Abstract:
A point-of-sale packaging and display system for facilitating donations to charities is provided. A product&#39;s packaging is made to include an area that is labeled to identify a beneficiary of the donation and a predetermined amount thereof. The label is provided by the entity operating the system to a product manufacturer or seller in exchange for a donation to the stated beneficiary prior to the time the product is sold to a consumer. The product manufacturer or seller, in turn, applies the label to a product for display at the point-of-sale. By this method the consumer, who pays for the product and ultimately the donation, decides directly who to donate money to and how much solely by purchasing a product with a corresponding label identifying the beneficiary and amount of donation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a point-of-sale packaging and display system and, more particularly, to a point-of-sale system for facilitating consumer donations to third-party charities.  
           [0002]    Over the years various point-of-sale systems have been proposed to focus the consumer onto certain products at the point-of-sale to facilitate consumer decision-making.  
           [0003]    For example, Vargo U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,412, discloses a point of sale packaging and display system for multiple products which are coded with differentiating colors, wherein direct visual inspection of the product is achieved with a prior reference to chart for determining the color to look for.  
           [0004]    Howard U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,238 discloses a display case for saw blades of different teeth configurations wherein a color-code arrangement, including a color-based chart and corresponding color markings on the blades, is provided for associating the blades with their respective operative function.  
           [0005]    Galliot French Patent No. 1,278,194 discloses a box for vertically storing in an off-set manner articles such as music records wherein an end of each record so stored can be visually perused while referring to a chart provided on the box for associating a record with a particular title appearing in the chart.  
           [0006]    Espaissas French Patent No. 990,146 teaches a container having a plurality of vertical cylindrical cells or chambers adapted to receive therein various types of inks with a window being provided opposite each cell for allowing the user to view, for each cell, both the level of the ink contained therein and the color of the ink.  
           [0007]    Zumeta U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,170 and Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,571 disclose point of sales color/letter coding charts that are used for sizing/identifying various products.  
           [0008]    Zumeta U. S. Pat. No. 5,031,488 and Fuerstman U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,573 teach the use of differently colored bands for distinguishing various products which, for example, belong to a same family.  
           [0009]    The above systems are designed to simplify and facilitate the consumer&#39;s decision to purchase a particular product.  
           [0010]    Regarding the need for donation systems, it is obvious that there are a lot of people suffering. It is also clear that there are people suffering everywhere, abroad and right here in the United States. It is the present inventor&#39;s belief that people want to help, but become overwhelmed when faced with the apparent enormity of the problem.  
           [0011]    In particular, charities have been around for a long time. The problem today is that people have lost faith in the system. Cynicism runs rampant, and for good reason. The marriage of good works and money has never been a particularly comfortable one. Charities have had to become professional fund raising groups; thus money ends up going to the charities with the best fund raisers, not necessarily to the charities that do the best work, or help the most people.  
           [0012]    Commercial business has been around for just as long as charities. Selling products at a profit, hopefully not hurting too many people along the way. Again, the most successful businesses require not only good products but fine advertising and marketing as well. They too have been hit hard by the cynicism engendered by the world as it is today. Misleading advertising, false promises, and corporate greed have taken their toll. For good reason, people doubt the sincerity of a company trying to sell a product.  
           [0013]    Occasionally these two entities—charities and commercial businesses—get together for their mutual benefit. Charities get much needed financial support, and the businesses get much needed goodwill. But generally there does not seem to be a system by which these two worlds could be linked in an effective, trustworthy fashion.  
           [0014]    For instance, it is known to remit to a donor a token of the donation such as the stickers remitted by Easter Seals™ or the poppies remitted by Veterans Those systems are basically two-party transactions and the donation is left to the donor&#39;s discretion.  
           [0015]    A company can also chose to adopt a system where a set donation is remitted by the company to a particular charity following the sale of one the company&#39;s products. McDonald™&#39;s restaurants have remitted $1.00 to the Ronald McDonald House for each Big Mac™ sold.  
