Production Of Documentary Evidence

Abstract

This specification relates to the production of policy certificates and separate records of individual policy details on a high speed printer. A roll of paper strip has printed on it at spaced locations along its length standardized text relating to the general form of insurance transaction. Plasticized cards each bearing printed information and provided with sensitized blank spaces for the addition of data peculiar to a given transaction, and provided with printed explanatory text are secured to the strip. In one transit through the high speed printer, all the data relating to a particular insurance data is printed out. Each card has a sensitized zone for a manually applied signature and an aperture in the strip opposite the signature zone so that the signature can be applied through the aperture without removing the card from the strip.

Description

This invention relates to the production of documentary evidence of financial transactions, and although of more general application, will be described below in connection with financial transactions relating to automobile insurance.

In a large insurance office, the existing systems of preparation of policy certificates and of separate records of individual policy details is time consuming and therefore relatively expensive. An object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method of and means for producing the required documents both simply and cheaply.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of producing documentary evidence of a multiplicity of different financial transactions comprises the formation of a paper strip adapted to be fed through a high-speed printer and printed at each of a multiplicity of locations spaced apart along its length with a standardized text relating to the said transaction and including framed zones provided with explanatory text and suitable for the insertion of data peculiar to a given transaction, the formation of plasticized cards each bearing printed information and provided with sensitized blank spaces for the addition of data peculiar to a given transaction and provided with printed explanatory text, each card including a sensitized zone suitable for the application of a signature, providing the paper strip with apertures respectively opposite the said printed locations, securing the cards to the strip respectively opposite the different locations and respectively with their sensitized zone overlying the said apertures, passing the strip with the cards through the high-speed printer, and operating the printer to insert both on each card and on the transversely adjacent printed location data peculiar to one desired financial transaction, and subsequently dividing the strip by transverse cleavages between the said locations to provide a multiplicity of documents each comprising a part of the strip and one of the cards and providing both on the card and the strip at least some of the data peculiar to one of a number of financial transactions.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a first form of a two-part document;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a second copy of the two-part document,;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the form shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line IV--IV of FIG. 3 on an enlarged scale .

Referring first to the document shown in FIG. 1, a strip of paper 1 having a width of about twelve inches is provided along its two edges with a series of spaced holes 3 by which the strip can be fed in known manner through a high speed electrical printer. Such printers are well known in the computer art, and are used to print out information from a computer or from a data retrieval system.

The strip 1 is readily separable into a multiplicity of sections 5 by transversely extending cleavage lines 7, typically formed by a line of small perforations extending through the strip. In the example shown, the sections have a width (extending longitudinally of the strip) of about three and a half inches. Each transversely extending section 5 is associated with one financial transaction, i.e., in this specific embodiment, with one automobile package insurance policy.

Towards one side, each section 5 is formed with a transversely extending aperture or slot 9, and the section is provided with adhesive patches 11A and 11B respectively immediately below the aperture 9 and in alignment with but some distance from the aperture 9. A marker line 13 serves as a guide for the application of a plasticized card 15 to the section 5, so that the adhesive patches 11A and 11B shall act on the card and so that a sensitized zone 17 on the reverse side of the card shall lie completely opposite the aperture 9. By "sensitized zone" is meant an area of the plasticized card over which the glossy surface of the card is discontinued, so making it possible for a signature to be applied to and retained by the card. The function of the aperture is to permit the signature to be applied while the card is still attached to the section 5.

Each card 15 bears printed information at 18, is provided with sensitized blank spaces 19A, 19B, 19C and 19D for the addition of data peculiar to a given transaction, i.e., to a particular insurance policy, and is provided with appropriate printed explanatory text adjacent to the said blank spaces as shown in FIG. 1. The remainder of the section 5, i.e., the right-hand side in FIG. 1, is similarly printed with a standardized text relating to the said policy, and with framed zones 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D and 23E. Associated with at least some of these framed zones is explanatory text as indicated at 25B, 25C, 25D and 25E. A cleavage line 27 extending parallel to the edges of the strip, and consisting of a line of heavy indentations which weaken the paper of the strip, separates the left-hand side 5A of section 5, carrying the card 15, from the right-hand side 5B of section 5, carrying the framed zones referred to above. Section side 5A bears the inscription "INSURED'S COPY" while section side 5B bears the inscription "AGENT'S COPY".

Associated with the strip 1 is a second strip 29, similarly divided into transversely extending sections 31, as shown in FIG. 2, the left-hand side 31A of which is blank and the right-hand side 31B of which is a copy of the section side 5B with the exception that it carries the inscription "HEAD OFFICE COPY" instead of "AGENT'S COPY". Cleavage lines 33 and 35 extend in alignment with the cleavage lines 27 and 7, and the arrangement is such that the zones on section side 31B underly the corresponding zones on section 5B.

In use of the two strips 1 and 29, they are used with an intermediate carbon paper sheet or equivalent copying sheet. The manner in which the interleaving is carried out will depend upon the high-speed printer to be used, and it will be appreciated that the two strips and the copying sheet can be assembled on a roll, or else they can be fed from separate rolls and come together only in the printing zone of the printer. Furthermore, the application of the plasticized card 15 to the section side 5A can be effected manually or mechanically. It can, if desired, be applied to the strip 1 mechanically as the three strips approach the actual printing zone. It will be appreciated that the lines of holes 3 along the sides of the strips permit toothed devices on the high-speed printer to maintain the three strips in proper synchronism to keep each section 31B properly under the corresponding section 5B.

