Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates to the'general fieId of
multiple'ply document sets and has particular application to,
for example, negotiable document sets such as postal or bank
money orders.
The desirable'characteristics of a negotiable
document set of the type indicated involve a careful consideration
of various factors involved either in the manufacture or use of ;
the document set in question. Generally speaking, the document
sets should be capable of being easily handled and to this extent,
should be physically rugged to withstand some degree of abuse.
These document sets must readily be'recognized, aesthetically
appealing both'to a consumer and an issuing body or organization
' who are also-faced with'the consideration that such document sets
must be capable of being proces'sed quickly and fairly easily.
Since these document sets are negotiable, they should not be
susceptible to fraudulent duplication or alteration so far as
this is possible. The structure should lend itself to rapid
' economical production by automatic high-speed equipment.
The prior art has provided a multiple ply document
set of a printable paper, having a length and a width and
including a stub portion, a body portion having a receipt form,
a negotiable form, and a record form in registered, superimposed
relation with said forms being detachably secured to the stub
portion. Carbon strip means are carried on carrier plies of
tissue paper disposed between said forms in the document set for
effecting a transfer of indicia being typed, pressure imprinted
or otherwise printed on the top form simultaneously to the other
forms. The carbon strip means may extend continuously along the
length of the document set from one edge to another edge opposite
thereto, and covering only a predetermined area generally
centrally of the document set. (The carrier plies for the carbon
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strip, however, extend the full width of the document set.)
The indicia can be ~and written, typed, imprinted using a
mechanical imprinter, or otherwise ~'printed" onto the top face
of the negotiable document set. A mechanical imprinter is
usually used to make a pressure generated impression on the top
~; face of the upper ply of the negotiable document set. It is
preferable that in such a document set, the record form be made
of a predetermined ~ond paper stock capable of machine handling
for processing selected data thereon. -
Prior art document sets of the type indicated above
are commonly produced on a continuous basis from continuous webs
of "grain long" printable paper stock which webs are fed to
suitable web-handling apparatus from spacea apart supply sources.
- The carrier plies for the carbon strip are also fed into such
apparatus in a suitable fashion such that the carbon strips
thereon extend co~tinuously and longitudinally of the webs
associated therewith. The webs are assemblèd in registered,
superimposed relation and are secured together at spaced apart
intervals to form a series of said document sets. The secured
webs are then sheared or otherwise suitably processed to delimit
the individual document sets.
To obtain high speed processing of a negotiable ~ ~
document set produced by such a method, the carbon strip means
usually has optical reader properties, and preferably, is of
- more than one colour. The use of webs which are "grain long"
i.e. wherein the long grain of the paper stock extends lengthwise
; of the web,provides desirable properties when considering machine
; processing of document sets made from the same. Since those sets
are normally moved along a path through the machine processing
the same, lengthwise of each card-like part of the set, the long
grain gives added stiffness to the card. This stiffness prevents
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unwanted and accidental bending or buckIing of the parts being
; processed. The plies which make up the document sets are cross- -
pasted together. The treating of the secured plies at a
treatment station to define the limits of each document set
commonly involves creasing, folding, scoring or the like, which
result in a series of joined,individual, but separable document
sets. AlternativeIy, that treatment might instead involve
cutting the webs transversely to produce document sets that are
separate from one another. Preferably before the secured webs
are so treated, identifying code indicia is impressed, perforated,
punched, imprinted or otherwise "printed" onto each document set. -
The various forms, i.e. the receipt, negotiable and record
forms, that make up the body portion of each document set are
identifiable by that indicia, as coming from the same document
set.
