An Improved Device for the Prevention of Fraud or Mistakes in the Issue or Giving of Receipts, Promissory Notes, Cheques, or Orders for Money and other Things.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH JAMES MACKY, of Auckland, Provincial
District of Auckland, New Zealand, Agent.]
An Improved Device for the Prevention of Fraud or Mistakes in the
Issue or Giving of Receipts, Promissory Notes, Cheques, or Orders
for Money and other Things.
JOSEPH THOMPSON STEEN, of 113, Wool Exchange, in the City of London,
Merchant, 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 :-
In all monetary and commercial transactions wherein documents such as receipts
and cheques for money and the like are used it is of the utmost importance that no
mistakes are made and that no fraudulent alteration can be made on them.
My device consists of an oblong space subdivided by horizontal and vertical lines
this being the simplest method to obtain spaces for each figure and on the upper left
hand corner there is printed or engraved the word under or any other word or
words to signify less than and which shall be read with each or any of the
determinating sets of figures placed underneath as for example under 10 under 100
and so on.
These determinating sets of figures are to occupy a space down the left side of
the device the figures to be on the horizontal lines that run through to the right
side of the device.
On the right side of the device these horizontal lines will be crossed by vertical
lines at suitable distances from each other to give spaces for each figure of the
amount required in the document. Thus if the amount to be paid away or received
be any sum less than ten (10) there will be on the right side only one space on the
first and same line for this one (1) figure as the determinating figures one and
nought (10) on the left side have.
And as there is but the one space on this line the one figure in this space cannot
be added to so that a seven (7) could not be altered into seventy (70).
The next horizontal line may on the left side have the determinating figures 100
and on the right side on the same line there will be two spaces one under the only
space on the first line and between the same vertical lines the other nearer the left
side between one of these vertical lines and another vertical line that does not cross
the first horizontal line.
So that if any sum less than one hundred (100) be paid away say seventeen it
cannot be altered as there are but the two spaces one space for each figure and 17
cannot be increased to 1700.
The next horizontal line may have three (3) spaces for figures another vertical
line from the second horizontal line giving the third space on the right side and on
the same horizontal line on the left side of the device will be found the determinating
figures 1000.
And so on for larger amounts as the various requirements of individuals or firms
may demand.
Between the determinating sets of figures and the spaces on the right side of the
device that are defined by vertical and horizontal lines a sufficiently wide space may
be occupied by a letter or word to signify what is being paid away as for example
£for pounds and $ for dollars.
The devices which have been used hitherto in this same connection are very
imperfect and require either extra writing or marking when being used by the
drawer of the document.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
A new and improved device to prevent the alteration of the figures in a receipt
promissory note cheque or other document used in connection with exchange for
money or other things constructed printed or engraved on paper or other substances
by having horizontal lines in an oblong space and on the one side of this space
preferably the left side to have determinating figures or numbers on each line and
each line to have an increased value over the line preceding it of not less than ten
times as ten (10) one hundred (100) and so on.
And on the right side of the device within the oblong space to have vertical or
nearly vertical lines dividing spaces for the figures two vertical lines on the hori-
zontal line that is for less than ten (10) which give only one (1) space for one (1)
figure.
If the determinate value of the next horizontal line be under one hundred then
there will be three vertical lines preferably continuing the first two down to this
horizontal line and making another vertical line from the first to the second
horizontal line which will give two (2) spaces only for the two (2) figures
and so on.
.
The word "under" to be read with the determinating sets of figures or any
other word or words signifying less than may be printed or engraved above the
determinating sets of figures or at one or both sides of these figures.
And between these determinating figures or numbers and the spaces at the other
side of the device a larger letter or symbol may be printed or engraved to denominate
the nature of the money or things to be paid away or received for example £ for
pounds $ for dollars.
And what I claim as the special novelty of this device is that the lines and spaces
for the figures have a determinate value and that every figure has a space assigned
to it according to its value and that alteration of the figures and amount paid away
or received is almost impossible.
Dated the 12th day of February 1891