This inventionrelatesto forms forprocessingcommercial transactions and more particularly to slip packs.

Background of the Invention

,_ Today major portions of business transactions are performed utilizing credit cards typically issued by banking institutions to individual credit cardholders or customers. Such cards enable the holder to conduct business transactions with merchants under conditions authorized by

₂₀ the card issuer. A business transaction of this nature is recorded on a pack of transaction slips provided by the merchant. Such packs include one for the card issuer (bank copy) , one for the merchant (merchant copy) and one for the customer or cardholder (receipt) together with m m intervening duplicating slips (carbons) useful in recording the transaction on the three principal slips. Thereafter, the pack and the credit card held by the customer are placed in a recording machine conventionally operable to impress separate serial numbers present on the card and

_- respectively identifying the particular customer and the particular merchant on each slip of the pack. Thereafter, the three principal slips are detached from the pack leaving the duplicating strips for discarding. Unscrupulous persons frequently recover such duplicating slips and

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utilize the card identifying numbers present thereon to defraud the merchant and/or the card issuer. Such persons not infrequently make fraudulent use of such numbers present on any one of the three transaction slips by gaining access to any one of these slips by chance, ruse, etc.

Proposals have been made to thwart these defrauding acts, including the use of carbonless duplicating slips, or carbon slips provided with separating performations crosswise between the opposite ends of the two identifying

•numbers as - described in McCormick et al, U.S. Patent

4,403,793. A portion of this duplicating slip remains with the pack and the other remains attached to one of the transaction slips. Neither of these techniques is foolproof because the complete identifying numbers are impressed on each of the principal transaction slips with the results that persons with criminal proclivities obtaining access to any one of the three slips can obtain knowledge and made wrongful use of the complete numbers. Huge losses continue to be experienced.

In addition to credit card packs, the same drawback, i.e., transfer of identifying indicia such as account number(s) , merchant number, transaction number or the like, maintains in other commercial transactions including packs of two or more slips. As long as the indicia is transferred to one or multiple copies or carbons, the probability of surreptitious use increases.

Summary of the Invention This inventionprovides animprovedfoolprooftransaction pack avoiding the numerous loopholes and shortcomings of priorproposals forcredit cardorothercommercialtransaction packs. These objectives are achieved by resort to one of

several techniques for so constructing a transaction pack as to prevent the recording of a complete image of either the customer's or the merchant's identifying numbers or both anywhere except on designated slip(s) such as for credit cards on the card issuer's slip. Accordingly, no person obtaining access to either the customer or the merchant slips can obtain the full number of either party. These complete numbers are present on the card issuer's slip, but these numbers can be rendered inviolate according to this invention by securing peripheral portions of the issuer slip to the duplicating slip (carbons) with provisions for safeguarding against the separation of these two slips by anyone except greatly restricted authorized personnel of the card issuer. This invention provides one of several techniques for preventing impressing either the customer or the merchant slip with the complete identifying number of either of these parties. For example, either the duplicating slip or the slips to either side thereof can be provided with cutouts or windows in registry with a major portion of the customer and merchant identifying numbers. This technique is applicable equally to a pack utilizing either carbon type duplicating slips or a pack formed of carbonless transfer paper. Still another mode of accomplishing the same result is to crash print a major portion of the area in registry with the merchant and customer's numbers thereby rendering that area of both slips incapable of being legibly imprinted with at least a major portion of either identifying number. The feature and operating principle characteristics of each of these techniques is the same, namely, avoidance of impressing a major portion of either the merchant's or the customer's identifying number on either of their slips and impressing the issuer's

slip with these complete numbers beneath an attached numbesr-concealing duplicator slip.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved foolproof business transaction pack of slips constructed and arranged to provide a complete record of the respective customer and merchant identifying numbers or other transaction indicia only on one or several designated slips where such indicia is absolutely required. Another object of the invention is the provision of a business transaction pack including a customer slip, a merchant slip.and a card issuer's slip, separated from one another bywriting instrument duplicator slips so constructed and arranged that when the pack is processed in a credit card processing device at least a major portion of the merchant's identifying number and a major portion of the customer's identifying number is not legibly recorded on either of their respective slips or on either of the duplicator slips.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a business transaction pack of slips in which the lowermost strip contains a complete record of a credit card business transaction concealed from view by an overyling attached duplicator slip and which slip is void unless exposed to view by personnel authorized to detach the duplicator slip. Another object of the invention is the provision of a pack of business transaction slips formed of carbonless transfer paper and including superimposed areas of a customer slip and of a merchant slip which haves been constructed and arranged to safeguard against recording at least a portion of the identifying numbers of either a credit cardholder or a merchant or other transaction indicia.

Another object object of the invention is the provision of a pack of business transaction slips separated by

intervening writing indicia duplicator slips and wherein certain of said slips are provided with cutouts or with crash imprinted areas so located as to prevent recording at least a portion of the separate identifying numbers of either the customer or the merchant or their respective slips recording a business transaction.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading .the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first illustrative embodiment of my improved business transaction pack showing the center transaction slip sandwiched between two carbon type duplicator slips;

FIG. ^' 2 is a top plan view of the FIG. 1 pack showing a portion of the top slip broken away; FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along -line 3-3 on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pack showing the three top slips detached and structural details of the two bottom slips; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second illustrative embodiment of the invention ^" in which all slips are made of carbonless transfer paper;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the pack shown in FIG. 5 on a slightly larger scale; and FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the two uppermost slips broken away and portions of the lowermost duplicator slip broken away to show structural details.

