Abstract:
A purchase item and inventorying system for garage sales is disclosed. The system includes a set of pricing labels for affixing pricing information including a monetary value denomination to articles available for sale, all of the pricing labels being individually removably affixed to a backing board. During use, remaining pricing labels are instantaneously viewable for determining inventory and aggregate pricing value of articles available for sale or sold. Each set of pricing labels is uniquely color coded for use by an assigned entity, group or family participating in the garage sale.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to pricing and inventory control systems, and more particularly to a pricing label and method for a price labeling and inventory control system for an identified universe of vendors at garage sales and the like.  
         Background of the Invention  
         [0003]    Pricing systems using labels, tags and the like are well known in the retail industry for price tagging articles for sale, by presenting pricing information to the prospective purchaser on or attached to the article. In many retail environments, such price tagging systems are interactively correlated with computerized stock and inventory systems for maintaining running inventory and associated sales reports. Such systems input article specifications, inventory location, prior historical sales reports and other pertinent sales information to track inventory down to the individual article level, assist in accounting tasks, and updating marketing systems to refresh the inventory stock.  
           [0004]    However, in the thriving garage sale industry, such systems are not available due to the ad hoc nature of that type of sales environment typically operating without benefit of formal inventory and accounting systems. Nevertheless, vendors of articles for sale in the typically casual and unstructured environments in which most garage sales, flea markets, multi-family household sales, yard sales, and rummage sales, among others, operate still require some method and system for maintaining control over inventory and pricing. Heretofore, no such method or system is known to completely and satisfactorily address these specialized needs. That is, no prior art method or system is known to provide for a self-contained readily usable pricing and inventorying system which enables easy access to price labels while maintaining instantaneous pricing and inventory control outside of a regular commercial retail environment with their established inventorying and pricing systems.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need to provide a readily and easily useable pricing and inventorying system for relatively low-volume garage sales and the like, which is capable of pricing items at preselected or customized price points while enabling immediate determinations of pricing and remaining inventory during and after the sales activity.  
           [0006]    It is thus an object of the present invention to solve this long-felt but unsolved need for a simple but flexible system for price tagging articles while providing an inventorying system which provides immediate purchase and inventory information to the vendor.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is a method, system and kit for pricing and inventorying articles for sale at garage sales, tag sales, flea markets, and the like. The invention includes a set of pricing labels for affixing pricing information including a monetary value denomination to articles available for sale, all of the pricing labels being individually removably affixed to a backing board. For multi-entity/multi-family use, each entity/family is assigned a price tag kit that is uniquely color coded with a family color different from the color coded kits assigned to any other on-site entity/family. During use, pricing labels are instantaneously viewable for determining inventory and aggregate pricing value of articles available for sale or sold.  
           [0008]    Each pricing label may be optionally denominated with a custom monetary value, and each set of pricing labels has an aggregate monetary value. Each pricing label set is color coded with at least one color selected from the group of colors including red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, pink, tan, and gray, although other colors and families of colors may be used with the present invention. Each pricing label is preferably self-adhesive for ready application to an article to price tagged.  
           [0009]    According to another embodiment of the invention, the pricing labels may include a plurality of labels preprinted with scrip value, for redemption in other than legal tender such as the U.S. dollar and fractions and multiples thereof. When used in conjunction with the U.S. currency system, monetary designations may be selected from the group including $0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 4.00, 5.00, and 10.00, among others. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a front planar view of a set of pricing labels removably affixed to a backing board according to a first embodiment of the purchase item and inventorying system of the present invention, further showing one pricing label partially affixed to the backing board.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a table of the quantity of pricing labels carrying the denominated article value, provided per kit of pricing labels.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a front planar view of a plurality of sets of pricing labels removably affixed to a like number of backing boards, for use in a group sales environment such as a multi-family garage sale, each set of pricing labels being uniquely color coded according to the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of the method of use of the purchase item and inventorying system of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    With reference now to the drawings, according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a system  10  as it is implemented in a pricing and inventorying system according to any embodiment of the present invention. System  10  includes a backing board  12  having a top planar surface  14  for supporting a plurality of pricing labels  16 . More specifically, backing board  12  may be a planar or laminate type structure, with a rigid or flexible bending characteristic, compatible with adhesive-backed pricing labels  16 . The backing board may be compatible with either single-usage or reusable pricing labels  16 . Alternatively, and as will be apparent to the skilled artisan, the backing board may integrated with or affixed to a separate structure for packaging or marketing purposes. Materials of construction may include cardboard, vinyl or plastic coated cardboard or card stock, plastics, metals, or other materials either as necessary only to secure the pricing labels  16  or as may be incorporated in a larger package as described above. Any backing board  12  or equivalent thereto will provide a sufficient planar surface on which to adhere pricing labels  16  to achieve the objectives of the present invention.  
