Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing-Fraudulent-Alteration- of Cheques, Drafts, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1897-Accepted, 31st July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing-Fraudulent-Alteration-
of Cheques, Drafts, and the like.
A communication from abroad by THE WESLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, a
Corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York, and having a
place of business at 41 Park Row, in the City, County and State of New York,
in the United States of America.
I, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the Firm of Fell and James, of 1 Queen Victoria Street,
in the City of London, Chartered Patent Agents, 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:-.
My invention relates to an improvement in what are known as check protectors,
or devices to be used as a means for preventing the forging or raising of checks,
drafts, &c.
I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which I have
designated the parts by letters, referring to like parts by like letters.
Figure 1 is a front view of the device.
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the lines 2, 2.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the disk carrying the puncturing pins.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the base.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the stud which forms the pivot of lever a¹, and
showing said lever in section.
The apparatus may be said to consist of three parts; the base, a head mounted
on a stem or plunger; and a feeding device, which I will proceed to describe as
follows:
A is the base, having an annular aperture a¹, and a central column a²; said
column being bored through its axis to form a journal bearing a³; at at are the
side walls of a box which contains an ink pad a; suitably secured upon this box is
a guide a for the check as the same is introduced, said guide having an aperture
through the center thereof to permit the passage of a group of needles, such as c,
hereafter to be more fully described; a' is a knife spring suitably secured to the
side of the base A. to co-operate with the notches e, in the periphery of the disc c³,
hereafter to be referred to. a8 is a pivot pin suitably secured to the base A. on one
side, and upon this pivot pin is mounted the friction wheel a", said friction wheel
being provided on the inside thereof with a ratchet wheel a¹0; all is a dog suitably
secured to the underside of the base A, bearing on the ratchet wheel 10 to prevent
the reverse inovement theroof. is a pressure wheel carried in the frame a¹³,
said frame being pivoted at a, and the friction wheel 12 is maintained in contact
with the friction wheel a, in the power of the spring a. a¹ is a lever pivotally
and freely secured to the underside of the base A, at a, and provided near the
center thereof with an aperture as, of a size to receive the end of the stem B,
hereafter to be referred to, and yet not large enough to permit the boss b¹, or the
washer 63 to pass through the saine. The free end of the lever a16 is made in the
form of a pawl 20 to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 10, and a¹ is a spiral

page_text: spring secured at one end to the base A, and at the other end to a lever a¹, with
its tension directed to draw the pawl a20 into engagement with the teeth of the
ratchet wheel a¹0. a21 represents an opening in the base A to permit the
uninterrupted passage of a check or other 'document below the guide a, as
indicated at Figure 1. a is a lug secured to the underside of the base to serve as
a guide to the vertical movement of the pivoted lever a¹º
B is a stem or plunger journaled in the bearing a². At the lower end thereof it
is reduced in diameter to provide a boss 6 and upon its extremity is secured a
washer by means of a screw 62, the washer being larger than the hole 18 in
lever a¹. The small portion of B at its extremity passes through aperture a¹s in
lover a16 but the boss or enlargement must be wide enough always to engage
the lever a¹ to press it downward, while the washer on the end of the stem B is
large enough always to engage said lever and press it upward.
Mounted on the other end of the stem B is the head C, which is made with an
aperture c partly through its axis to receive the stem B, and also a spiral spring ct.
A hand wheel or knob c² is provided at the top thereof, and the disk at the bottom;
the spiral spring ct around the stem B having its bearing at the top of the annular
chamber c¹, and at the top of the column a², with its tension directed to maintain
the head C normally elevated. The underside of the disk c³ is provided with needles
suitably secured thereto, and of a length, when the head is depressed, to pierce
through a check and penetrate into the ink pad a³. These pins are arranged in
groups in appropriate configurations to represent numeral or other characters
appropriate to the use to which the apparatus is to be applied. These pins I
have marked with the reference letter c³. On the upper side of the disk c³, and
immediately above the group of pins, 1 indicate the character which said group is
intended to represent. On the periphery of the disk c³, I provide vertical notches
as c, c, &c., which are intended to co-operate with the knife spring a', to restrain
the disc c against rotatory motion, and yet to permit the same to slide on the knife
spring in a vertical movement.
I now proceed to describe the operation of the device. As heretofore stated, the
apparatus is normally in the position shown in Figure 2. To introduce a check or
other document into the stamp I raise the pressure wheel a12, by pressure of the
hand against the tension of the spring a, and introduce the check in a manner
shown in Figure 1, until it is well between the lips of the guide a. I then revolve
the disk c³ until I bring the character that I desire to imprint upon the check
over the ink pad a³. I am guided in this movement by the figures or characters on
the top of the disk c³, and I revolve the disk c³ until the knife spring a falls into
the notch on the periphery of the disk c³, opposite to the figure which I desire to
print. I then depress the disk by the pressure of the hand on the knob c² against
the tension of the spring ct until the group of pins c5 which I have previously
brought into position, as stated, pierce through the check and penetrate into the
ink pad a³. The group of pins care by this operation coated with ink, by reason
of their introduction into the ink pad. I then release the pressure of the hand upon
the knob c², and permit the bead C to be raised by the power of the spring ct,
thus withdrawing the group of pins from the ink pad and from the check, the
guide operating to draw the check off of the group of pins as and the portion of
the check which has been pierced by the pins operating to wipe off into itself, and
from the pins, the ink, or a portion of the ink, which said pins have received from
the ink pad by their introduction into the same. I am thus able first to puncture
the check with holes in the form of the figure or character that I desire to
indicate on the same, and secondly to ink said holes. I prefer to employ a bright
coloured ink having the characteristic of being indelible. The operation last
described is repeated until I have indicated on the face of the check the numeral
or character that I desire to be indelibly impressed thereon. The check is
automatically fed between the pins and the pad as follows:-
When the knob c² is depressed against the power of the spring c', the boss 61
of the stem B, engages the upper side of the pivoted lever a, thus forcing the

