A Combined Bank and Cheque Book.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Combined Bank and Cheque Book.
We, SELDEN RICH HOPKINS of No. 427 West 19th Street in the City of New
York State of New York United States of America Accountant and THEODORE
DAVENPORT of No. 1710 Corcoran Street Washington, District of Columbia
United States of America, Government Official, 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 relates generally to an improvement in bank or check books
containing certificates of deposit payable in parts by the means of blank certified
checks; specifically, the invention consists in the improvements hereinafter described
and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
The object of our invention is to obviate the inconvenience and danger which
attend the carrying of considerable amounts of money or securities and to devise a
means by which an equivalent may be conveniently carried in the shape of a
certificate of deposit of a certain amount, accompanied by blank checks, each of
which shall be negotiable for a certain amount not exceeding a certain limit which
shall appear permanently upon the face of each check, the sum total when drawn
for their full limit values equalling that of the certificate of deposit.
In the drawing,
'
Figure 1 is a plan view showing the check book open with the memoranda of
checks drawn exposed to view;
Figure 2 is a plan view showing the memorandum sheet raised and the checks
and certificate of deposit exposed;
Figure 3 is a plan view showing the checks lifted to expose the agreement printed
upon the last page of the cover; and
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line - Fig. 2.
1 designates a book cover of suitable construction comprising the sides 2-3 and
the flap 4, which is flexibly attached to the outer edge of the side 3.
To one end or edge of the side 2 of the cover is attached a check book 5 com-
prising any desired number of checks or leaves which are suitably bound together.
Upon the inside of the side 3 of the cover is printed or inscribed a certificate of
deposit as shown at 6, which of course may be in any desired form and which may
be filled out to any desired amount. To the upper edge of the side 3 of the cover,
at the point where it is joined with the folding flap 4, is attached a folding
memorandum sheet 7, upon which the memorandum of the checks drawn by the
holder may be kept. The inner side of the flap 4 is provided with a space 8 upon
which the name and address of the owner of the book, together with the-stamp of
the issuing bank may be imprinted or inscribed. Upon the inner side of the side 2
of the cover is imprinted or inscribed any desirable agreement between the issuing
party and the depositor, which is to be officially signed by the issuing party and by
the depositor. At the left of this space is a space for the personal description
of the depositor, which is to be properly filled out for the purpose of assisting the
depositor in identifying himself in case of necessity.
Each of the individual checks is to be certified by the issuing bank for an amount
not exceeding a certain limit; the sum total of the entire number of checks when
drawn for their full limit values being equal to the total amount of deposit. It is
obvious that the individual checks contained in a single book may be certified
to different amounts and in order to enable any one of the checks which may be
selected for use to be readily detached, each check is separated from its stub by
perforations, as shown at 10.
The details of the form of the checks, the agreement and the certificate of deposit

page_text: may obviously be varied to suit circumstances and we do not desire to be understood
as limiting ourselves in this respect.
The operation and advantages of our invention will be readily understood from
the foregoing description when taken in connection with the drawings hereto
annexed. The bank or issuing concern on receiving a certain amount of money, or
stocks, bonds, certificates or other securities, having a money value, on deposit may
issue to the depositor one of the books of a face value equalling the money value of
the deposit and containing a number of certified bank checks, each limited in the
manner herein described to a certain amount, and the sum total of all the checks
when drawn for their full values equalling the amount of the deposit. When the
book is issued the issuing party and the depositor both sign the agreement which
among other things provides that any differences between the amount for which the
blank parts or checks have been drawn and paid and the limit to which they are
certified will be refunded to the depositor or his legal representatives upon the
surrender of the certificate and a settlement of account. The personal description
of the depositor which is permanently inscribed in the book enables the depositor
in case of necessity to identify himself and the issuing bank is safely guarded against
over-drafts on the part of the depositor by the fact that the extreme limit to which
the bank checks have been certified does not exceed the amount of the deposit.
In practice we may find it advisable to change and modify various details of our
invention, and we therefore desire it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves
to the details herein described and shown, but reserve the right to any modifications
which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention.
It will be understood that our invention is not restricted to banks, but that it
applies to and may be used by express, trust, and guarantee companies, and other
similar monetary institutions; also that the invention is applicable for acknowledging
the deposit for a specified purpose of stocks, bonds, certificates, and other securities,
as well as money, by the means of which the money value of such securities and
products, as well as money, may be made negotiable by indorsement.
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. A bank check-book, comprising a certificate of deposit, and a number of blank
certified checks, each good for a specified amount indicated thereon, the sum total
of said checks when drawn for their full limit values being equal to the amount of
the deposit, substantially as described.
2. A bank check-book, comprising a certificate of deposit, a number of blank
certified checks, each good for a specified amount indicated thereon, the sum total
of said checks when drawn for their full limit values being equal to the amount of
the deposit, and an agreement between the issuing party and the depositor, substan-
tially as described.
3. A bank check-book, comprising a certificate of deposit, a number of blank
"certified checks, each good for a specified amount indicated thereon, the sum total
of said checks when drawn for their full limit values being equal to the amount of
the deposit, an agreement between the issuing party and the depositor, and a
description of the depositor, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th dor of December 1899
SELDEN RICH HOPKINS.
THEODORE DAVENPORT.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants..