US1499287A - Check - Google Patents

Description

June 24 1924.

J. BREWER CHECK Fild Aue. 4, 1921 PORDER 0F MM A I g l 0 l fm Vm Y M lmfmmfaramfm @@@ramfawramlmmmmmrm A TTOHNEYS Patented June 24, 1924.

JOSEPH BREWER, OE ANEW YORK, N. Y.

CHECK.'

Application filed August4, 1921. Serial No. 489,861.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JosErH` BREWER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Check, ot which the following is a description. f

My invention relates to a negotiablepaper such as a bank check and means to provide new and useful improvements therein.

It is well understood that considerable difficulty is experienced incident to the' fact that it has been a common occurrence for checks to be raised7 E lVith this in mind any number of machines have been placedupon the market by means of which the face of the check might be marked in such fa manner vas to prevent.

the amount designated to, be erased and a larger amount substituted.

For the most partthese devices have objectionsin that they are too cumbersome for persons to carry with them and further in that they are relatively expensive.

With thisin mind my present invention aims to provide aV negotiable paper in the form of a check, by means of which it would be impossible to increase the denomination of the check Without immediately this alteration apparent.

A further object of my. invention is the provision of a device of the character stated, which will permit of the conventional check rendering protectors being entirely` dispensed withy aside tromrthe fact that a negotiable paper embodying my improved construction willl not cost any material amount more to lmanufacture than checks now placed upon the market.

With this and further objects in mind reference is had to the annexed specification taken in connection with ythe drawings which latter present a practical embodiment of the same, in which l f Figure l is a face view of a check embodying my improved construction;

Figure 2 is a similar fragmentary viewof a slightly different type of check;

Figure 3 is an enlarged ytransverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 and in the direction of the arrows indicated in Fiurel. ,A

eferring now more particularly to Figure 1 it will be seen, that the reference numeral 5 indicates a check the body portion of which is conventionalin all respects and may bear any suitable data for being iilled 1n in the usual manner as to the amount and signature, and it will also be noted in thisy view that, provided. f Y

With respect to the first of these safeguards it will be noted that the reference numeral 6 indicates. a series of strips attached to the body of the check 5, but capable ofy being severed therefrom. i These checks raresuitably identified and assuming thatthe check appears for an amount over one thousand it will be understood in the embodiment illustrated and as preferabli constructed that all of the strips will be left in their proper positionsincluding ya further strip (not shown) to the extreme right of the strip marked Hundreds. This further strip, in the present case removed, is marked Thousands-. yThe reason for the removal here of such strip is because when three different fsafeguards are the cheek is for lessthan onethousand dol this safeguard consists of anumber Ottabs 7 entirely enclosed by the body of the check and kbeing .capable ,of being removed therefrom for the same purposeas has been def,

scribed in connection with the strips 6 in thel preceding paragraph. Also, the digits from l to O are provided in the form of portions 8 of the checky each properly identiiiedand separable from the body of thevcheck by virtue' of the fact that they are entirely surrounded by a series of pertorations ren-y dering this operation comparatively easy.

Assuming that a check for $10 is desired to be made all of they tabs 7 are removed v with the exception of the one Vappearing oni the lower left hand corner. Also theiirst and the last portion 8 in the top and midY dle rows, and the iirst only, in the bottom row are removed. n Removal of the first and last portion 8 in any row Awill serve to indicate that none of the figures in that-row are being used. Obviously this form maybe omitted from acheck and the torrnherein-V afterdescribed may be used.'` f l called the numerical7 tabs, and in a num- Y but $5 of the amount would beiprotected.,

most that would ever l-be ber of series, are provided adjacent the literal tabs 9 and it `will be seen, reference bein-g had to Figure 3, that these numerical tabs are vconstructed in such ia manner as to afford a. crescent-shaped space ll at lthe top of 'each 'rather small vnumerical tab 10, which space enables the person `filling in the check to readily remove these Supplemental tabs.

Thus, as :in the embodiment illustrated, the cheek is .for $987. First visualize vthe check intact as Vto the Vliteral tabs l95and With the tab V9 removed from the space 9a marked Vllhousands7 and theta'b 9 removed from the :space :9b marked `l-lun'dreds" New the ytheory of protection is that the unsevered literaltab overlyingfthe left-hand digitseriesof the 7tabs d0, limits "the multiplier of the severedone of such tabs 'l-O; that Vthe unsevered literal tab overlying the middle Vdigit-series of .the tabs 1.() :has -a roorresponding` Vfunction relative Ato the severed one of the last-mentioned 'elicit-series, rand thatthe same is true of therig-vitha-nd group of `Ltabs V9 and 10. Therefore, :as will -be seen, vthe check being for $987 as foresaid, the digit 9 is removed from the left-.hand series 4of 4numerical tabsV l0 and. also the Thousands tab 9. (not shown) has been removed Sas vindicatediat Y -t will Yfurther be noted that the digit 8 :is removedfrom the middleseries lof numerical tabs A10, :and

also :the hundreds :tab 9 (not shown.) as

indicated at 9b. Finally, :it will `be Vnoted thatthe Adigit 7 is Jmoved from `the right-V hand series of vnumerical tabs 10, and kalso the tens tabs 9 shown in thepresent-:c'ase partially severed. Y

making-out a check for isay 958,765, all the numerical Itabs l@ would be left rin place except the rta-b occupying the opening 9a (ias explained above, .inscribed Thousandsf), the ltab occupying the opening 91 (as eirplained above, inscribed fl-lfundreds,

