APS Technology Group has announced the US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent for the identification process surrounding its MatchMaker OCR solution for container terminal transport vehicles.

The recently issued APS patent covers a system and method for visually monitoring the transfer of cargo between a container handling crane and a transporter, such as a truck or 'tractor' moving the container within a facility.

The MatchMaker system matches tractors to containers and handling equipment, and is a more reliable, lower cost alternative to GPS and RFID systems that are expensive to install and maintain, and struggle to operate consistently within a dense container yard.

APS Technology is the only provider in the industry offering this optical tag technology which increases productivity and inventory accuracy at a container terminal, while reducing resource requirements, vehicle wait time and lost containers.

The system uses proven OCR camera technology to identify 2D optical tags applied to the roof, doors or even windshield of the tractor.

Although the system is guaranteed at 98% accuracy, each tag contains a human readable number, which allows any missed reads to be remotely corrected in real time. This unique visual exception handling capability ensures terminal operations have visibility to 100% of the transactions.

Since 2008 the solution has been installed at container terminals for APM Terminals in LA; Yilport Container Terminal in Istanbul, Turkey; California United Terminals in LA; and Trapac Terminals in LA, Oakland and Jacksonville.

"Quick response, 2D barcodes are becoming mainstream for consumers with smartphones as a convenient way to get immediate, additional information on a desired product or service," said Allen Thomas, COO for APS Technology.

"We are applying the same technology to the container terminal industry to provide a safer, more reliable, and lower cost option to fully automate the handoff of containers at a crane."