IP Library Granted Patent US 10,699,279
Granted Patent B2
US 10,699,279 · App. 15/159,091 · Granted Jun 30, 2020

System and method for managing compliance with retail display regulations across a plurality of jurisdictions

Inventors: Ernest James Dale (Waterford, VA); Barbara Clark Eichenser (Leesburg, VA)
Assignee: Information Planning and Management Service Inc.
G06Q30/018G06Q30/02G06Q10/087G06Q10/103
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,699,279
App. No.
15/159,091
Granted
Jun 30, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Compliance with retail display regulations that retailers are subject to within a plurality of jurisdictions is managed. Retail display regulations may differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. To facilitate compliance, retail display regulations for a plurality of jurisdictions are centrally maintained. The regulations may then be used to dynamically generate retail display materials for locations across a plurality of jurisdictions with different regulatory schemes. The central storage and/or maintenance of the retail display regulations may facilitate compliance with disparate regulatory schemes that retailers are subject to based in part of retail location. Central storage of the retail display regulations may facilitate certification of compliance by regulating entities associated with the jurisdictions.

Claims (64)

1. A system configured to manage compliance with one or more retail display regulations within multiple legal jurisdictions, the system comprising:

electronic storage configured to store retail display regulations for retail display materials that are to be displayed in a retail environment, wherein the retail display regulations regulate display parameters of retail display materials, and wherein the retail display regulations include at least (i) a first set of retail display regulations that regulate display parameters of retail display materials displayed within a first legal jurisdiction, and (ii) a second set of retail display regulations that regulate display parameters of retail display materials displayed within a second legal jurisdiction; and

one or more processors in operative communication with the electronic storage, the one or more processors being configured to execute one or more computer modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

receive a regulations request for the stored retail display regulations, wherein the regulations request specifies requested retail display regulations at least by indicating one or more legal jurisdictions for which retail display regulations are requested;

process the received regulations request, wherein to the process received regulations request, the one or processors are further configured to:

responsive to a received regulations request indicating the first legal jurisdiction, obtain retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations and provide access to the obtained retail display regulations; and

responsive to a received regulations request indicating the second legal jurisdiction, obtain from the electronic storage retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations and provide access to the obtained retail display regulations;

receive a retail display materials request for production of one or more retail display materials to be displayed in a retail environment, wherein the retail display materials request specifies one or more legal jurisdictions within which the retail display materials will be displayed;

obtain from the electronic storage retail display regulations associated with the one or more legal jurisdictions specified by the retail display materials request, the one or more legal jurisdictions specified by the retail display materials request including at least the first legal jurisdiction or the second legal jurisdiction; and

produce one or more retail display materials that conform to the obtained retail display regulations.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the regulations request is transmitted electronically to the one or more processors over a communications network from a computing platform associated with a retailer, and wherein access to the requested retail display regulations is provided by transmitting the requested retail display regulations to the computing platform associated with the retailer over the communications network.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more retail display regulations regulate one or both of price labels and/or point of display signage associated with individual displays of individual products.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more retail display materials define a price label for an individual product to be affixed to a retail display apparatus separate from the individual product such that the price label conforms to the accessed retail display regulations.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the price label.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more retail display materials define a shelf strip to be affixed to a retail display apparatus, the shelf strip indicating positions at which two or more products should be stocked on the retail display apparatus, the shelf strip including information about the two or more products that is regulated by the accessed retail display regulations.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the shelf strip.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the retail display materials define a shelf strip to be affixed to a retail display apparatus, the shelf strip indicating a plurality of positions at which an individual product should be stocked on the retail display apparatus, the shelf strip including information about the individual product that is regulated by the accessed retail display regulations.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the shelf strip.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic storage is further configured to store first certification information related to certification of the first set of retail display regulations with the first legal jurisdiction, and second certification information related to certification of the second set of label information with the second legal jurisdiction.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

manage the first certification information and the second certification information.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein to manage the first certification information and the second certification information, the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive certification information from one or more retailers for the first legal jurisdiction;

receive certification information from one or more retailers for the second legal jurisdiction;

update the first certification information in the electronic storage based on certification information received from the one or more retailers for the first legal jurisdiction; and

update the second certification information in the electronic storage based on certification information received from the one or more retailers for the second legal jurisdiction.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

enable the first legal jurisdiction to directly control the first certification information; and

enable the second legal jurisdiction to directly control the second certification information.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein responsive to the received regulations request indicating the first legal jurisdiction and the second legal jurisdiction, the one or more processors are further configured to:

obtain retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations and retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations; and

provide access to the obtained retail display regulations.