Fig. l. 11n this way, it -is obvious zrthatall @if feourse, if 'the .length 'of the 'check :permitted, a fourth set of vdigit-series rtabsfl@ could .be provided, and then nevery single dollar would befcovered. But such extra equipment isnot recommended; :as not neven' the-most daring check-raiser 'would deem it Worth While to tamper ywith -a check for the sake of a gain ofifrom i$1 to $9, lWhichis the left uncovered by the check such as that illustrated in l, even Where used vfor amounts as high kas of my claims,

andY the Tens tabs shown vpartially severed in $9,999. Although an unauthorized Aperson might succeed in 'carefully fre-arranging one of the supplemental tabs or one of the main tabs, in such a manner that the deception would not be apparent, it is prefectly obvious that by virtue of the fact that more than one rearrangement of the parts would have to be 4resorted to, aV raising of a check is virtually impossible.

Referring to 'the form villustrated in Figure 2 it will be seen view embodies 'only the essential elements of my invention, to Wit, those embraced by .the main ,and supplemental tabs 9 fand l0 'of the check illustrated iin Fig. l, :thisone safeguard in itself virtually preeluding any .possibility of a raising of the amount :of the check. However, it Will be noted in the for-1n referred to that as `will 'obviously he appreciated, :I ymay readily provide merely one tab 9 for yeach kof .the'series yto indicate the class to Which thewdigits of the latter belong.

Finally, again referring :to the estripsf, lit will be noted Athat Vthe `same are :attached 1to the body 5 :of the check ,rin Vsuch :a vfmanner that a series of perforations or indentations is provided, which perforations are interrupted `as at 6.. ,By Vthis construction it will be obvious that ran yaccidental fdctac'hment of zone of the strips zfnom-vthebody of the :check Willbe 'absolutely .precluded and jthus :a 1'person gpresenting the check for payment :to a bank will be amable to put forth the excuse :that the strips l:became 44accidentally torn rfrom the body of the check, as it v,vvill be necessary to :deliberately effect t-hisoperation. Y

Thus, uit avfillhe appreciated that all the objects set forth in @the `preamble of. the specification yare accomplished :and :it will beV further understoodtlrat :numerous modifica,- tions yof :the structure ,might `readily vbe resorted to Without 'departing from 'the scope Which'aree- L1. Inacheckfof the characterfdescribed, a check :body -fcarrying 4a plurali-ty of permanent ,indicia divided :intel-main and Sapp-lemental units, the supplemental unit indicat-V ing the digits Sand` the mai-n unit indicating the :class to Which said Vdigits belong; the cheekY lhaving also a plural-ity of permanently cut-out `portions with eachsaid portion closeto a particular indicium,=each said portion ib'eing elongated and so fdisposed .that a straight line ,joining the yopposite ends -of said ,portion lfaces vits -indic-ium sidevvise'ly.

2. In a ch'eclrof.thefcharacterdescribed, a check body'fcarrying .-a ,plurality l of V,permanent indicia `divided finto main and supp-lemental runits, Vthe supplemental unit indieating the digits and the mainV unit indicating ltheclass to which `said digits belong the check fhavingvalso -a plurality of per-k manently cut-out jportions 4with each said` lili) portion close to a particular indicium, each said portion being elongated and Aso disposed that a straight line joining the opposite ends of said portion faces its indicium sideWisely, the longitudinal side edge of each said portion nearest its indicium being curved and the conveXity of said curve being directed away from said indicium.

3. In a check of the character described, a check body carrying a plurality of permanent indicia divided into main and supple-r ends of said edge, and said indicium, are

located on opposite sides of said straight line.

4. In a check of the character described, a check body carrying a plurality of permanent indicia divided into main and supplemental units, the supplemental unit indicating the digits and the main unit indicating the class to which said digits belong; the check having also a plurality of permanently cut-out portions With each said portion close to a particular indicium, each said portion being elongated and so disposed that a straight line joining the opposite ends of said portion faces its indicium sidevvisely, each said portion being substantially crescent shaped.

5. In a check of the character described, a

check body carrying a plurality of permanent indicia divided into main and supplemental units, the supplemental unit indicating the digits and the main unit indicating the class to which said digits belong; the check having also a plurality of permanently cut-out portions With each said portion close to a particular indicium, each said portion being elongated and so disposed that a straight line joining the opposite ends of said portion faces its indicium sidewisely, each said portion having opposite longitudinal edges which are arcuate.

6. In a check of the character described, a

check body carrying a plurality of permanent indicia, said check having also a plurality of permanently cut-out portions with: each said portion closeto aparticular indicium and each said portion substantially crescent shaped With the horns of the crescent directed toward its indicium, the check being slitted at opposite ends of the crescent,

such slits constituting smooth prolongations of the bounding arc of the crescent adjacent to the indicium.

7. In a check of the character described, the combination of a plurality of groups of individual digit indicia, each group including a separate indicium for each of a plurality of different digits, and a plurality of severable tabs located significantly adjacent to each of said groups of digit indicia, one tab of each phuality of tabs being inscribed with a digit-1nultiplier indicium and the other tab of the plurality'last-mentioned being inscribed With a dissimilar digit-multiplier indicium, but one tab of one plurality of tabs and one tab of another plurality of tabs being inscribed with the same digitmultiplier indicium. e

JOSEPH BREWER.

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