Patent ID: 8720777

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising at least one member of the group consisting of: an optical characteristic system configured to couple to a container handler configured to transfer a container to/from a rail car and configured to create at least one member of the optical group consisting of a container image of at least part of at least one face of said container, an optical characteristic derived from said container image, a container code estimate of a container code on said face, a rail car identifier of said rail car, and a container chassis identifier of a container chassis holding said container; a server interface configured to receive at least one member of said optical group to create at least one member of the group consisting of another of said member of said optical group, a manifest for at least said rail car, a confirmation of said manifest, and an insurance record for said container; and a container inventory management system configured to receive at least one member of the group consisting of said container code estimate of said container based upon at least one of said members of said optical group created by said optical characteristic system, said manifest of said rail car, said confirmation of said manifest, and said insurance record for said container; wherein said container handler is a member of the group consisting of a front end loader, a reach stacker, and a gantry crane; wherein said container is at least twenty feet long; wherein said insurance record is created using at least one of said container images for each of at least one member of the face group of said container, said face group consisting of a top face, a bottom face, a front face, a back face, a left face and a right face, each of said container; and wherein said optical characteristic derived from said container image includes an optical enhancement of said container image; wherein said optical characteristic system comprises a processor communicatively coupled to at least one camera configured to create said container image of said container being transferred to/from said rail car; and said processor communicatively coupled to a means for communicating to send at least one member of said optical group; and wherein said server interface comprises a second processor communicatively coupled to a second means for communicating to receive said member of said optical group; and wherein said server interface further comprises at least one member of the group consisting of said second processor configured to create at least one member of the group consisting of said optical characteristic from said container image; said container code estimate from at least one member of the group consisting of said container image and said optical characteristic, said manifest for said rail car, said confirmation of said manifest, and said insurance record for said container.