locations are accessible at a third side of the four sides of the pallet; a fourth one of the one or more predetermined locations are accessible at a fourth side of the four sides of the pallet; the marking mechanism is configured to mark each of the one or more boxes at the one or more predetermined locations without removing the one or more boxes from the pallet; each of the one or more boxes comprises a preprinted marking area; the reading mechanism is further configured to read the preprinted marking area to identify the preprinted marking area on each of the one or more boxes and to trigger the marking mechanism to apply the one or more markings to the preprinted marking area on each of the one or more boxes; the reading mechanism is further configured to instruct the marking mechanism not to apply the one or more markings if the preprinted marking area of one of the one or more boxes is not identified; and the one or more predetermined locations comprise the preprinted marking area of each of the one or more boxes.