In the known form of process referred to above the
carbon strip means are carried on respective plies of carrier
tissue having the same overall width as the document set proper,
which plies are interposed between the respective sheets of the
document set. All of the sheets of the assembly are secured
together in the "stub" portion of the document by the adhesive;
hence, the carrier tissue must be pre-punchèd across its width
at spaced intervals in order to allow the adhesive to flow through
these holes and to directly bond together the sheets in the
region of the stub portion of the assembly. The tissue carrier
must therefore be accurately registered with the documents of
the set during manufacture in order that the glue holes therein
may be accurately positioned in the stub portions of the document
set. This requires the use of marginal line punchings in the
plies of carrier tissue which co~operate with pin carriers in
the web collating apparatus. In order to provide for ease of
"snap" separation of the stub end and attached carrier tissues
from the docu~ents by the user, it i5 also customary to
provide'the`carrier tissues with'suitable marginally located
thumb-cut outs. These enable'the'user to grasp the documents
between thumb and forefinger without trapping the carrier tissue
therebetween and to separate the documents from the stub after
''~ which the stub and attached carrier tissues` are discarded. The
provision of the thumb-cut outs represents an extra production ~-
step. Furthermore, the ultimate user must grasp the documents
in the correct place if he is to take advantage of the cut-out;
otherwise the carrier tissues will be trapped and torn off the
stub portion along with the documents. This need to locate the
thumb-cut outs is a nuisance especially in situations where the
user is working under rushed conditions etc. The tissue carrier
also represents a substantial production cost and since it is
ultimately discarded it represents a significant waste factor. ~-
The present invention has as its objective the
elimination or a reduction in the above problems and involves,''
in essence, the elimination of the costly tissue carrier, and
provides instead a transfer medium in the form of relatively
narrow bands or ribbons between the superp-osed-documents. The
narrow ribbons of transfer medium can be fed in continuous fashion
during manufacture; there is no need to supply spaced apart
glue holes in same as in the case of the carrier sheets nor are
thumb-cut outs required. There is ample space along the lateral
sides of the document thus produced to grasp the sheets without
risk of trapping the narrow ribbons of transfer medium. The
paper wastage represented by the tissue carrier referred to is
reduced significantly as the narrow ribbons of transfer medium,
in a typical case, will only be about one-quarter to about one-
third as wide as the previously used transfer sheets.
Accordingly, the present invention provides in oneaspect, a multiple ply document set defining a pair of opposed
longi-~udinally extending lateral sides and a pair of
transversely extending marginal sides and comprising a plurality
of superimposed printed sheets secured together by adhesive
in an area of securement extending adjacent one of said marginal
sides, a line of weakening extending transversally across each
of said sheets in spaced relation to one of said marginal sides
such that said area of securement is located between said line
of weakening and said one marginal side, with that portion of
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` the document set defined betweén said line of weakening and said
one marginal side comprising a stub por,tion, a ribbon of
transer material having oppositely disposed longitudinally ex-
tending free edges and which is narrow in relation to the
transverse dimension of the document set being disposed between
each of said superimposed sheets and extending longitudinally
of the document set from one of said marginal sides to the other
sùch that at ieast one of said free edges of the ribbon is
spaced inwardly from one of said lateral sides, each said
ribbon being'secured by adhesive to said sheets only in said
stub portion.
In a further aspect each said ribbon of transfer
material extends generally centrally of the document set with
the opposed longitudinal free edges of said ribbon being in
spaced relation to both of said Iateral sides of the document
set.
In the case of a negotiable document, such as a
postal money order,said superimposed sheets comprise a receipt
form, a record form and a negotiable form.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention
there is provided a method of producing a multiple ply document
set comprising feeding a plurality of webs of paper from
respective supply sources, said webs being printed with selected
material, feeding at least one ribbon of transfer material having
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a width dimension measured between its free longitudinal edges
which is su~stantially less than the width dimension of said
webs of paper from an associated source of supplyj applying
adhesive to said webs at preselected spaced regions therealong,
assembling said webs and said at least one ribbon into a series
of superimposed plies with said webs in selected relationship
` with one another and one said ribbon being disposed between each
adjacent pair of webs with at least one of the free longitudinal
edges of the ribbon spaced inwardly from the longitudinal edges
of the webs, adhering said webs and said ribbon together at said
- regions where adhesive was applied,and treating the secured super-
imposed plies to define the limits of each of a series of the
document sets.
A preferred form of the invention will now be
described by way of example with reference to drawings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a multiple ply document set
in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2 is a further plan view of the document set
with various ones of the superimposed plies pàrtially cut away
50 as to show the interior structure;
Fig. 3 illustrates the manner of separation of the
stub portion and attached transfer ribbons from the remainder of
the document set;
Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the
document set according to the invention and,
Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the preferred
method of manufacturing multiple ply document sets in accordance
with the invention.
With reference to the drawings, Figures 1-4 illustrate
a preferred form of document set, specifically a postal money
order form, with the numeral 10 designating the multiple ply
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document set overall. The negotia~Ie document set 10 defines
a pair of opposed longitudinally extending lateral sides 12
and a pair of transversely extending marginal sides 14, 14'.
The document set comprises a plurality of superimposed printed
sheets, to be described more fully hereïnafter, which sheets are
secured together by spots of adhesive 16 located in an area of
securement extending adjacent the marginal side 14. A line of
weakening 18 in the form of a series of aligned closely spaced
slits extends transverseIy across each of the sheets in spaced
relation to marginal side 14 with the area of securement being
located between the line of weakening 18 and the marginal side
14- That portion of the document set defined between the line
of weakening 18 and marginal side 14-comprises a stub portion
which is designated by numeral 20. The remaining portion of the
document set may be referred to as the body portion 22.
A ribbon of transfer material 24, such as carbon
paper, which is relatively narrow in relation to the transverse
dimension of the document set,is disposed between each of the
superimposed sheets and extends longitudinally of the document set
from marginal edge 14 to the opposed marginal edge 14'. It will
be seen from Figure 2 that the free longitudinal edges of the
narrow ribbon of transfer material 24 are spaced a substantial
distance inwardly from the lateral sides 12 of the document set.
It will also be seen that each said ribbon 24 is secured by
adhesive to the adjacent sheet of the document set only in the
stub porti~on 20.
In the case of the postal money order form under
consideration, the above mentioned superimposed printed sheets,
in the body portion 22 of the document set, comprise a receipt
. 30 form 26, a record form 28 and a negot able form 30 all of which
are in registered, superimposed reIation one upon the other.
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Preferably,the receipt form 26 i5 made up of a translucent
paper while'the'record form is made'from 32M bond paper stock
with the negotiable form 30 being made from 48M bond paper stock.
Moreover, it is preferable tha't each'of the record and negotiable
forms 28 and 30 be "grain long" in the longitudinal direction of
the document set 10. That is to say, the'grain of the paper webs
that make up the form should extend lengthwise of the document set.
The reason for this is that the'record form 28 and the negotiable
form 30 will usually be processed in high speed computer input -'-
and computer read-out equipment employing optical character
readers and the like. The negotiable'and record forms will
usually be processed in the equipment in such a way that they
will be moved through these machines in a direction parallel to
the longitudinal direction of the document set. Therefore, in
order to avoid unintentional buckling or bending of these forms,
it is important that they be reasonably stiff in the longitudinal
direction. Accordingly, it is of advantage to arrange for the ~ -
grain of these forms to extend lengthwise of the document set.
: . . ...
The above mentioned relatively narrow ribbons of
~' 2~ transfer material 24 which are disposed between each of the
superimposed sheets of the document set are preferably arranged
centrally of the set in order to enable the transfer of indicia,
as the latter is being printed onto the top form of the document
' set 10 simultaneously to the other forms below the top form or
ply. The width of the narrow ribbons 24 can, of course, be
varied in'accordance with requirements. In the embod1ment shown,
'' the ribbons 24 have a width which is approximately one-third
'j of the total transverse dimensian of the document set 10. Thus,
the edge portions or areas extending longitudinally of each
` 30 document set 10 are not in contact with any carbon paper. These
` areas will, however, usually contain information that has ~een
preprinted thereon prior to assembly and manufacture of the
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document set 10. Such information can include such things as
perforations or impressions in the printable paper. Since these
longitudinal extending edge regions of the document set are free
of carbon paper, the persons handling such documents can easily
grasp same along the marginal edges and avoid smudging of the
record and negotiable forms 28, 30. A further advantage associated
with the use of the relatively narrow transfer ribbons 24 concerns
the ease with which the stub portion 20 may be separated from the
body portion 22. Since the narrow ribbons of transfer material
24 are disposed only in the central portion of the document set,
there is ample space along the lateral sides of the document set
to grasp the sheets without risk of trapping the narrow ribbons
24 of transfer medium therebetween. In other words, the user
does not have to be on the lookout for a "thumb-cut out" in the
transfer material prior to "snapping" the stub portion and attached
ribbons 24 away from the body portion 22 of the document set.
The operation of separating the stub portion from the body portion
is illustrated in Figure 3.
Since the negotiable form 30 of the document set 10
2C is purchased and later redeemed in an operation involving the
transfer of money, it is common practice to pre-print each of
the receipt, negotiable and record forms using fraud-preventive
inks as well as including thereon color tinting which is
susceptible to any attempts at eradicating or altering indicia
thereon either by chemical or mechanical means. Furthermore,
it will be appreciated that selected data on the various parts ~
of each document set preferably has properties such as to make '~-
the same readable by means of optical character readers.
Figures 2 and 4 show each of the record,receipt,
and negotiable forms 26, 28 and 30 as being pro~ided with a
- central area 26', 28~ and 3~' of predetermined size,such areas
being disposed substantially in orientation and alignment with
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the interposed ribbons 24 of transfer material. The pre-printed
material or information provided on the plies of the document
set at the time of manufacture thereof will usually be located
outside of the central areas 26', 28' and 30' with the latter
- areas being used exclusively for information and data which is
entered at the time of purchase of the document set. As it is
desirable to have some code indicia on each of the receipt,
record and negotiable forms 26, 28 and 30 which can be used for
identifying such forms after they have been separated and
- 10 independently processed, a positive numbering code 40 is applied
to each of these forms of the document set during manufacture of
same.
The narrow ribbons of transfer material 24 will
preferably, but not necessarily, comprise carbon coated tissue
paper and preferably will be of the single transfer type i.e.
capable of transferring information only once. The narrow
ribbons 24 can also be single or double faced depending upon
requirements.
Although the drawing show the negotiable
document set 10 as being a single entity, it will be apparent
that the document set 10 could be one of a series of separable
~ document sets in a zig-zag folded pack or series of the same.
i Figure 5 illustrates diagrammatically one arrangement
for producing multiple ply document sets in accordance with the
invention. A plurality of webs of paper stock, 126, 128 and 130
' are fed from their respective supply rolls 126', 128' and 130'
into a web collating apparatus of conventional design. The
several~webs will have been pre-printed as indicated above with
. the required colour tints and the information relevant to the
30~ particular type of negotiable document set in question. Each of
the above webs is also preferably provided with spaced apart
transversely extending lines of weakening (not shown) which are
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suitably registered with the printed matter on the webs,with
such lines of weakening serving to define the lines of weakening
18 referred to previously in connection with the final product.
The total width of the webs will be a multiple of the total width
of the final document set. In the arrangement shown in Figure 5
the total width of the webs is four times the width of the ultimate
document set plus the additional width required for the hole-punched
marginal portions of each of the webs. It should be mentioned
here that all of the webs are provided with pre-punched_margins
which cooperate with suitable pin carrier means thereby to ensure
- accurate registration of the three webs relative to one another.
The narrow ribbons of transfer material are also fed
from respective banks of axially spaced apart supply reels 124 and
and 124'. Since the document sets are being produced on a
"four-wide" basis, four separate transfer ribbons are supplied
; simultaneously from each of the banks of supply reels 124 and 124'
with such ribbons being guided by suitable guide means such that
in the final documents produced the respective ribbons of transfer
material are disposed longitudinally and centrally thereof as
described above.
With further reference to Figure 5 it will be seen
that web 130 is fed from its supply reel 130' and passes around
idler roll 132 and thence travels along a generally horizontal
path. A cross glue unit 134 of a construction generally well
known in the art applies a series of spaced apart dots of glue
136 across the surface of web 130 in proper registration with the
printed matter on~web ~30. Web 130 then passes beneath guide
roller 138 and it is at this point that the ribbon of transfer
material from reel bank 124' come into contact with the upper
surface of web 136 with such transfer ribbons being adhered to
web 130 by virtue of the previously applied spots of adhesive.
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The web' 128 from supply 128' passes downwardly
and around transversely extending guide'roll 140 with such web
128 being adhered to web 130 by virtue of the previously applied
spots of adhesive 136. The ribbons of transfer material from
reel bank 124 are, of course, interposed between the two webs 128
and 130.
A further cross glue unit 142,again of any suitable
constructiQn,applies a plurality of spaced apart spots of a& esive
:- 144 to-the upper surface of web 128,such spots of adhesive directly
overlying the spots of adhesive 136 applied by cross glue unit
134. The superposed webs thence pass beneath guide roller 146
with the spaced apart ribbons of transfer material from reel bank
124 passing downwardly and around guide roller 146 and becoming
adhered to the upper surface of web 128 by virtue of certain of
the applied spots of adhesive 144. Web 126 from supply 126'
also passes downwardly and around guide roller 148 and thus
becomes secured to the upper sur~ace of web 128 by virtue of the
spaced apart spots of adhesive'144.
-The superposed webs 126, 128 and 130 may then pass
through a nip defined between suitable press rolls (not shown)
thereby to firmly adhere the webs and the interposed ribbons of
transfer material together.
The assembled webs thence pass beneath a numbering
unit 150, the latter having a plurality of numbering heads
disposed immediately above the interposed ribbons of transfer
material such that the indicia applied to the upper surface of - -
web 126 is transferred through to the two remaining webs 128 and
130. The numbering units are actuated in accordance with the
movement of the superposed webs so that the serial numbers applied
thereto are correctly registered with'the printed matter etc.,
previously applied to the webs 126, 128 and 130.
The web assembly then passes by a trim unit 152 which
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removes the punched marginal portions from the superlmposed webs
The web assembly then passes beneath a cut-off unit 154,which
may be in the fo~m of a cylinder carrying one or more sharp blades
156,which serves to shear the web assembly transversely in
accurate relationship with the printed matter on the webs.
The web assembly then passes through a shear slitting unit 158
which serves to sub-divide the web assemblies into four document
sets of the required transverse dimension. The completed document
sets 10 are then fed into a suitable delivery unit (not shown)
which "shingles"and piles the document sets into packs of the
required number,which packs are then placed in cartons for delivery
to the customer.
The foregoing has described one preferred embodiment
within the scope of the invention and has suggested certain ~`
alternatives which might also be used. The appended claims define
subject matter which is within the spirit of the invention and ~-
which is not intended to be limited to the spècific forms described
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