Patent
iStow Patent
Cargo planning is a complex task that involves uncertainty, a constantly changing environment, and subjectivity. The knowledge-intensive nature of this field makes it challenging to formulate the task precisely and consistently. Moreover, the placement of cargo on a ship is a combinatorial process. This planning process is influenced by the estimated number and weight of the cargo, the origin and destination of the cargo, and the condition of the ship at the loading and unloading ports.
Changes in the amount and type of cargo are natural occurrences that need to be accommodated, directly impacting the ship’s loading. Since similar problems tend to be associated with similar solutions, experienced cargo planners can perform their tasks efficiently. Previous cargo planning concepts are reused to address new cargo planning tasks.
In the region of artificial intelligence (AI), this uncertainty actually has a pattern. Case-based reasoning method, one of the branches of AI, applied to speed up the planning process for loading container ships. This method, named Casestow, has been registered (patent pending) at the patent office Deutsche Patent- und Markenamt, Berlin (2004) dan European Patent Office, Berlin (2006). 
