Year: 1899

page_text: I, JOIN BIGELOW BEAVIS, of 312, East Fourteenth Street, Minneapolis, Hennepin
County, Minnesota, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 object of my invention is to provide a manifold account, order and sales book
whereby an original entry of the name and price of such article purchased or
ordered each day by a respective customer may be kept and added to his past
account and the customer and merchant each thereby furnished with a balanced
itemized statement of such account as each order is given or purchase made,
without the necessity of copying any item, the merchant devoting one book to
each regular customer (hereinafter referred to as the individual customer's
book," and keeping the respective individual customer' books in a convenient
cabinet or case provided for that purpose.
The object of my invention is to provide a manifold account, order and sales book,
by the use of which the manifold system of keeping accounts in stores will be
perfected, and the former necessity of copying orders of goods, taken by the
order clerk" at the residences of customer's, into the individual customer's
books will be avoided, and, with which, it will only be necessary to pull the
original order slip from the book used by the "order clerk" and slip it bodily
into the respective individual customer's book, next to the last used original
sheet therein, to complete the customer's book and make it a complete itemized
record of original entry of all that customer's account.
In using books of this class heretofore devised it has been necessary for the
"order clerk" either to carry with him on his route the several individual
customer's books, (thus taking out of the store the only record the dealer has of
such account, or to use a separate book for orders taken out of the store, and,
upon arriving at the store, to copy such orders into the several respective
customer's books. The former method has been objected to by the merchant for
the reason that it requires the utmost care on the part of the order clerk, in taking
from the store the numerous individual customer's books, not to mislay or loose
one or more of them and thus leave the merchant without any record of such
customer's account or any memorandum of the amount thereof; a further objec-
tion is that in case a customer calls while the order clerk has such customer's
book out with him on the route, the merchant must take such customer's order
on a separate sheet and afterwards copy it into the book when the "order clerk
returns to the store, or in case the customer wishes to pay his bill the merchant
must ask the customer to call again as the merchant has no record of the account
at hand, it is with the order clerk. In practical use the second method is objected
to for the reason that it requires the copying of orders and bills of goods, to
save the copying of which the manifolding system has been adopted and is used.
In order to avoid these objections I have. after a long experience with the
several books of this class now in use, devised the account, sales and order book
"

page_text: hereinafter described and in which the principal feature is the provision of
a series of original slips or leaves which are held in the binder or cover in such
manner as to be readily, bodily and without tearing or changing the form or
size of the leaves, transferred from one book to another, thus permitting the order
clerk to take one of the books with him on his route and upon his return to the
store readily slip the original order leaves or slips from this book into the
respective customer's books and complete such accounts without copying any
order or bill of goods.
The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an account, sales and order book embodying
my invention
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same as it appears when opened and just
after the entry of an order therein.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the parts in position to more fully illustrate
the construction.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line X-X of Fig. 3.
As shown in the drawings, 2, 3 and 4 represent the three parts of my binder or
cover. These may be of any suitable or preferred material, such as straw-board
covered with cloth. The parts 2, 3 and 3, 4 are respectively hinged together,
as shown, by a strip of flexible fabric. The hinges 5 and 6 are made of con-
siderable length for the purpose hereinafter described. On the inner side of the
part 2 and near the hinges 5, I provide a loop 7, attached to the part 2, either by
being passed between the straw-board and the cloth covering forming the part 2,
3, 4, or in other suitable manner.
On the upper side of the part 4 and near the hinge GI provide a double loop 8
secured thereto in a manner similar to the fastening of the loop 7. This double
loop 8 is shown in section in Fig. 4 where it is seen that the loop is formed into
two parts or eyes 81, 81.
I pass one end of a sheet of carbon paper 9 through the eye of the loop S, which
eye 8, as shown in section in Fig. 4, has only sufficient space to permit the
insertion thereinto of such carbon paper.
I also prefer to provide a loop 16 at the free end of the part 4. If desired
the carbon paper may be slipped through this loop. It is so used in the "order
clerk's book. For the duplicate sheets I provide a series of slips 11, somewhat
longer than the part 4 and adapted to be folded, as shown in Fig. 3, and slipped
through the eye S of the loop 8, and retained in the binder.
For the original or record sheets, I provide a series of slips 14, preferably
longer than the part 2 and adapted to be folded and passed under the loop 7.
The sheets being thus held on the binder but each capable of being or pulled
from under the loop 7 without removing therefrom any of the other sheets 14
and without tearing or injuring the sheet 14 thus withdrawn. It is obvious
that other sheets may be slipped into place under the loop 7 between respective
sheets 14 as desired.
Where a customer calls to get goods or to leave an order therefor the merchant
steps to the cabinet holding the individual book of the customer so ordering
or buying goods. The book is opened by pulling back the part 3 from the position
of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 2.
The carbon sheet is then folded over onto the face of the sheet 11. The part 4
is raised and a sheet 14 placed over the carbon sheet. The merchant writes
the date at the top of the sheet 14 and then the name of the customer ordering
or purchasing goods. The amount of past account will be found on the back of
the last used original slip (the balance being represented in the drawings by the
figures 4.50). The merchant then writes this balance after the word "balance"
on the sheet 14 and under this word writes down the several items of the order,
extending the prices thereof in a column under the balance 450, and, adds or
foots up the column, turns the original sheet 14, so that it lies flat on the top of

