Improvements in Money Order Blanks or Forms.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN JEWETT WILLIAMSON, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Money Order Blanks or Forms.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. of 45 Southampton
Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The introduction of a system of remittances of small sums by postal notes or orders
has rendered it desirable to simplify this business of remittances as much as possible.
By the system now in use a great many blanks are required to suit the different
denominations.
By the present invention only one form of blank is necessary for the transmission
of a postal money order to any amount allowed by law, and only one form for the
postal note.
The peculiarity of this invention consists in providing each note or money order
with two marginal amount columns each of which contains a series of figures the
addition of which will form the largest amount for which the note or order can be
drawn, and by the addition of selections from which any lesser amount may be made
up, and the method of use of this sort of blank is by punch cancellation of those figures
in the marginal columns which are not needed to make up the amount for which the
order or note is drawn. In sterling currency the marginal column would contain
three denominational sub-columns one for pounds, one for shillings and one for pence,
and if the total amount for which the order could be drawn was ten pounds the
sub-column for pounds would best be composed of the following figures :-3, 3, 2, 1, 0,
the whole adding up to nine pounds; the sub-column of shillings would be best
composed of the figures 7, 5, 4, 2 and 1, adding up to 19; the column for pence
would be best composed of the figures 5, 4, 2, 1 and the fraction.
As stated, the order or note would have two sets of these marginal columns, and the
order would, when detached, have attached, to it a coupon containing the marginal
columns. In order to issue the note conveniently the coupon to be retained by the
post-master would have the sub-column of pounds on its left, the shillings next to the
right, and the pence on the extreme right, and the column attached to the order or
note would have the sub-column of pence on the left, the shillings in the centre and
the pounds on the right. By folding the two columns together the sub-columns of
pounds would coincide on both coupons, and so with the sub-columns of shillings and
pence; so that, one punch would cancel the figures in both sets of columns. The
order or postal note being numbered, the detached coupon being numbered, and the
retained coupon being numbered, and each of them stamped with the stamp of
the issuing office they could be readily classified by accounting officers; first by the
issuing offices, and second, by their numbers, and the post-masters' accounts readily
settled.
In addition to this, if desired, the postal note might be provided in such a form that
a message as to the use of the remittance, could be written upon its back, and as the
coupon attached to it would really be the voucher for the postmaster, the message
part might be retained by the receiver.
The printing on the postal note would contain the name of the issuing office and
the date of issue; a statement of the instruction or limitation of the use of the note,
such for instance, for sums less than one pound sterling, "payable in the Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland only to the post-master of the post-office at
pay to bearer at any time within three months from the last day of month of issue
the total sums not punched," and any other instructions that may be necessary or

page_text: convenient, and approved by the postal department. The money order would contain
similar printed matter. Places for the stamps of the issuing and paying offices would
be provided. Upon the coupon attached to the money order or postal note would be
printed, in substance; the words "coupon good for sums not punched," "valueless if
detached."
On the coupon retained from the postal note would be printed directions to the
post-master for return, with his sales account. On the retained coupon of the
money order would be printed direction for disposition of the coupon, as for instance,
"Post-master will forward this stub to paying office as advice, l'ost-master at
pay to
residing at
residing at:"
the total sums not punched sent by
These various details are, of course, subject to many variations and are to be
considered as administrative suggestions.
Such a money order could also be used in connection with the check bank system.
The substance of the invention consists in a money order blank provided with a
coupon or margin on which is printed one or more columns of figures each representing
amounts in currency denominations the addition of which columns will make the
maximum amount for which the order can be employed. From each margin the
numbers not necessary to make, when added, the amount to be called for, are punched
out.
T INT
.
+000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Money Order Blanks or Forms.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :--
The introduction of a system of remittances of small sums by postal notes or orders
has rendered it desirable to simplify this business of remittances as much as possible.
By the system now in use a great many blanks are required to suit the different
denominatións.
By the present invention only one form of blank is necessary for the transmission
of a postal money order to any amount allowed by law, and only one form for the
postal note.
The peculiarity of this invention consists in providing each note or money order
with two marginal amount columns, each of which contains a series of figures the
addition of which will form the largest amount for which the note or order can be
drawn, and by the addition of selections from which any lesser amount may be made
up, and the method of use of this sort of blank is by punch cancellation of those
figures in the marginal column's which are not needed to make up the amount for
which the order or note is drawn. In sterling currency the marginal column would
contain three denominational sub-columns one for pounds, one for shillings and one
for pence, and if the total amount for which the order could be 'drawn was 'ten
pounds the sub-column for pounds would best be composed of the following figures:
3, 3, 2, 1, 0 the whole adding up to nine pounds; the sub-column of shillings would
be, best composed of the figures 7, 5, 4, 2, and 1, adding up to 19; the column for
pence would be best composed of the figures 5, 4, 2, 1, and the fraction.
As stated, the order or note would have two sets of these 'imarginal columns, and
the order would, when detached, have attached to it a coupon containing the marginal
columns. In order to issue the note conveniently the coupon to be retained by the
post-master would have the sub-column of pounds on its left, the shillings next to
the right, and the pence on the extreme riglit, and the column attached to the order
or note would have the sub-column of pence on the left, the shillings in the centre
and the pounds on the right.