         [0015]    Pricing labels  16  for pricing tagging articles such as article  50  (FIG. 1 a ) are provided in color coded sets, the use of which will be further described below. Color coding includes one color, or possibly a combination of colors, selected from the group including red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, pink, tan and gray. When used in combination, complementary colors may be striped, bordered or otherwise included on the pricing label to distinguish one set of labels  16  from another. Single or combination color combinations may be used not only to identify a single entity or family during usage, but also to optionally identify other features including subject matter, price class, value or appraisal grade, or other distinguishing product or family characteristics. Each pricing label  16  is preferably self-adhesive for ready application to an article to price tagged. For example, each pricing label  16  may be coated on the underside  17  thereof with a pressure sensitive adhesive  19  on a portion thereof. During packaging of the system  10 , individual pricing labels  16  may be provided with a release paper backing which prevents the adhesive from sticking to other surfaces prior to first use. Alternatively, some or all of the pricing labels  16  may be affixed to the backing board  12  for immediate removal and affixation to an article  50 .  
         [0016]    Each of the pricing labels  16  is inscribed, printed, embossed or otherwise designated with monetary value information, such as that associated with legal currency or in proprietary scrip. Again with reference to FIG. 1, such monetary values include pricing labels  16  in the amount of US$0.10, pricing labels  18  in the amount of $0.25, pricing labels  20  in the amount of $0.50, pricing labels  22  in the amount of $0.75, pricing labels  24  in the amount of $1.00, pricing labels  26  in the amount of $2.00, pricing labels  28  in the amount of $3.00, pricing labels  30  in the amount of $4.00, pricing labels  32  in the amount of $5.00, and pricing labels  34  in the amount of $10.00. Because some articles, even in the garage sale context, may be priced even higher, various combinations of pricing labels  16 - 34  may be used to price tag the article, and pricing thereof may be provided on blank pricing labels  36 .  
         [0017]    In the aggregate, however, and with reference to FIG. 2 and according to one embodiment of the invention, a predetermined number of pricing labels of predetermined value each has a predetermined aggregate value. According to this embodiment, a total of 500 labels are provided with an aggregate amount of $580.00. According to the invention, the pricing labels may be denominated with other values as necessary and desirable to accommodate a market place with higher or lower selling prices. The additional blank labels  36  may be denominated as necessary, the aggregate value of which should be determined prior to use of the system  10  so that a total aggregate value will be available from which subsequent pricing and inventorying calculations may be determined.  
         [0018]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a system  40  is shown in which a plurality of systems  41 ,  42 ,  43 ,  44  similar to individual use-system  10  may be used in a closed or open selling environment such as a multi-family tag sale. It will be understood that any number of systems may be in contemporaneous use, as long as no two systems share the same color coding scheme. According to this embodiment, each system  41 ,  42 ,  43 ,  44  is uniquely color coded in the manner described above to avoid confusion therebetween, although structured monetary values  51 ,  52 ,  53 ,  54  may be the same or different depending on the nature of the articles available for sale. For example, a typical family tag sale may include 10 families, each of which would be assigned a system  40  being color coded differently from any other system  40 . It is further contemplated that any of the systems  10 ,  40  may be packaged for individual sale, or for group sales in groups of two, five, 10, 20 or other number of entities/families to be represented in the marketplace. Such packaging may also optionally provide signage indicating the nature of the sale, such as tag sale, rummage sale, or garage sale, with corresponding placards, banners, and the like.  
         [0019]    In use, and with reference to FIG. 4, process flowchart  60  outlines the method of the present invention. Initially, pricing label information is determined for the articles being put up for sale, as well as determination of the aggregate value of the pricing labels available for affixation to backing board  12  (step  62 ). Step  64  requires selection of color coding of each entity/family participating in the marketplace. Step  66  requires assignment of the pricing label to the selling entity, and step  68  directs tagging of individual articles for sale with the appropriate pricing tags  16 - 36 ,  51 - 54 . During and after the sales activity, a running or closing inventory analysis may be performed by evaluating the pricing labels remaining on the backing board  12  (step  70 ). Finally, an accounting performed during or after the sales activity is performed, by calculating the value of the pricing labels remaining on the backing board  12  in view of the aggregate value of the pricing labels determined in step  62  (step  72 ).  
         [0020]    Also in accordance with the invention, replacement sets of pricing labels are made available and marketed separately from the kit as replacement labels for use with the system, kit and method of the present invention. Specifically, the replacement labels are made available for sale either by specific denomination to replenish depleted supplies of labels of specific denomination, or as subsets of specific denominations as will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, while preserving the distribution ratios (by entity, color, and denomination/value) as previously described.  
         [0021]    These and other advantages of the invention will be better understood when the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is read in conjunction with the drawings.