           [0016]    Also, there have been prior packaging systems which identify certain charities for the receipt of donations. In particular, Campbell&#39;s Soup Company™ has a system where specially marked labels on soup cans can be sent back by the consumer and a predetermined amount is then remitted by the company to a specific charity, in this particular case, the Ronald McDonald House. Also, various sponsors for the United States Olympic Team frequently identify such sponsorship on their product labels.  
           [0017]    However, the above type of donation systems do not generally allow the consumer any choice in deciding where the donation is given or the particular amount of donation. Moreover, there are always some consumers who question whether the charities actually receive the advertised donation. This is a question of accountability and trust.  
           [0018]    In light of the above, it would be desirable to provide a point-of-sale packaging and display system to facilitate consumer donations to charities that is completely accountable, completely open and simple.  
           [0019]    It is also desirable to provide a point-of-sale packaging and display system which allows the consumer to determine exactly how much and where the donation is going.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0020]    It is an object of this invention to provide a point-of-sale packaging and display system to facilitate consumer donations to charities that is completely accountable, completely open and simple.  
           [0021]    It is also an object of this invention to provide a point-of-sale packaging and display system which allows the consumer to determine exactly how much and where the donation is going.  
           [0022]    Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a point-of-sale packaging and display system for facilitating consumer donations to charities. The system includes (a) a means for displaying a plurality of identical products to be sold, each of said products being packaged in its own respective package identifying the product therein, and (b) a plurality of labels identifying at least two different beneficiaries for receiving at least a portion of proceeds from said sales, wherein (1) said labels are attached to said package at said point-of-sale and (2) a purchaser of one of said identical products decides which of said beneficiaries said proceeds flow to by selecting which of said products the purchaser decides to buy.  
           [0023]    In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a method for packaging and displaying a product at a point-of-sale to facilitate donations to charities. The method includes the steps of: (a) displaying a plurality of identical products to be sold, each of said products being packaged in its own respective package identifying the product therein; and (b) attaching to said products labels identifying at least one of two different beneficiaries for receiving a donation from at least a portion of proceeds from said sales, wherein a purchaser of one of said identical products decides which of said beneficiaries said proceeds flow to by selecting which of said products the purchaser decides to buy.  
           [0024]    The system of the present invention provides a method of allowing the consumer to decide where a predetermined benefit, such as an amount of money, from a sale is contributed based on, for example, at least one color code displayed on a label placed on a product. In the present description of the invention, the donation or remittance to be rendered to a beneficiary (e.g., a charity) can take various forms (e.g., money, clothing, food, etc). Also, the donation or remittance is rendered to a third party, such as a charity, and the terms beneficiary and charity are also used to refer to such third parties; basically, the benefit will be rendered to any point-of-sale-selected third party.  
           [0025]    The system provides a direct and permanent link between businesses and charities with the belief that there is enough profit inherent in many products that a good portion of it could go back into helping people.  
           [0026]    The benefits of such a system are obvious. Charities get the money they desperately need; in turn, they should be able to reduce their overheads and concentrate on what were created for: helping people. Businesses get much needed goodwill as well as a reduction in taxable income. Furthermore, the donation system is independent, and credible by design. This should generate true goodwill.  
           [0027]    The consumers get the choice of which charity they want to support by purchasing a product bearing an identification of a charity and an amount of donation, the product being possibly licensed under the entity administrating the system of the present invention. They get to know that a precise amount from a particular purchase will be directed to a precise charity. They know that they are helping, who they are helping, and exactly how much is being contributed. And all that they have to do is to purchase the product.  
           [0028]    The point-of-sale display and packaging system and all aspects related thereto are made up of the following: a label or an area to be coded (e.g., color coded) on a product, a series of -color-codes, a guide to the codes licensed products, and registered charities. The label or area can bear the color-code of what charitable area is being affected. The color-codes for the background of the label denote the levels affected, such as local, state, national, international, etc.  
           [0029]    The guide provides the connection between the different color codes and the various areas and levels of third parties or beneficiaries that will receive the benefit or donation.  
