Improvements in Cheques, Drafts, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 20th May,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cheques, Drafts, and the like.
We, LOUIS BRALY and ANDRÉ BRALY, both of 41 Rue Taitbout, Paris, France,
Gentlemen, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
tained in and by the following statement :-
ascer-
This invention has for its object an improved means for preventing fraud and
consists in providing cheques or drafts with two coupons besides the usual counter-
foil and in placing on the back of the cheque and coupons a series of designs, the
design being different for each cheque and lastly in providing on the face of the
cheque circles with figures round their circumference.
These arrangements constituting our invention will prevent all fraud as will
readily be understood from the ensuing explanation.
For the sake of illustration we have shewn in the annexed drawing a cheque
made according to our invention this is described for the French coinage but
obviously the invention is equally applicable to any other system.
Figure 1 shows the face of a cheque still attached to its counterfoil and provided
with its coupons. Figure 2 shows the back of the cheque.
A is the counterfoil, B the cheque, C the one coupon and D the other which
remains at the bank issuing the cheque. Each portion A B C D bears the same
marks of series and number, say SO No. 4238. The cheque or portion B has also
printed on it nine circles; the two on the right being smaller and marked 0.01, and
0.10 for centimes and tens of centimes; the other seven are larger and inarked 1,
10, 100 and so on for francs, tens of francs, hundreds and so on. The letters F.25
perforated between the large and small circles show that the cheque is for a sum
expressed in francs and centimes but any other suitable letters may be used.
Each circle has a smaller circle inside in which the required figure may be written
and round its circumference ten compartments in which are printed the figures 0
to 9.
On the back as seen in Figure 2 the portions B C D are provided with a series of
designs which are different for each cheque so that no two cheques have the same
designs.
The bank on issuing a cheque book to a client detaches the coupons D by a cut
along the line Y Y and retains these. The client in his turn detaches the coupons
C by a cut along the line X X and keeps them in a safe place. These latter are
gummed at the back at each end c¹ c². The client on drawing a cheque must
attach to it at any convenient place its coupon C by means of the gun at its ends.
On presentation of the cheque by the payee, the bank can verify its authenticity
before payment.
In order to do this the coupon C is detached from the cheque, the coupon D of
the same series and number is extracted from the safe and the three portions B
C D are then placed together so that it may be seen that the designs on the back
are in perfect agreement.
In the case of drafts, the bank issuing the draft when sending it to the
purchaser gives him also the corresponding coupon C. It then sends direct to

page_text: the bank which is to cash the draft the coupon D. The purchaser of the draft
sends the draft and the coupon C in separate envelopes to the payee who must
in order to obtain payment of the draft present with it the coupon C and the bank
which has received the coupon D now possesses the three portions necessary to
establish the identity of the draft as above described.
In
Moreover the drawer of the cheque to absolutely prevent the amount for which
he drew the cheque being altered writes this sum in figures in the centre of the
circles and perforates or cuts out the figures corresponding to those written.
the example shown the sum is 23,456 francs 78 centimes and a glance at the
circles shows that the figures have not been altered. The amount may also be
written out in full on the cheque and the circles may be perforated without writing
the figures inside.
In place of the circles shewn any other arrangement or grouping of the numbers
may of course be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination with a cheque, draft or the like of two coupons, the whole
provided on the back with a series of designs differing for each cheque substantially
as shown and described.
2. Providing cheques, drafts or the like with series of figures arranged in circles
or otherwise substantially as shewn and described.
3. Cheques, drafts or the like substantially as shewn and described.
CARPMAEL & Co.
Agents for the Applicants.