IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CROSSING BANKERS' CHEQUES AND DRAFTS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Thomas Clarke, of 30, Kildare Terrace,
Westbourne Park, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CROSSING BANKERS'
CHEQUES AND DRAFTS."
Sealed the 19th April 1859, and dated the 20th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Thomas Clarke
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th October 1858.
I, SAMUEL THOMAS CLARKE, of 30, Kildare Terrace, Westbourne Park, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CROSSING BANKERS' CHEQUES
AND DRAFTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
apparatus for crossing bankers' cheques and drafts, when such crossing is
effected by perforations made by punching out portions of the paper. This
apparatus consists of a press body of any convenient form, fitted with a
vertical slide, which is steadied and guided in its movement by one or more
guiding feathers formed upon it, such feathers fitting into corresponding
grooves or slots made in the inside of the socket within which the slide works.
At the bottom of the slide is fitted a metal block, to the under surface of
which are secured a series of fine punches, arranged in the form required for

page_text: producing the parallel liues and words necessary for crossing a banker's
cheque or draft. These punches are so secured to the block that any one
of them may be removed if damaged, and replaced by a new one, without
necessarily destroying the entire die. This I accomplish by fitting the
punches into a separate plate, which plate I screw firmly on to the surface
of the die or block, and when it is necessary to remove a punch, the plate
is readily detached by removing the holding screws; or the several punches
may be individually screwed or tapped into the face of the block or die, so
that any one of them may be unscrewed and replaced by a new punch. These
punches, when forced down through the paper, enter a corresponding set of
perforations made in a metal plate, which is fixed firmly to the bed of the
press, and it is through these perforations that the small punched out
fragments of paper escape as each succeeding cheque is submitted to the
action of the punches. In order to strip off the cheque from the several
punches after they have penetrated, and the die is in the act of rising, I
employ a moveable plate, having perforations in it corresponding to the
punches, and sliding freely thereon, such plate being forced outwards or
downwards as the die rises, by the action of a pair of helical springs contained
within the body of the die. The punching die may be worked either by a
small hand lever, in a similar manner to a common embossing press, or the
lever may be dispensed with, and a knob or handle formed on the upper end
of the slide, which may then be depressed by a stroke of the hand or direct
pressure, a helical or other suitable spring serving to raise the die and punches
after they have acted on the cheque. This apparatus may obviously be
reversed, if found desirable, that is to say, the die with its punches may
remain fixed or stationary, whilst the perforated plate may be made to riso
and fall.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Thomas Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Offico on
the 20th April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
THOMAS CLARKE, of 30, Kildare Terrace, Westbourne Park, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Thomas Clarke, Her special license that I, the said Samuel
Thomas Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Samuel Thomas Clarke, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iи-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CROSSING BANKERS' CHEQUES AND DRAFTS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, tho said Samuel Thomas Clarke, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Thomas Clarke, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
apparatus for crossing bankers' cheques and drafts when such crossing is
effected by perforations made by punching out portions of the paper. This
apparatus consists of a press body, of any convenient form, fitted with a
vertical slide, which is steadied and guided in its movement by one or more
guiding feathers formed upon it, such feathers fitting into corresponding
grooves or slots made in the inside of the socket within which the slide
works; or the slide may be made of a triangular or other section, to prevent
it from turning. At the bottom of the slide is fitted a metal block, to the
under surface of which are secured a series of fine punches arranged in the
form required for producing the parallel lines and words necessary for crossing
a banker's cheque or draft. These punches are so secured to the block that
any one of them may be removed if damaged, and replaced by a new one,
without necessarily destroying the entire dic. This may be accomplished by
fitting the punches into a separate plate, which plate I screw firmly on to the
surface of tho die or block, and when it is necessary to remove a punch, tho
plate is readily detached by removing the holding screws; or the several
punches may be individually screwed or tapped into the face of the block or
die, so that any one of them may be unscrewed and replaced by a new punch,

