GB2147541A - Improvements in or relating to stationery - Google Patents

Abstract

In a document, e.g. a cheque 10, comprising first and second portions 11, 12 detachably connected together, the second portion is of pressure-sensitive material which marks upon the application of pressure. In the embodiment shown the second portion overlies the cheque stub. The cheque may be incorporated in a wrapper to form a mailer assembly, Fig. 3 (not shown), and a sheet of carbon paper may be placed over the first portion 11 or the inside surface of the wrapper may be carbonised, so that information typed or printed on the wrapper will be transferred to the first portion 11 and pressure transmitted through the wrapper is transferred to the second portion 12 to mark that part. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to stationery The present invention relates to stationery incorporating a marking medium, by means of which the stationery can be marked selectively, for example to represent information on the stationery.

When information is marked on paper by applying a marking medium to a surface of the paper, there is a risk that the information can be altered by erasure of one or more marks from the paper. The difficulty of erasure varies from one marking medium to another. For example, when the marking medium is or incorporates carbon which is provided on the underside of an upper sheet and is transferred to an underlying sheet by the application of pressure to the sheets at selected positions, the marks formed on the underlying sheet can usually be removed completely by means of a rubber eraser. In a case where the underlying sheet is marked by the chemical interaction of respective compositions present on the mutually facing surfaces of the sheets, erasure is somewhat more difficult.

There are known sheet materials which incorporate a marking medium in an inconspicuous form and are of such character that the sheet can be marked selectively without transfer of a marking medium to the sheet from some other carrier. For convenience, such sheet materials are referred to herein as "sensitive sheet materials". These sheet materials respond to a condition imposed from outside, usually pressure, by forming a visible mark in the sheet material. Information can be marked on a sensitive sheet material by bringing about a change within the sheet material, rather than by the application of a marking medium to the sheet material. Known examples of sensitive sheet material include internal imaging paper (1.1. paper) which contains capsules of a composition which marks the paper when the capsules are burst by the application of pressure at a selected position on the paper.In this way, there is produced an image of the pressure-applying means which extends substantially throughout the thickness of the paper. A further known example is self-imaging paper (S.l. paper) which incorporates a paper substrate and two separate layers of compositions which include marking media, these layers being on the same side of the paper substrate and usually separated by a fourth, chemically inert layer.

The initially separate compositions can be brought into contact with each other by the local application of pressure to the sheet material and the compositions then interact locally to form an image on the paper substrate.

Whilst this image may not penetrate throughout the thickness of the sheet, it is incorporated within at least some of the layers of the sheet material and is not merely present on an exposed surface of the sheet material. The marking media which have been interacted to form the image cannot simply be erased from the sheet material. Erasure would involve removal from the paper substrate of the other layers of the sheet material and such removal would be apparent if the overlying layers were removed either from the entire area of the paper substrate or only from local areas of the paper substrate.

Images which are marked on sensitive sheet materials are secure, by which we mean that erasure will be readily apparent or will be impossible to achieve.

Sensitive sheet materials have been used for a variety of documents but have not been regarded as suitable for cheques and other documents which are read by machines. The reason for this is that malfunction of and/or damage to parts of such machines which read the documents can arise from the presence in sensitive sheet materials of layers incorporating marking media and other compositions.

It is an object of the present invention to achieve in documents which are to be processed by machines the security of image which is associated with S.l. and l.l. papers.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document comprising first and second sheets which are so connected to one another as to present faces of both of the sheets to a reader at the same time, the first sheet being a sensitive sheet material as herein defined and at least a part of the area of the second sheet being devoid of a marking medium and of a combination of marking media which responds to pressure by marking the sheet.

The connection between the first and second sheets is preferably such that disconnection of the sheets will be readily apparent from inspection of one or other of the sheets.