page_text: same downward, and the pawl 20 slides on the inclined plane of one of the teeth
of the ratchet wheel a¹ until it passes over the edge of said tooth at which time
the spiral spring a draws the pawl a into engagement with the next tooth of the
ratchet wheel 10; the lever a bearing the pawl swinging laterally about the
pivot a, which is permitted by the enlarged hole a¹s, and the reduced portion or
neck of the stem B. The pivot a screws into the base plate and may be provided
with a light spring, a³, Fig. 5, to press up the pivotal end of the arm or lever a¹6.
When the downward pressure on the knob c² is released, the stem B is elevated in
the power of the spring ct, and the washer 63 engages the underside of the lever alo,
thus causing the pawl 20 to move the ratchet wheel 10 one space, and by this
operation the friction wheel a is revolved one space, and the check lying between
the pressure wheel a¹ and the friction wheel is caused to move between the
guide a one space, and the check is then in the position to receive another
impression from the pins, as heretofore described.
One of the objects that I have in view in the construction of this device is to
provide a compact apparatus, convenient in form and simple in its arrangement
of parts, which will be economical of construction and durable in operation,
and which will provide a successful means of preventing the forging or raising
of checks. By the operation of puncturing the check with holes, the fibres of the
paper are broken, and with the withdrawal of the pins, these fibres are saturated
with an indelible ink which enters into the tissues of the paper, and becomes part
thereof, and the ink is not simply laid on the surface of the paper as in printing,
but saturates the body and tissue of the paper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a check protector, the combination with a base, of a rotatory head journaled
thereon and capable of vertical movement, and having a returning spring, a stop
for holding said head against rotation while a check is being perforated, a series
of needles carried by said head, an ink pad into which the needles are driven and
whereby the perforations are inked in withdrawing the needles, a guard for the
check adapted to disengage the check from the needles in their upward movement,
and a feeding mechanism for the check comprising a wheel having ratchet teeth
and a pawl engaging and operating said ratchet, said pawl consisting of a lever
attached to the base of the device and having an enlarged hole through which
the stem of the reciprocating head loosely passes so as to permit lateral motion
of the lever, the lever being operated vertically by the said stem; substantially as
described.
2. In a check protector, the combination of a rotatory head carrying perforating
needles and capable of vertical movement, a feeding device comprising a ratchet
wheel and a pivoted arm capable of lateral and vertical motion, the extremity of
which engages and operates said ratchet wheel, said arm being provided with a
central aperture, through which the stem of the reciprocating head passes, larger
than the stem to permit lateral motion of the arm, said arm being operated
vertically by the motion of the head, and a spring for drawing the arm into
engagement with the ratchet wheel; substantially as described.
3. In a check protector, the combination with a base, of a rotatory head journaled
thereon to revolve horizontally and carrying a series of needles arranged at intervals
in appropriate configurations, a series of notches in the periphery of said head, a
stop secured to said base and co-operating with said notches to arrest the rotatory
motion of said head and yet permit the head to slide vertically, an ink pad set in
the base to receive one group of needles, when the rotatory head is depressed, and
a feeding-mechanism for the check comprising a ratchet wheel and a pawl engaging
and operating said ratchet wheel, said pawl consisting of a lever attached to the base
of the device and through an enlarged hole in which the stem of the reciprocating

page_text: head loosely passes so as to permit lateral motion of the lever, the lever being
operated vertically by means on said stem; substantially as described.
4. In a check protector, the combination with a rotatory head carrying perforating
needles and capable of vertical movement, of a feeding device consisting of a pair
of rollers, a ratchet wheel and a pivoted arm capable of lateral and vertical motion,
and a spring for drawing the arm into engagement with the ratchet teeth, said arm
being depressed by the descending movement of the head to engage a fresh tooth
of the ratchet wheel, and elevated by the ascending movement of said head to turn
said ratchet wheel; substantially as set forth.
5. In a check protector, the combination of a rotatory head having a stem and
carrying perforating needles, and capable of vertical movement upon a base, on
which the same is mounted, of a feeding device comprising a ratchet wheel and
a pivoted arın capable of lateral and vertical motion, the extremity of which
engages and operates the ratchet wheel, said arm being provided with a central
aperture, through which the stem of the reciprocating head passes, said aperture
being larger than the stem to permit lateral motion of the arm, and the said stem
being provided with a boss and washer bearing, respectively, upon the upper and
lower sides of the arm, whereby the motion of the stem is communicated to the
arm, and a spring for drawing the arm into engagement with the ratchet wheel;
substantially as described.
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