IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER MONETARY INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the * International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting En:
gineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING
FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER MONETARY
INSTRUMENTS."
."-A communication from abroad by John Bigley
Newton, of Newport, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Sealed the 6th September 1870, and dated the 3rd June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd June 1870.
;;
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,
Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING
FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER MONETARY INSTRU
MENTS," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture of bank notes;
bankers' cheques, promissory notes, and all classes of mercantile
obligations for the payment of money, and its purpose is to provide a

page_text: ready means for detecting a fraudulent alteration of the denomination
expressed in the body of a genuine instrument.
The slip of paper upon which the blank cheque or other form of
mercantile undertaking or order for the payment of money is printed,
is furnished with a table of digits arranged in vertical columns, and for
convenience described by perpendicular and horizontal lines forming
squares. Over the top of each column is marked the denomination
which the column is designed to represent, commencing with units and
ending with ten thousands or higher denomination.
If the cheque or other money security is filled up with a sum under
ten pounds, the figure in the column of units corresponding with the
number of pounds is to be punched out and the cheque is to be torn
from the book and put into circulation with only that single column
attached. If the cheque be filled with any sum under one hundred
pounds, as for example with the sum of £69, the number 6 in the
column of tens and the number 9 in the column of units are to be
punched out and the cheque issued with only the two columns represent-
ing tens and units attached. If the cheque be filled with a sum under ten
thousand pounds, as for example £8,473, the numbers 8 in the column
of ten thousand, 4 in the column of hundreds, 7 in the column of tens,
and 3 in the column of units are to be punched out, and the cheque issued
with only four vertical columns of digits attached.
From the foregoing examples it will be understood that there should
always be a correspondence between the number of pounds expressed
in the body of the cheque and the punched numbers in the marginal
column, and that the highest denomination of the cheque should not
be exceeded by any column of digits indicated of higher value left
attached to the same when issued. Moreover, it will be understood that
a double security against the alteration of the instrument from a lower
to a higher denomination is afforded, which will make this species of a
fraud too difficult to be practised with success, inasmuch as any attempt
to paste on the end of the cheque an additional vertical column of digits.
would be easy of detection.
I am aware that bankers' cheques, drafts, and other like blanks have
been made with a statement upon their face either printed or woven in
the paper to the effect that such instrument when issued will not be
valid if filled up for a higher amount than a prescribed sum. Such
system of protection requires different blanks for each denomination,

page_text: while by the means described a single blank appropriate for each class,
which may be printed in ordinary letter-press, will answer for all the
usual necessitics of business transactions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the " International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS'
CHEQUES AND OTHER MONETARY INSTRUMENTS," a communication to me from
abroad by John Bigley Newton, of Newport, Rhode Island, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst the others) that I, the
said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW NOW Un
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page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:―
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture of bank notes,
bankers' cheques, promissory notes, and all classes of mercantile obliga-,
tions for the payment of money, and its purpose is to provide a ready.
means for detecting a fraudulent alteration of the denomination expressed
in the body of a genuine instrument.
The Drawing exhibits the Invention as applied to a banker's cheque.
Figure 1 shews an entire leaf of a cheque book; Figures 2 and 3 shew 1
the two parts of the leaf separated, as herein-after described.
The slip of paper upon which the blank cheque or other form of
mercantile undertaking or order for the payment of money is printed is
furnished with a table of digits arranged in vertical columns, and for.
convenience described by perpendicular and horizontal lines forming
squares. Over the top of each column is marked the denomination
which the column is designed to represent, commencing with units and
ending with ten thousands, or any higher denomination.
.
If the cheque or other money security is filled up with a sum under.
ten pounds, the figure in the column of units corresponding with the
number of pounds is to be punched out, and the cheque is to be torn
from the book and put into circulation with only that single column
attached. If the cheque be filled with any sum under one hundred
pounds, as for example, with the sum of £69, the number 6 in the
column of tens and the number 9 in the column of units are to be
punched out and the cheque issued with only the two columns
representing tens and units attached. If the cheque be filled with a
sum under ten thousand pounds, as for example, £8,473, the numbers 8
in the column of thousands, 4 in the column of hundreds, 7 in the
column of tens, and 3 in the column of units are to be punched out,
and the cheque issued with only four vertical columns of digits
attached.
From the foregoing examples it will be understood that there should
always be a correspondence between the number of pounds, dollars, or
other values expressed in the body of the cheque and the punched
numbers in the marginal column, and that the highest denomination of
the cheque should not be exceeded by any column of digits left attached
to the same when issued.

page_text: Moreover, it will be understood that a double security against
the alteration of the instrument from a lower to a higher denomination
is afforded which will make this species of fraud too difficult to be
practised with success inasmuch as any attempt to paste on the end of
the cheque an additional vertical column of digits would be easy of
detection.
Such
I am aware that bankers' cheques, drafts, and other like blanks have
been made with a statement upon their face, either printed or woven in
the paper, to the effect that such instrument when issued will not be
valid if filled up for a higher amount than a prescribed sum.
system of protection requires different blanks for each denomination,
while by the means herein described a single blank appropriate for each
class that may be printed in ordinary letter-press will answer for all the
usual necessities of business transactions.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of using the
same for the prevention of fraud, I claim, the improved manufacture of
blanks for bankers cheques, bills of exchange, and other like mercantile
instruments, which consists in attaching to the blank as a part thereof a
table of digits, each column whereof expresses a particular denomination
from units upward, the same being capable of use as a guard against
alteration of the instrument when issued, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)