The connection may be established by adhering the first and second sheets to one another. Alternatively, the connection may be established by attaching the first and second sheets to a common carrier. Furthermore, the connection may be an integral connection resulting from formation of the first and second sheets from a single piece of sheet material, for example a piece of sheet material on one part of which there is deposited a layer containing a marking medium to form the first sheet, the second sheet being a part of the initial piece of sheet material on which the marking medium is not deposited.

In the preferred document, the first sheet is smaller than the second sheet. The first sheet may overlie a part only of the second sheet.

The second sheet may bear a marking medium which will mark the second sheet when interacted with a further marking medium.

The further marking medium may be present on the first sheet or on a third sheet or on an envelope associated with the first and second sheets.

A document in accordance with the first aspect of the invention is especially suitable for the application of information to the document after the document has been enclosed in an envelope.

It is becoming increasingly common for information to be applied to a document after the document has been sealed in an envelope.

Generally, pressure is exerted on the combination of envelope and document by type, the document and/or the envelope incorporating a marking medium so that an image of the type is marked on the document. Combinations of documents and envelopes which can be marked in this way are referred to herein after as "mailers".

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a mailer incorporating a document according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to another aspect of the present invention, we provide a cheque, money order or the like having detachably connected therewith verfication means capable of being marked with the amount of the cheque, money order or the like, said verification means being, by its nature or by its method of marking considerably more difficult for unauthorised alteration than the marking on said cheque, money order or the like.

Preferably, said verification means comprises sensitive sheet material as hereinbefore defined.

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment; Figure 3 illustrates a mailer incorporating the document shown in Fig. 1.

The document 10 shown in Fig. 1 comprises a larger part 11 and a smaller part 1 2 which are so connected together that respective faces of these parts are presented together to a person reading the document. The document may, for example, comprise a cheque having a plurality of spaces in which information can be entered on the document, such as the spaces 1 3a and 1 3b where the amount of money to be paid can be entered, a space 14 for the date and a space 1 5 for the name and address of the payee. Each of the foregoing spaces are on the first part 11 of the document. Spaces 1 8 and 1 9 are provided on the second part 1 2 of the docu ment for recording the amount of money to be paid and the name and/or address of the payee.A unique combination of letters and numbers may be marked at 1 7 on the first part of the document and the same combination may be marked at 1 6 on the second part of the document so that the two parts can readily be identified as being parts of the same document.

The first part 11 of the document has an extension, generally referred to as a stub, partly separated from the remainder of the document by a row of perforations 20. The second part 1 2 of the document is attached to this stub to overlie same. The second part is attached to the first part of the document in a manner such that the overlapping relation is maintained and such that separation of the first and second parts will so alter the appearance of at least the first part II that anyone glancing briefly at the document will immediately be aware that separation has taken place. For example, the part 1 2 may be adhered to the stub of the part II by means of an adhesive which bonds firmly fibres comprised by the stub and which disrupts the fibres if the two parts are separated.

The second part 1 2 of the document comprises a piece of sensitive sheet material containing a marking medium medium or a combination of marking media which mark the sheet when the sheet is subjected to pressure.

The layer comprising the marking medium or marking media extends across the entire area of the part II so that the application of pressure to this part of the document anywhere results in making of the document. Furthermore, marks cannot be erased to leave the part 11 of the document intact. The part 1 2 may be 5.1 paper or l.l paper.

The first part 11 of the document comprises a sheet of paper and includes at least one region, typically a bottom margin, which is devoid of additional layers or coatings on the paper. The part 11 may be a sheet of paper completely devoid of coatings. However, the paper will generally bear printing in selected areas. Information may be marked in the spaces 1 3a, 1 3b, 14 and 15 by the action on an ink-bearing ribbon or on a carbon-bearing paper of type which causes ink or carbon to be transferred onto the part 11 of the document to form images of the type on the surface of that document at selected positions.

Alternatively, the part 11 of the document may be provided in the spaces 1 3 to 1 5 with a layer comprising a marking medium capable of interacting with a further marking medium on an adjacent sheet (not shown) to mark the document 10.