           [0030]    Products sold under the display and packaging system will each have a label showing exactly how much is being donated to exactly which charity. Furthermore, there may be provided a general explanation of the system at the point of sale. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0031]    The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like-reference numerals refer to like-parts throughout, and in which:  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the point-of-sale display and packaging system of the present invention; and  
         [0033]    [0033]FIGS. 2A, 2B,  2 C and  2 D illustrate the packaging cartons of products  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D, respectively, of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 1 and 2A- 2 D illustrate a first embodiment of the point-of-sale and packaging system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a point-of-sale shelving unit  1  contains a plurality of products  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D. Products  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D are identical and have a similar packaging except for labels  2 A′,  2 B′,  2 C′ and  2 D′ associated with products  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D, respectively. FIGS. 2A, 2B,  2 C and  2 D illustrate the packaging cartons of products  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D, respectively, of FIG. 1.  
         [0035]    As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B,  2 C and  2 D, labels  2 A′,  2 B′,  2 C′ and  2 D′ include a primary color-coded area  10 , a background color-coded area  12 , a beneficiary identity area  14 , a donation amount area  16  and an operating entity area  18 .  
         [0036]    In accordance with the present invention, primary color-coded area  10  identifies the general charitable area that receives the donation. For example, the following color codes could be used:  
         [0037]    (a) RED: current emergencies and/or disaster assistance;  
         [0038]    (b) GREEN: medical assistance;  
         [0039]    (c) BLUE: food, clothing or shelter assistance;  
         [0040]    (d) PINK: domestic violence/child protection;  
         [0041]    (e) PURPLE: rehabilitation;  
         [0042]    (f) YELLOW: arts and education;  
         [0043]    (g) TAN: protection of the environment;  
         [0044]    (h) BROWN: animal welfare;  
         [0045]    (i) BLACK: reducing the federal deficit; and  
         [0046]    (j) WHITE: anonymous donations.  
         [0047]    Background color-coded area  12  identifies at which of four levels (e.g., international, national, state or local) the donations are to be distributed. In general, donations will be distributed at the same level that the system is applied:  
         [0048]    (a) BLACK: local;  
         [0049]    (b) DARK GRAY: state;  
         [0050]    (c) LIGHT GRAY: national; and  
         [0051]    (d) WHITE: international.  
         [0052]    Note that these are not colors so much as shades of gray which have herein been chosen so as not to detract from the color of the primary color-coded area  10 .  
         [0053]    The packaging and display system further includes a beneficiary identity area  14  within the background area  12  for denoting a third party or beneficiary associated with the colors represented on the primary and background color-coded areas  10  and  12 , respectively. For example, “Beneficiary A”, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and “Beneficiary B”, in FIGS. 2C and 2D, are the beneficiaries of the donation. The system also includes a donation amount area  16  identifying the precise amount to be rendered/remitted to the beneficiary  14  as a result of the sale of the product bearing the label  2 A′,  2 B′,  2 C′ or  2 D′. For example, in FIGS. 2A and 2C, one dollar, and in FIGS. 2B and 2D, fifty cents. The label also includes an operating entity area  18  for identifying the entity (or foundation) operating or monitoring the donation process.  
         [0054]    The primary and background color-coded areas  10  and  12  are each accompanied by a list or chart or guide setting forth the various colors of each coding scheme and the areas/levels corresponding thereto. Therefore, the chart lists the areas and the levels and not necessarily precise beneficiaries with a view that the color coding schemes aimed at areas and levels will facilitate the identification of the area and level benefiting; to know the precise beneficiary associated with a particular label the consumer can refer to area  14  on the label. Obviously, various other coding systems could be used, including one such system wherein colors, or other types of codes or labels, would each denote a particular beneficiary or other features of the present invention.  
         [0055]    In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, one or more labels may also be affixed to a single product&#39;s package or to the product itself. The essential point here is that the labels are not concerned with the contents of the package, that is with the product for sale, but rather only with denoting the additional third party or beneficiary (e.g., charity, government, etc.) which will benefit from the sale of the product. In the event that the beneficiary does not appear at  14  on the label, a caption or legend can be provided at the point of sale, i.e., on the packaging; on an available information pamphlet about the donation system; or on location in the store, etc.  