During operation of the high-speed printer, information from a computer or a data store is fed to the printer, and the printer prints out on each transverse section 5 the data peculiar to a given transaction or policy. Thus the printer will scan transversely across the strip 1 and first will print relevant data into the framed zone 23A. The printer will then print relevant data into the blank space 19A on the card 15 and into framed zones 23B and 23D on the section side 5B. Other blank spaces on the card and the opposite framed zones on the section 5B will similarly be printed in.

The operation of the printer is very fast, and the three strips leave the printer together to be divided into sections 5 either mechanically or manually as desired. In some cases, it may be desirable to retain the second strip 29 as a continuous strip to facilitate later handling. However, the intention is that the strip 1 shall be divided into a multiplicity of separate strips each providing on the left-hand side a plasticized card for use by an insured person and on the right-hand side a corresponding certificate for use by the insurance agent.

By the present invention, all the data relating to an insurance policy is printed out in a single operation, and in addition to the economy in time in labor which results, the possibility of error in transferring data from say a printed certificate to a separate plasticized card is eliminated.

The cleavage line 27 enables each section to be folded back on itself along this line so that the section can be inserted into a window envelope with the printed "Name of Agent" on the "Agent's copy" opposite the window so that the complete form can be mailed from a central insurance office to the insurance agent concerned. The insurance agent can then divide the section along the line 27 and mail the section including the plasticized card in another window envelope with the name and address of the policy-holder (at 19C on the card) opposite the window.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method of producing documentary evidence of a multiplicity of different financial transactions comprising:

a. forming a paper strip adapted to be fed through a high speed printer and printed at each of a multiplicity of locations spaced apart along its length with a standardized text relating to the said transaction and including framed zones provided with explanatory text and suitable for the insertion of data peculiar to a given transaction;

b. forming plasticized cards each bearing printed information and providing them with sensitized blank spaces for the addition of data peculiar to a given transaction and provided with printed explanatory text, each card including a sensitized zone suitable for the application of a signature;

c. providing the paper strip with apertures respectively opposite the said sensitized zones;

d. securing the cards to the strip respectively transversely adjacent the different locations and respectively with their sensitized zones overlying the said apertures;

e. passing the strip with the cards through the high-speed printer, and operating the printer to insert both on each card and on the transversely adjacent printed location, data peculiar to one desired financial transaction; and

f. subsequently dividing the strip by transverse cleavages between the said locations to provide a multiplicity of documents each comprising a part of the strip and one of the cards and providing both on the card and the strip at least some of the data peculiar to one of a number of financial transactions;

whereby each of the said sensitized zones on the said cards can be validated by the addition of a manually applied signature through the aperture opposite to that zone.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, which includes the steps of forming cleavage between said transversely adjacent locations on the strip and between the cards and the part of the strip bearing the standardized text and the framed zones.

3. A paper strip adapted to provide documentary evidence of a multiplicity of different financial transactions after passage through a high speed printer and printed at each of a multiplicity of locations spaced apart along its length with a standardized text relating to the said transactions and including framed zones provided with explanatory text and suitable for the insertion of data peculiar to a given transaction, a multiplicity of plasticized cards each bearing printed information and provided with sensitized blank spaces for the addition of data peculiar to a given transaction and provided with printed explanatory text, each card including a sensitized zone suitable for the application of a signature, and apertures in the paper strip respectively opposite to the said printed locations, the cards being secured to the strip respectively transverse opposite the different locations with their sensitized zone overlying the said apertures, whereby the strip can be passed through a high-speed printer so that the printer can insert both on each card and on the transversely adjacent printed location, data peculiar to one desired financial transaction, and the strip can be subsequently divided by transverse cleavages between the said locations to provide a multiplicity of documents each comprising a part of the strip and one of the cards and providing both on the card and the strip at least some of the data peculiar to one of a number of financial transactions.

4. A paper strip according to claim 3, wherein the strip is formed with cleavage lines both between said transverse locations on the strip and between the cards and the parts of the strip bearing the standardized text and framed zones.

5. A document forming evidence of a financial transaction, the document being severed from a paper strip after passage of the strip through a high-speed printer and pre-printed with a transversely located standardized text relating to the said transaction and including framed zones provided with explanatory pre-printed text and having inserted in these zones by the high-speed printer, data peculiar to the given transaction, a plasticized card bearing preprinted information and provided with sensitized blank spaces on which has been printed by the high-speed printer data peculiar to the said given transaction and provided with pre-printed explanatory text, the card including a sensitized zone suitable for the application of a signature, and an aperture in the paper strip, the card being secured to the strip with its sensitized zone overlying the said aperture, the document having had, during a single pass through the high-speed printer, data peculiar to the said financial transaction inserted both in the blank spaces on the card and in the said framed zones, whereby each of the said sensitized zones on the said cards can be validated by the addition of a manually applied signature through the aperture opposite to that zone.

6. A document as claimed in claim 5, wherein the document is provided with a cleavage line extending across the width of the document between the card and the printed standardized text.