page_text: By folding the two columns together the sub-columns of pounds would coincide
on both coupons, and so with the sub-columns of shillings and pence; so that, one
punch would cancel the figures in both sets of columns. The order or postal note
being numbered, the detached coupon being numbered, and the retained coupon being
numbered, and each of them stamped with the stamp of the issuing office they could
be readily classified by accounting officers; first by the issuing offices, and second, by
their numbers, and the post-masters' accounts readily settled.
In addition to this, if desired, the postal note might be provided in such a form that
a message, as to the use of the remittance could be written upon its back, and as the
coupon attached to it would really be the voucher for the post-master, the message
part might be retained by the receiver.
pay to
The printing on the postal note would contain the name of the issuing office and
the date of issue; a statement of the instruction or limitation of the use of the note,
such for instance, for sums less than one pound sterling payable in the Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland only to the post-master of the post-office at
bearer at any time within three months from the last day of month of issue the total.
sums not punched, and any other instructions that may be necessary or convenient,
and approved by the postal department. The money order would contain similar
printed matter. Places for the stamps of the issuing and paying offices would be
provided.
Upon the coupon attached to the money order or postal note would be printed,
in substance, the words " coupon good for sums not punched," "valueless if
detached."
On the coupon retained from the postal note would be printed directions to the
post-master for return, with his sales account. On the retained coupon of the money
order would be printed direction for disposition of the coupon, as for instance,.
"Post-master will forward this stub to paying office as advice. Post-master
pay to
the total sums not punched sent by
residing at
at
ני
residing at
These various details are, of course, subject to many variations and are to be.
considered as administrative suggestions.
Such a money order could also be used in connection with a check-bank.
system.
From each margin the numbers not necessary to make, when added, the amount
to be called for. are punched out.
The example given in the accompanying drawing illustrates the invention applied
to a money-order postal-card.
Figure 1 represents a card with part of the value column cancelled,
Figure 2 represents a card and its stub uncancelled.
In a decimal currency-say of dollars and cents, or francs and centimes, the use of.
one column would indicate a value in cents or of centimes up to one dollar or one.
frane, the use of two columns would indicate a value in dollars or francs up to one :
hundred, and the range of the third column would be up to ten thousand dollars or
francs, so that by the use of three columns of the same table any value up to ten
thousand one hundred and one dollars or franes could be represented. The numbers
most convenient for making the columns, are 50, 25, 10, 8, 4, 2, 1, whereby any..
number may be expressed up to 100. Ten Arabic numerals, two O's, two 1's, two 2'3
two 5's, one 4, one make the case for printing this table, while for printing a column
of units and: tens twenty different types of ten different sorts would be required.
The issuer of the card would use it as follows: He knows the table adds up to one
hundred, he has money given him to a given amount say thirty-nine_cents, he takes a
card and a punch and punches out the numbers 50, 10 and 1, just as if..he were
making change out of a dollar, adding the value of the numbers cancelled to the sum
paid him till he gets to a dollar, and the numbers left when the punching is done
when added will make the amount received.
The former tables in use were generally heavy columns of values which proceeded
by short stages, say a progression of five cents, from. five cents to five dollars, or. from.
i

page_text: one dollar to five dollars, or the like. These last tables would require sixty Arabic
figures to each hundred after the first, and for the first hundred thirty-nine Arabic
figures; or there have been columns of numbers doubling consecutively from one
cent upward, giving an uneven sum differing from the standard of the currency, and
thus rendering it troublesome, awkward, and unready to make change. In such case
also a large number of figures have been necessary to make the order available for use.
It will thus be seen that these particular addition-columns are a new departure in
money-order blanks.
In the drawings a is a place for the postage-stamp.
b is a legend showing the party responsible for the redemption of the order, which
may be the United States postal department or an express-company, a bank, or a
private person, as each particular case may be.
c is a space for the address.
d is the coupon indicating value, and e is the stub indicating value.
The stub and coupon being folded together in the usual way with figure columns,
as in railroad-blanks, for simultaneous cancellation, the numbers which are not needed
for indicating the amount are punched out and the coupon and card torn from the
stub and delivered to the purchaser of the money-order. If the card be a postal-card,
the message is written upon the reverse side, not covering any part of the money-
coupon, and the whole order is presented at the pay-office, and the party paying it
removes the coupon as a voucher. In order to show the office from which the coupons
have come, they should be stamped either on the front or back of the coupon, so that
the accounts may be made correct.
Of course, this money-order cannot be raised, because only the figures are left on it,
which, when added together make up the amount for which it is an order and so being
stamped upon the back by the issuing office the charge can be entered up against
that office.
In case this invention is used as an express money-order or for bankers the place
for the postage-stamp will be omitted and the directions may be printed on the back,
or an additional blank to be filled up with ink for the amounts could be added for
protection. In case it was used in the English "check bank" system a book of orders
would be issued, and on the return of the stub and comparison with the checks received
the amount of money not used would be refunded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is ;-
A money order-blank or the like provided with a margin upon which is printed a
column of figures representing denominations of the currency of the country, as
described the additions of which figures will make the maximum amount for which the
order may be drawn, which amount corresponds to a denomination of said currency,
and the addition of selections from which; left uncancelled will make a sum of lesser
denomination of said currency, whereby the preparation of the order for the amount
desired will be ready and instantaneous, like making change in the accustomed manner,
and of the common standard of currency of the country and the amount for which the
order is given will be immediately recognizable.
1111
1000
11
ed this 11th day of February 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.