US Patent 9981812 Automated handling of shipping containers and connectors

An automated method of unloading a shipping vessel includes: receiving a shipping container from the vessel, the container including multiple connectors; retrieving a pallet able to store the connectors, where the pallet includes multiple receptacles, each receptacle able to accommodate one connector; detaching the connectors from the container; transferring the connectors to the pallet; releasing the container; and transferring a subset of the connectors from the pallet to at least one bin that is able to accommodate multiple connectors. An automated method of loading a shipping vessel includes: receiving a shipping container; retrieving a pallet having multiple connectors, where the pallet includes multiple receptacles, each receptacle able to accommodate one connector; retrieving the connectors from the pallet; attaching the connectors to the container; providing the container to the vessel; and transferring a subset of the connectors from the pallet to a bin that is able to accommodate multiple connectors.