An Improved Form of Banker's Cheque for Preventing Fraud.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 7th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Form of Banker's Cheque for Preventing Fraud.
I, HERBERT CHARLES VAUDIN of 16 Esplanade Guernsey, Commission Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
My invention provides a form of cheque which cannot be tampered with by
dishonest holders. Around the margin or upon the face of the cheque print
tiny enclosed spaces each of which contains figures for denoting the amount which
the cheque should not exceed. These figures may be in duplicate so that when
one is torn out the counterpart remains. The spaces may be perforated so as
to be easily removable. On the face of the cheque is a memorandum to this
effect. "Payment limited to amount of vacant space or words to this effect.
When a cheque is drawn for say eighteen pounds, the drawer removes the paper
from the space marked £20 thus leaving a hole or vacant space in front of the
counterpart, or else between the sums £15 and £25. This vacancy forms an
irremovable and unalterable instruction to the banker not to pay more than £20 on
this particular cheque. In this way a cheque for say six pounds, cannot be
altered to £60 (sixty), because the cashier of the paying bank would at once see
by the vacant space, that the amount was not intended by the drawer to
exceed £10.
For greater distinctness the figures in the vacant spaces could be printed in
red ink, or if the cheque be red, in some strongly contrasting colour.
One great advantage of my improved cheque is that when a drawer has to
entrust his agents with a blank signed cheque, as often happens in business, he can
limit the amount for which it can be drawn.
Dated this 10th day of November 1893.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, E.C., Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An improved Form of Banker's Cheque for Preventing Fraud.
I. HERBERT CHARLES VAUDIN of 16 Esplanade Guernsey, 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 :-
This invention is designed to prevent fraudulent alteration of the sum for which
a cheque is drawn, and this is effected by enabling the cashier or bank clerk to
discern at a glance the limit of value for which the cheque is intended by the
drawer to be encashed.
To accomplish this I construct around the margin of the cheque duplicate figures
representing various amounts in pounds, as for instance 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and the
like. The person drawing a cheque for say eighteen pounds will cut out or remove
one of the pair of figures representing 20 pounds, thereby denoting that the cheque
is drawn for less than that sum. The figures intended for removal can be so
perforated or removably attached, as to be readily detached by the drawer, and
there may be printed on the cheque an instruction to the banker to this effect.
Payment limited to amount of figure excised." The marginal figures may be
printed in a different colored ink to the body of the cheque.

page_text: I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing,
in which a cheque is shown prepared on my system.
It will be readily seen that a cheque drawn for six or eight pounds could not be
altered to sixty or eighty, since if the duplicate £10 were removed from the margi
by the drawer, the banker would at once detect the fraud.
Of course with intermediate amounts two of the figures can be excised so as to
make up an odd sum, as for example one hundred and five pounds.
The excision can be made from the edge of the cheque if preferred.
The drawings show a cheque drawn for one hundred pounds. The corresponding
excision is denoted by the letter a.
One great advantage of my improved cheque is that when, as often happens
in business transactions, it is necessary for a drawer to entrust his agents with a
blank signed cheque, he can, in the way indicated, limit the amount for which it
can be filled in.
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 form of cheque having figures denoting numerical sums of various amounts in
duplicate or otherwise, on its face or margin; adjoining which figures are spaces
either perforated or partially separated or otherwise removable by means of a pen,
pencil, punch or penknife or in some other convenient way, such spaces being
blank or bearing duplicate figures or other characters indicating their object, and
with or without an instruction to the banker to limit the payment of the cheque
to the sum denoted by the figures adjoining the hole caused by the removal of a
space by the drawer.
Dated this 7th day of August 1894.
-
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.