In order for the payee to receive any monies due, the document comprising the first part 11 and second part 1 2 is presented to the payer or his agent, and only if the information on the second part 1 2 conforms to the infor mation on the first part 11, does the payer or his agent make any payment due.

It is usual for cheques to be processed by machine for counting purposes and the second part 1 2 may easily be removed by tearing along the perforations 21 or else if the second part 1 2 is secured by adhesive, once force is applied it may be pulled easily from the first part 11. Thus, the part 11 of the document can be processed by a machine without contamination of the machine by the composition present in the part 1 2 of the document.

The document illustrated in Fig. 2 comprises initially separate sheets 21 and 22 of substantially the same size. The part 22 may be substantially the same as the part 11 of the document shown in Fig. 1. The part 21 is a piece of sensitive sheet material and is attached by means of an adhesive to the part 22. The parts 21 and 22 may be adhered to one another over their entire interface by means of an adhesive which permits subsequent separation of the parts without destruction of those parts. Alternatively, the parts may be attached to one another by means of adhesive which is restricted to one or more local areas of the documents.

The part 21 of the document shown in Fig.

2 is adapted for use in marking the part 22 by the provision on that face of the part 21 which is adjacent to the part 22 of a composition which includes a marking medium. This marking medium may be restricted to selected regions of the part 21. The part 22 is prefera biy provided in selected regions with a further marking medium which interacts with the marking medium on the adjacent face of the part 21, when the parts are subjected together to pressure by type or the like, to mark information on the part 22. Since the part 21 is sensitive sheet material, this will also result in marking of the part 21.

The document illustrated in Fig. 2 may be modified by reducing the size of the part 21 relative to the part 22. The part 21 may be adhered to a stub of the part 22 only. The marking medium for marking the part 22 may be carried on a third sheet (not shown) which is interposed between the parts 21 and 22, at least temporarily during marking of the part 22. Information can be marked on the document of Fig. 1 and on the document of Fig. 2 indirectly, for example through the intermediary of an envelope.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the document 10 as shown in Fig. 1 is enclosed within a wrapper 25 and in order that the document may be marked through the intermediary of the wrapper, a sheet of one-time carbon paper may be included which covers the areas of the first part 11 to be marked. Alternatively the inside surface of the wrapper 25 may be carbonised or otherwise treated so that when the wrapper is typed or printed upon, information is transferred to the first part 11. Pressure is transmitted through the wrapper to the part 1 2 of the document to mark that part.

The document of the present invention provides means by which money orders or cheques may be despatched, the sender knowing that the receiver is unable to readily change the information contained therein thereby providing a considerable improvement of the security aspect.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, and/or in the accompanying drawings may, both separately and in any combination thereof, be material for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (11)

1. A document comprising first and second sheets which are so connected to one another as to present faces of both of the sheets to a reader at the same time, the first sheet being a sensitive sheet material as herein defined and at least a part of the area of the second sheet being devoid of a marking medium which responds to pressure by marking the sheet and devoid of a combination of marking media which responds to pressure by marking the sheet.

2. A document according to Claim 1 wherein the first sheet is smaller that the second sheet.

3. A document according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the second sheet bears a marking medium which will mark the second sheet when interacted with a further marking medium.

4. A document according to any preceding claim wherein the first and second sheets are attached to a common carrier.

5. A document according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the first and second sheets are adhered directly to one another.

6. A document according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the first and second sheets are integral one with the other.

7. A mailer incorporating a document according to any preceding claim.

8. A cheque, money order or the like having detachably connected therewith verification means marked with the amount of the cheque, money order or the like, the verification means being adapted to make unauthorised alteration of the amount marked on the verification means more difficult than is alteration of the amount marked on the cheque, money order or the like.

9. A document substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 or with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawing.

10. A mailer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

11. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the accompanying drawing.