         [0056]    In accordance with the present invention, the system works as follows: Labels are made such as those described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2A-D which bear the name of the operating entity administering the system (area  18 ), color codes (areas  10  and  12 ) and preferably a donation amount (area  16 ) to be remitted to the beneficiary corresponding to the color codes provided on the label. The operating entity then sells the labels to a product manufacturer or store owner or the like who will then affix the labels to his or her products and sell products or services bearing such labels to consumers, whereby the product manufacturer or store owner can either recuperate the costs associated with the purchase of the labels by having in turn sold the products carrying the same or can absorb such costs in his profit as a measure of goodwill which will be recognized by the consumer whose appreciation for such goodwill will be manifested in further purchases from that product manufacturer or store owner. The operating entity then takes care of distributing the donations according to the stated beneficiaries set forth on the labels so purchased by the aforementioned purchaser, i.e. the aforementioned product manufacturer or store owner.  
         [0057]    Therefore, consumers can decide at the point-of-sale which color-coded product to buy, and support the beneficiary of their choice in the process. Furthermore, the purchasers can buy labels corresponding to beneficiaries which are more likely to be “popular” at the point of sale. For example, during a civil war in a foreign country, labels can almost instantly be printed and distributed/sold to purchasers, such labels in this case bearing the colors red, green or blue at area  10  and color white at background area  12 .  
         [0058]    There are two exceptions to the above. One is the white coded-area  10  denoting anonymous donations to worthy causes. This is because sometimes those in need are not covered by a particular charity or are not seen as being “worthy” enough. Thus random acts of kindness can be introduced into the system. The other is the black coded-area  10  for contributions towards reducing federal deficits; at least this provides a practical and real step towards solving yet another seemingly insurmountable problem.  
         [0059]    Therefore, the intent of the present system is that part of the profits of each unit/product sold be remitted to an organization, such as a charity. Also, various charities will be associated with the product and the end purchaser, i.e., consumer, of the product will be able to select, at the point of sale, the charity which will financially benefit from his/her purchase So that the consumer can select a particular charity, the beneficiary is identified on the packaging, or possibly the product itself if it can be viewed through the packaging (e.g., in the case of a blister pack), by using for instance a color-based coding system. For example, within a same large city, there could be four or more charitable organizations associated with a particular product, with each charitable area being attributed a different color and with each packaging showing one (or more) of the available colors and thus being associated to at least one of the particular charitable areas of that city for that product. Again, the label will in any event identify the actual beneficiary at areas  14  in FIGS. 2A, 2B,  2 C and  2 D for example.  
         [0060]    Accordingly, a customer wishing to support the benefit resulting from the sale of the product to a particular charity will select a product bearing a label benefiting this particular charity, as it appears for instance in FIG. 2A at area  14 . To assist the customer, a list can be provided either on a pamphlet or on the packaging itself to identify the various charitable areas and to indicate the colors which are associated therewith. More particularly, as described hereinabove, the charitable organization or beneficiary itself can also directly appears on the label, as at areas  14  in FIGS,  2 A,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D for example.  
         [0061]    Furthermore, the system may provide a list associating colors to various benefit areas and levels. For instance, a packaging identified at area  10  with the color green will be connected to medical assistance either at the local, state, national or international depending on the color of the background  12 . A green color code at area  10  on a product sold anywhere will be associated with medical assistance.  
         [0062]    An interesting aspect resides in that the system is self-similar at all levels; in other words, if the labels are sold locally, local charities will benefit. If the labels are sold at the state level, then state charities benefit, and the same goes for national and international sales. For example:  
         [0063]    GREEN area  10           Medical, e.g., AIDS:  
         [0064]    local: New York City AIDS clinic  
         [0065]    state: New York State AIDS foundation  
         [0066]    national: United States AIDS Foundation  
         [0067]    Int&#39;l: UN AIDS foundation  
         [0068]    [0068]         Medical, e.g., lung problems:  
         [0069]    local: New York City Chest Hospital  
         [0070]    state: New York State Lung Association  
         [0071]    national: American Lung Association  
         [0072]    Int&#39;l: UN Lung Association  
         [0073]    It is believed that the most critical area for successful implementation of any donation system is the User Interface, or how the system is used by real people in the real world. If it is cumbersome and difficult to use, it is likely to be rejected, even if it produces splendid results, just because people will not want to deal with it.  
