IMPROVED FORM OF BLANK CHEQUE OR SIMILAR MONETARY DOCUMENT
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1879. A communication
from abroad by George C. MoEwen, of New York City, in the United States of
America.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
IMPROVED FORM OF BLANK CHEQUE OR SIMILAR MONETARY
DOCUMENT." [A communication from abroad by George C. M°Ewen, of New
York City, in the United States of America.]
The object of this Invention is to provide an improved "safety" cheque, draft, or
similar paper so formed or printed as to effectively prevent the raising or alteration
of the same.
To this end the essential feature of the Invention may be stated to
consist in forming the several blank or writing spaces of the cheque in a series of
distinct lines or spaces corresponding to the several numerical denominations of
units, tens, hundreds, thousands, &c., in one of which spaces the writing of the
cheque, according to the amount thereof, is to be inserted so that thus the mere
position of the different lines of writing on the face of the cheque shall serve to
indicate the amount for which it is drawn.
Heretofore in the printing or formation of bank cheques, drafts, notes, and other
financial papers it has been usual to provide but a single line or space for each of
the blank or writing spaces of the cheque; thus one line for the amount written in
words, one for the amount in figures, and one for the signature. I now introduce
a novel feature and a very important one for the objects in view in providing a
series of distinct and numerically distinguished spaces to receive the writing of the
cheque in a position according to the amount thereof, where only one undistinguished
space has heretofore been employed for all amounts alike. Thus the space to receive
the written worded amount of the cheque, instead of consisting of a single line as
heretofore, is divided up into a series of horizontal spaces, each space corresponding
with a distinct numerical denomination or period of figures, such as units, tens,
hundreds, thousands, &c., the denomination being preferably indicated in each space
by words or appropriate symbols. The space for the insertion of the amount in
figures is in like manner divided into the several lines corresponding with those of
the space for the worded amount, and the space for the signature of the drawer is
formed also on the same corresponding plan.

page_text: This principle may be extended to every blank or writing space of the cheque,
that is, also to the number space, date space, and the space for the name of the payee,
but the combined use of the three spaces is preferred and is considered quite a suffi-
cient bar to alterations. In filling in the cheque therefore the writing is to be
inserted in the spaces corresponding to the amount for which the cheque is
drawn; thus, suppose it to be drawn for 150%, the worded amount " one hundred
and fifty" is written on the hundred or "C" line of the worded amount space, and
in a corresponding manner the amount in figures "150i." is written in the hundred
line of the figure space, while the drawer finally signs his signature on the "C" or
hundred line of the signature space; thus the very position of the writing on the
face of the check at once indicates the amount for which the check is drawn, so
that to alter the check it is not merely necessary to alter a part but to erase substan-
tially the whole writing and insert writing again in different spaces, a difficulty
obviously so great where this principle is employed as to be practically impossible
without instant detection.
I also prefer to provide each denominational line or space with the nine numeral
figures to indicate units of the said denominations, so that by commencing the
writing at the figure corresponding to the unit of the denomination for which the
cheque is drawn, the exact amount of the cheque will be indicated by the position of
the writing.
By the means described the obstacles presented to the alteration of the cheque
become so complicated as to be simply insurmountable, thus offering a positive
detereut effect to criminal inclinations, and effectually protecting the user against
fraud.