Improvement in Identification Cards.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Identification Cards.
1, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of 52 Chancery Lane, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(which has been communicated to me from abroad by "The Identification
Card Co.," No. 111, Broadway, New York, U.S.A.), and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
The invention relates to the arrangement of the means of the identification upon
an identification card, so called, and to be used like a passport by travellers and
others for the purpose of confirming the personality of the bearer. Cards of this
character have heretofore been furnished with a picture, as a photograph, duly
signed by the person represented thereby, together with a certificate of a Notary
Public or other proper officer identifying such picture and its signature. No
provision, however, has been made to prevent erasure or alteration of the name
accompanying the picture and the substitution therefor of another name, for a
fraudulent or dishonest purpose, and to effectually prevent such erasure or
alteration as well as other alteration of the card is the essential object of my
invention.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1. represents a face view of an identification card unfolded embodying
my invention.
Figure 2. represents a cross section thereof on the line 2, r, Figure 1.
This card proper is composed of a sheet of paper which is usually folded in
three parts or leaves A. B. C. and attached by one of said leaves, preferably by
the middle one to one side of a two part folded cover D for enclosing the card.
Said attached middle leaf A of the card is intended to receive a description
of the person to be identified, and one outer leaf B to receive memoranda, such
as the name &c. of reference, while on the other leaf C is mounted in any usual or
suitable manner a sheet E containing a photograph of said person.
Said mounted sheet E also contains the written signature of the person represented
by the photograph, and a certificate of identity signed by a Notary Public or
other officer and attested by his seal, the whole being integral with said sheet, as
shown.
The said notarial seal is an impression formed in a well known manner and is at
that part of the photographic sheet E which contains the said written signature,
or in other words is opposite the signature, thus bringing the latter either partly
or wholly within the area of the seal, and inasmuch as the impression has the effect
of unfitting the paper to be written upon the signature is thereby practically
cancelled and an erasure or alteration effectually prevented.
Said impression of the seal is formed in the leaf C of the card as well as the
photographic sheet E mounted thereon, causing these two parts to interlock and
assume a fixed relation to each other, whereby an attempt to remove the photo-
graphic sheet and replace it by another may be at once detected, due to the
impracticability of successfully reproducing the character of the seal in the
substituted sheet.
It should be remarked that instead of a notarial seal any other suitable
impression or line of perforations may be employed for effecting the desired
Burnose

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
In combination with the folded case or cover D, the identification card herein
described having three adjoining leaves A, B, C, formed of a single sheet of paper
by one of which leaves A said card is permanently attached to said case leaving
the remaining leaves B, C, detached, the said detached leaf C having mounted
thereon a sheet E containing integrally a photograph of the person to be identified,
the written signature of said person and a duly attested certificate of his or her
identity; combined with an impression as of a notarial seal which is formed in
both the leaf C of the card and said photographic sheet mounted thereon at a
point to overlap said signature, the seal thus causing these two parts to firmly
interlock, and assume a fixed relation to each other whereby an attempt to
remove the photographic sheet and replace it by another is prevented, as set forth.
Dated this
day of
189
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.