         [0074]    Accordingly, it makes a certain amount of sense to describe the design constraints that the present inventor considered in order to invent the present point-of-sale display and packaging system. Specifically, in accordance with the present invention, businesses license the system for use with their products, charities receive money from this system being used, and it is ultimately the consumer who directs where this charitable money goes.  
         [0075]    Needless to say, any system that is going to be concerned with the flow of money from place to place will probably receive a great deal of attention from the government, especially when the system intends to make use of the tax benefits offered to businesses that make charitable donations. So it made sense to design it in such a way as to minimize potential difficulties with the taxation authorities.  
         [0076]    Although a system where charitable donations would be made at the point-of-sale is possible (i.e., were the charity gets the donation only after the consumer makes it), it presented several difficulties that would have been hard to overcome. First, such donation systems require that some information be returned to the charity; in this case, it would have been the amount of the donation and where it was going. Inherent in this process is the possible loss of transactions; while most point-of-sale systems allow for this, the ideal system cannot. All monies earmarked for charities must get there—no exceptions. Next, these type of systems (i.e., where some information is returned from the point-of-sale) are also vulnerable to counterfeit transactions; the ideal rendering system cannot be; it must, by definition and design, be completely trustworthy. Finally, most of such systems cause an overhead at the point-of-sale itself, as well as require additional time to deliver and process the transactions.  
         [0077]    In contrast to the above systems, the system of the present invention provides maximum goodwill, no leaks, immediate money to the charities, potential taxable benefit to the purchaser, no extra work at the point of sale, and the label ends up in the hands of the consumer.  
         [0078]    In the case of services, e.g., a meal, purchased by consumers according to the present invention, the customer would just have to pick out the color which represents a particular charity, from a list provided on the table (or on the menu), and the meal would be presented to the consumer with the system&#39;s sticker attached to a suitable transport mechanism, e.g., a toothpick.  
         [0079]    In summary, the system of the present invention is characterized by an identification system for products or services which, in a preferred embodiment, uses color codes although other codes could be used (such as logos, symbols, etc.), with each code corresponding, for instance, to a charitable area so that the consumer can decide at the point of sale which charitable area is to receive a pre-determined and known amount of the sale, based on the code, or codes, provided on the product or service intended to be purchased. The coding on the label (e.g., a sticker) has no link to the features of the product or service itself, as a same label can be affixed to a variety of unrelated products and services. The method of coding products and of returning to a particular charity monies resulting from the sale of a product identified with this charity&#39;s respective code differs from conventional point of sales coding systems in that the amount to be so returned is known by the consumer at the point of sale, whereas in the conventional sale&#39;s scenario monies in the form of profits are returned to the vendor/purchaser and the amount of such profits is not known by the consumer. The present system differs from other point-of-sale systems in that, in the present invention, there is a third party involved in the first place, the precise benefit (e.g., amount of money) is known by all parties, and in general the beneficiary, i.e., the third party, will have already received the benefit.  
         [0080]    Therefore, the present system is characterized by the consumer&#39;s knowledge at the point of sale of the amount of money remitted to a third party, e.g., a charitable organization, selected by the consumer himself/herself.  
         [0081]    Although in the present system there is reference to a benefit being rendered to beneficiaries, it must again be also understood that benefit includes monies as well as other valuable considerations be remitted thereto, such as articles of clothing, food, etc., depending possibly on the organization to which the considerations are being rendered. Furthermore, although the above procedure is presently preferred, the benefit being obtained and possibly rendered to the beneficiary before the actual sale to the consumer of the product associated with this benefit and beneficiary, it is readily understood that the remittance or benefit could be rendered to the beneficiary simultaneously with the point-of-sale purchase of the product by the consumer, or possibly after this purchase.  
         [0082]    Thus, a point-of-sale packaging and display system for facilitating consumer donations to third-party charities has been provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented here for purposes of illustration and not of limitation.