page_text: but I lay no claim to these particular arrangements. These punches, when
forced down through the paper, enter a corresponding set of perforations made
in a metal plate or perforated matrix, which is fixed firmly to the bed of the
press, and it is through these perforations that the small punched-out frag-
ments of paper escape as each succeeding cheque is submitted to the action
of the punches. In order to strip off the cheque from the several punches
after they have penetrated, and the die is in the act of rising, I employ a
moveable plate having perforations in it corresponding to the punches, and
sliding freely thereon, such plate being forced outwards or downwards as the
die rises by the action of a pair of helical springs contained within the body
of the die. The punching die may be worked either by a small hand lever
in a similar manner to a common embossing press, or the lever may be
dispensed with, and a knob or handle formed on the upper end of the slide,
which may
then be depressed by a stroke of the hand or direct pressure, a
helical or other suitable spring serving to raise the die and punches after
they have acted on the cheque. This apparatus may obviously be reversed
if found desirable, that is to say, the die with its punches may remain fixed
or stationary, whilst the perforated plate may be made to rise and fall.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
I
How proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all
the Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a longitudinal
vertical section of my improved apparatus for crossing cheques, and Figure 2
is a corresponding transverse vertical section of the same.
A, A, is a press
body fitted with a vertical slide B, of a triangular section, working in a
guiding groove of a corresponding shape, formed in the front of the press
body. This slide is retained in the groove by a front plate C, capable of
being more or less tightened up by screws at c, c. A chamber or recess is
formed in the front plate for the reception of the helical spring D, which
bears against a projection E, formed on the face of the slide 13, and thus
serves to raise the slide after it has been depressed. To the lower end of
this slide is fitted the perforating tool or punch F, which consists of a block
of metal f, with a shank g formed upon its upper surface, which shank is
introduced into a corresponding aperture in the bottom of the slide, and
retained therein by a tightening screw h. To the under surface of this block
is screwed a plate i, fitted with a number of solid punches k, arranged in
suitable order for producing in perforations the requisite letters and lines for

page_text: crossing a cheque. The inner ends of the punches have bevilled heads
formed upon them, to prevent them from escaping through the plate i when
secured to the block, but, when removed, each punch is free to be withdrawn,
and replaced by a new one, if required. is a stripper plate, for stripping the
cheque from off the punches after they have operated, and it serves also to
hold the paper firmly down upon the surface of the fixed perforated plate or
matrix m during the descent of the punches, thereby preventing all possibility.
of the paper becoming puckered whilst the punches are being forced through
it; m, n, are helical springs placed inside the block f, for the purpose of
forcing the stripper plate outwards towards the ends of the punches, and so
stripping the paper therefrom on the ascent of the punching tool. Another
important advantage derived from the use of this plate is, that the ends of
the several punches, when the machine is at rest, arc concealed within tho
plate, and are consequently guarded or protected from accidental injury. In
crossing a cheque by this machine, the cheque is laid across the perforated
plate or matrix m, which is secured firmly to the bed of the machine, and the
knob or handle G, on the top of the spindle II, connected with the slide B,
is struck smartly by the hand, when the descent of the punching tool will
perforate the cheque in the manner required for crossing. The waste frag-
ments of paper which are cut out by the punches are allowed to escape freely
through the matrix plate m, and through the lateral inclined slots o in a
plate upon which the matrix plate is secured, or they may be allowed to pass
directly through the matrix and through the bed of the machine when an
opening is made for that purpose therein. An ordinary lever handle, similar
to an embossing press, may obviously be employed for working the punching
tool, in lieu of the striking knob.
I may here observe, that I desire to lay no claim to the mode or method
of crossing cheques by perforating such cheques by means of a number of
punches, suitably arranged to produce in perforations the letters and marks
required for crossing a cheque; neither do I lay any claim simply to the use
of a flat surface studded with punches for crossing cheques by perforations
when such punches are not used in combination with a moveable stripper
plate, as described by me, and illustrated in my Drawings; neither do I claim
any of the parts separately of which my machine is composed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating

page_text: from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I con-
sider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general combination and arrangement of parts, constituting a
machine for crossing cheques by perforations, as herein-before described.
Second, the combination of a moveable stripper plate, with a series of
punches, in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Thomas Clarke, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
SAMUEL THO. CLARKE. (L.S.)
SAMUEL THO. CLARKE. (L.S.)