15. A computer-implemented method of managing compliance with one or more retail display regulations within multiple legal jurisdictions, wherein the method is implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the method comprising:

storing, to electronic storage accessible to the one or more processors, retail display regulations for retail display materials that are to be displayed in a retail environment, wherein the retail display regulations regulate display parameters of retail display materials, and wherein the retail display regulations include at least (i) a first set of retail display regulations that regulate display materials displayed within a first legal jurisdiction, and (ii) a second set of retail display regulations that regulate display materials displayed within a second legal jurisdiction;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a regulations request for the stored retail display regulations, wherein the regulations request specifies requested retail display regulations at least by indicating one or more legal jurisdictions for which retail display regulations are requested;

processing, by the one or more processors, the received regulations request, wherein processing the received regulations request comprises:

obtaining and providing access to retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations responsive to the received regulations request indicating the first legal jurisdiction; and

obtaining and providing access to retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations responsive to the received regulations request indicating the second legal jurisdiction;

receiving, by the one or more processors of the computer system, a retail display materials request for production of one or more retail display materials to be displayed in a retail environment, wherein the retail display materials request specifies one or more legal jurisdictions within which the retail display materials will be displayed;

obtaining, by the one or more processors from the electronic storage, retail display regulations associated with the one or more legal jurisdictions specified by the retail display materials request, the one or more legal jurisdictions specified by the retail display materials request including at least the first legal jurisdiction or the second legal jurisdiction; and

producing, by the one or more processors, one or more retail display materials that conform to the obtained retail display regulations.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the regulations request is transmitted electronically to the one or more processors over a communications network from a computing platform associated with a retailer, and wherein access to the requested retail display regulations is provided by transmitting the requested retail display regulations to the computing platform associated with the retailer over the communications network.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein responsive to the received regulations request indicating the first legal jurisdiction and the second legal jurisdiction, the method further comprising:

obtaining, by the one or more processors, retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations and retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations; and

providing, by the one or more processors, access to the obtained retail display regulations.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more retail display regulations regulate one or both of price labels and/or point of display signage associated with individual displays of individual products.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more retail display materials define a price label for an individual product to be affixed to a retail display apparatus separate from the individual product such that the price label conforms to the accessed retail display regulations.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the price label.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more retail display materials define a shelf strip to be affixed to a retail display apparatus, the shelf strip indicating positions at which two or more products should be stocked on the retail display apparatus, the shelf strip including information about the two or more products that is regulated by the accessed retail display regulations.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the shelf strip.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the retail display materials define a shelf strip to be affixed to a retail display apparatus, the shelf strip indicating a plurality of positions at which an individual product should be stocked on the retail display apparatus, the shelf strip including information about the individual product that is regulated by the accessed retail display regulations.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein producing the one or more retail display materials comprises printing the shelf strip.

25. The method of claim 15 , the method further comprising:

storing, to the electronic storage, first certification information related to certification of the first set of retail display regulations with the first legal jurisdiction, and second certification information related to certification of the second set of label information with the second legal jurisdiction.

26. The method of claim 25 , the method further comprising:

enabling, by the one or more processors, the first legal jurisdiction to directly control the first certification information; and

enabling, by the one or more processors, the second legal jurisdiction to directly control the second certification information.

27. The method of claim 25 , the method further comprising:

managing, by the one or more processors, the first certification information and the second certification information.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein managing the first certification information and the second certification information comprises:

receiving, by the one or more processors, certification information from one or more retailers for the first legal jurisdiction;

receiving, by the one or more processors, certification information from one or more retailers for the second legal jurisdiction;

updating, by the one or more processors, the first certification information in the electronic storage based on certification information received from the one or more retailers for the first legal jurisdiction; and

updating, by the one or more processors, the second certification information in the electronic storage based on certification information received from the one or more retailers for the second legal jurisdiction.

Assignments (7)
MERGER Recorded Oct 10, 2024
From: INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.
To: ELECTRONIC IMAGING SERVICES, INC.
Reel/Frame 068864/0208 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Sep 10, 2021
From: OWL ROCK CAPITAL CORPORATION
To: INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.
Reel/Frame 057467/0057 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Sep 10, 2021
From: ANTARES CAPITAL LP, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: ELECTRONIC IMAGING SERVICES, INC.; INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.; VESTCOM NEW CENTURY LLC
Reel/Frame 057467/0194 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 20, 2016
From: INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.
To: ANTARES CAPITAL LP, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 040687/0477 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 20, 2016
From: INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.
To: OWL ROCK CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 040695/0304 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 038647 FRAME: 0565. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded May 24, 2016
From: DALE, ERNEST JAMES; EICHENSER, BARBARA CLARK
To: INFORMATION PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICE INC.
Reel/Frame 038950/0301 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2016
From: DALE, ERNEST JAMES; EICHENSER, BARBARA CLARK
To: INFORMATION PLANNING & MANAGEMENT SERVICE, INC.
Reel/Frame 038647/0565 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 12561985 · Sep 17, 2009
Related Publication 20160267491A1 · Sep 15, 2016