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

• US 9,367,851 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Information Planning and Management Service Incorporated (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Information Planning and Management Service Incorporated (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Dale, Ernest James, Eichenser, Barbara Clark
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/561,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.4, 705/9, 705/22, 705 11-912
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

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

1. A system configured to manage compliance with one or more retail display regulations within a plurality of 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 a plurality of display parameters of retail display materials, and wherein the retail display regulations include (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, the one or more computer modules comprising;

a regulation request reception module configured to receive regulation requests requesting retail display regulations stored by the electronic storage, wherein the regulation requests specify requested retail display regulations at least by indicating one or more legal jurisdictions for which retail display regulations are requested;

a regulation request processing module configured to process received regulation requests by obtaining requested retail display regulations and providing access to the requested retail display regulations such that (i) responsive to a received regulation request indicating the first legal jurisdiction, the request processing module obtains retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations and provides access to the obtained retail display regulations, and (ii) responsive to a received regulation request indicating the second legal jurisdiction, the request processing module obtains from the electronic storage retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations and provides access to the obtained retail display regulations;

a retail display materials request module configured to receive a retail display materials request for generation of one or more retail display materials files that define retail display materials to be displayed in a retail environment, wherein the retail display materials requests received by the retail display materials request module specify one or more display legal jurisdictions within which the retail display materials defined by one or more retail display materials files will be displayed; and

a retail display materials definition module configured to generate, responsive to a retail display materials request, one or more retail display materials files that define retail display materials in accordance with the retail display materials request, wherein the retail display materials definition module is configured to;

generate a regulation request to the regulation request reception module for retail display regulations associated with the one or more display legal jurisdictions;

receive access to retail display regulations associated with the one or more display legal jurisdictions from the regulation request processing module; and

generate one or more retail display materials files that conform to the accessed retail display regulations, the one or more retail display materials files defining specific retail materials to be displayed in the retail environment,

wherein the retail display materials files include digital retail display materials comprising information identifying a product, and conform to one or more retail display parameters corresponding to the product selected from a group consisting of;

one or more of a shelf level requirement;

a retail display material background color restriction;

a retail display material space allowance;

a product description requirement;

a retail price listing requirement;

a unit price listing requirement;

a unit of measurement requirement;

a UPC/GTIN/SKU requirement;

a sale and/or reduced price requirement; and

combinations thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the regulation request reception module is configured to receive regulation requests transmitted electronically to the one or more processors over a communications network from a computing platform associated with a retailer, and wherein the request processing module is configured to provide access to the requested retail display regulations 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 computer modules further comprise:

a retail display materials generation module configured to respond to a retail display materials request by either initiating production of the retail display materials defined by the one or more retail display materials files requested by the retail display materials request on a printing device communicatively linked with the one or more processors, or transmitting the one or more retail display materials files requested by the retail display materials request to a requesting retailer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the retail display materials definition module is configured to be, responsive to a retail display materials request specifying the first legal jurisdiction and the second legal jurisdiction as display legal jurisdictions:

generate a regulation request to the regulation request reception module for retail display regulations associated with the first legal jurisdiction and the second legal jurisdiction;

receive access to the first set of retail display regulations and the second set of retail display regulations from the regulation request processing module;

generate a first set of retail display materials files that conform to the first set of retail display regulations; and

generate a second set of retail display materials files that conform to the second set of retail display regulations.

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

4. The system of claim , wherein the regulation request processing module is configured to process received regulation requests by obtaining requested retail display regulations and providing access to the requested retail display regulations such that (i) responsive to a received regulation request indicating the first legal jurisdiction and the second legal jurisdiction, the request processing module obtains retail display regulations from the first set of retail display regulations and the retail display regulations from the second set of retail display regulations, and provides access to the obtained retail display regulations.

7. A computer-implemented method of managing compliance with one or more retail display regulations within a plurality of 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 an electronic storage media 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 a plurality of display parameters of retail display materials displayed within a plurality of legal jurisdictions, and wherein the retail display regulations include (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;

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

executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain from the electronic storage media retail display regulations associated with the one or more display legal jurisdictions; and

executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to generate one or more retail display materials files that conform to the accessed retail display regulations, the one or more retail display materials files including digital retail display materials to be displayed in the retail environment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to initiate production of the retail display materials defined by the one or more retail display materials files requested by the retail display materials request on a printing device communicatively linked with the one or more processors.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to transmit the one or more retail display materials files requested by the retail display materials request to a requesting retailer.

10. The method of claim 7, 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.