page_text: the other original sheets on the part 3, places the new balance on the back thereof
near the hinge 5, pulls out the duplicate slip 11 and passes it to the clerk whose
duty it is to put up the goods for delivery.
The individual customer's book is then placed in the cabinet fully entered up
and balanced, and is ready for the next order, the account, as shown therein
being an original entry" account, fully itemized and footed up at all times.
The duplicate slip is sent to the customer with the goods and always shows the
correct balance due and these duplicates taken together give the customer
and itemized statement of his account. The original slips remain in the cover
or binder until all the original leaves have been used or the account is closed,
when they are removed, fastened together by suitable means and filed away for
future use.
•
In taking orders at the houses or residences of the customers, the "order
clerk" to-wit:-(the clerk who calls at houses of customers and secures their
orders for goods, returning to the store and thereafter having the goods delivered
from the store to the house,) takes with him a book, which is identical in form
and construction with each individual customer's book, leaving the individual
customer's book in the store so that if a customer calls while the order clerk is
out, the customer's book is ready to receive his order, or in case the customer calls
to pay his bill, the merchant has the individual book at hand fully balanced up
and itemized, thus enabling him to check up with the customer and settle the
account at once. The orders of the respective customers are taken in duplicate
by the order clerk, and when he returns to the store he goes to the cabinet
containing the several individual customer's books, secures therefrom the amount
of past account, writes the word "balance" and the amount thereof at the top
of each order taken by him, foots same up. The original slips are then withdrawn
from the order clerk's book the leaves being loose and not fastened to one another,
and transferred to the individual books of the respective customers where by
slipping the original slip 14 containing the order thus taken by the order clerk,
between the last used original slip therein and the next unused original slip
the customer's individual book is completed,-balanced and itemized. It is thus
seen that in order to keep the customer's book fully complete with reference to
the different transactions and items it is necessary only to transfer the respec-
tive sheets or slips 14 from the order clerk's book to the individual customer's
book and carry forward the balance to the top of the next record leaf.
this has been done the order clerk passes the duplicate copies of orders taken by
him to the clerk having charge of filling orders and the delivery thereof. The
goods being put up, the slips are sent with them to the customers.
After
It is thus seen that each customer's book, by thus bodily and intactly trans-
ferring the original leaves or slips from the order clerk's book, is always fully
written up and balanced to date, without copying any order or item and that at
all times the individual customer's book is ready should the customer call to
order or purchase goods or pay his bill.
I claim to be the first to provide an account, sales and order book, wherein
the leaves of original entry may be transferred from one book to another without
tearing of the leaves, accomplishing this by a loose arrangement of the leaves or
slips.
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:-
1. A manifold account, order and sales book comprising, in combination,
a foldable cover or binder, a series of loose original or record leaves, or slips,
each sheet or slip of said series adapted to be withdrawn bodily and intact inde-
pendent of the other sheets of said series and transferred from said cover or
binder to another cover or binder of similar construction, a series of manifold
slips or sheets retained on said cover or binder, in a position with relation to

page_text: said original and manifold slips to be interposed between respective original and
manifold sheets, substantially as described.
2. A manifolding account, sales and order book comprising in combination a
foldable cover or binder, a series of loose original or record leaves or slips retained
on said cover but adapted to be readily bodily withdrawn intact from said cover
independent of the withdrawal from or retention by said cover of the other leaves
or sheets of said series, a series of manifold leaves or slips retained by said cover.
and a sheet of carbon paper provided in position with respect to said respective
slips to be interposed between respective original and manifold slips, substantially
as described.
२
3. In a manifolding account, sales and order book, the combination, of a
foldable cover or binder, a retaining loop or device thereon, a series of loose leaves
or slips adapted to be slipped under and retained in position on said cover by
said loop, a second series of leaves, a second loop or device whereby said second
series of leaves is held in position on said cover, and a sheet of carbon paper
provided in connection therewith in position to be interposed between respective
original and duplicate or manifold sheets, substantially as described.
4. The combination, in a manifold account, sales and order book, of a foldable
cover, a loop 7 provided thereon, a series of loose leaves or slips 14, a loop 8,
a series of leaves 11, a semi-carbon sheet, and a loop for said carbon sheet; sub-
stantially as described.
5. The combination, in a manifold account, sales and order book, of a three
part foldable cover or binder a loop 7 provided thereon, a series of loose leaves
or slips 14 adapted to be retained on said binder thereby, a second loop, a series
of loose duplicate leaves or slips adapted to be retained on said binder thereby,
and a semi-carbon sheet adapted to be retained by said binder in position to be
interposed between said original and duplicate sheets, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1899.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.