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Detailed Description

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a first illustrative embodiment of my improved business transaction pack designated generally 10. The pack there shown comprises five transaction slips suitably connected together at one end 11 and individually separable from bound end 11 by superimposed rolls of perforations 12. As there shown, the pack includes a card issuer's slip 14, a center or merchant's slip 15 and a top or customer slip 16. Interposed between slips 14 and 15 is a slip of downwardly facing single faced carbon duplicating material 18. Interposed between slips 15 and 15 is a slip of dual faced duplicating carbon paper 20.

Slips 14, 15 and 16 are suitably preprinted with information and gridwork such as that indicated at 23 to assist in the organized entry of ^' information on -each of these slips recording the particular transaction between the merchant and the customer. Each of these slips is also imprinted with a chronological serial number 24 serving to identify that group of slips as representing a particular business transaction.

As is well known to those knowledgeable in the use of credit cards to conduct business transactions, the financial institution or other party sponsoring the business typically issues plastic credit cards to individuals wishing to negotiate a transaction with a merchant or other party in possession of transaction packs such as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 and distributed by that credit card issuer. The plastic card held by the holder includes his name, address and embossed identifying serial number unique to that particular cardholder. Each merchant having a supply of transaction packs possesses a credit card transaction, device embossed with his authorized serial number identifying

that particular merchant or transaction machine user. When a credit card and a superimposed transaction slip are properly positioned in the recording machine, these two identifying numbers are usually spaced from one another but occupy a selected pair of adjacent areas beneath a 'transaction pack while the latter is being imprinted with the two identifying numbers by operation of the recording device. ^{" "} As herein shown by way of illustration, the cardholder's . identifying number is in partial or full registration with the rectangle 26 depending on the lengt

• of this rectangle, whereas the merchant's identifyin number is in full of partial registry with the rectangl indicated at 27 depending upon its size. To preven either of these identifying numbers being impressed upo slips 15 or 16, the dual faced duplicating slip 20 i either blanked out by crash printing ' on both sides o provided with windows 26 and 27. Alternatively, the sam result is achieved by omitting the carbon coating on eac face of slip 20 corresponding to the rectangular areas 2 and 27 in accordance with this third mode of preventin impressing the indicia of these numbers on slips 15 an 16.. As is well known by persons skilled in the duplicatin art, crash printing of a film of carbon renders the carbo ineffective to leave a legible image of writing made i registry with the crash processed area of the pack.

From the foregoing mode of treating areas 26 and 2 of slip 20, it will be apparent that this slip is ineffectiv to impress either the customer's identifying number or th merchant's identifying number on either of the slips 15 o 16 when pack 10 is inserted in a transaction recordin device along with the customer's credit card. It wil also be understood that equally effective alternate mode of safeguarding against impressing legible indicia of eac

of two identifying numbers such as either blanking out areas of slips 15 and 16 or crash printing areas of both faces of duplicating slip 20 corresponding to the areas 26 and 27 can be used. However, and irrespective of which of these is utilized, each of the identifying numbers are impressed on the face of the lowermost slip 14 which is transmitted to the credit card issuing institution and processed ^' to _. credit the merchant with a specified amount of cash. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown details of a mode of holding perimeter protions of the card issuer's slip 14 and the overlying slip of single faced duplicator slip 18 detachably adherent to one another. For example, major portions, but preferably less than all, of the perimeters of these two slips may be bonded together by discontinuous strips of adhesive 30. Desirably, gaps are left between portions of this adhesive to facilitate the insertion of an instrument to separate the two slips only by authorized personnel of the card issuer. Desirably, and for this purpose, the rim portions of slip 18 are imprinted with warnings to unathorized personnel not to separate the two slips whereby slip 18 provides a highly effective cover and concealing means for concealing both the merchant's and the cardholder's identifying number 28 and the merchant's identifying number indicated at 29.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, there is shown another illustrative embodiment of my invention transaction pack designated generally 10'. This pack comprises four slips joined together crosswise of one end 11' and separable from one another by separate lines of perforations 12'. Pack 10' is formed entirely of carbonless transfer paper well known to persons skilled in the duplicating art. The pack includes a card issuer bottom slip 40, a carbonless

transfer duplicator slip 41, a merchant slip 42 and a customer slip 43. As is well known to persons in the carbonless transfer paper art, slips 40 and 41 are dissimilar and so treated and constructed that pressure brought to bear by a writing instrument on slip 41 will reproduce a trace of that pressure line on the face of slip 40 without leaving any impression on that trace on slip 41. Likewise, slips 42 ^' and 43 are formed from the like dissimilarly treated paper or processed such that pressure of a writing instrument on slip 43 will leave a clear impression of that trace on slip 42, but not on the outer face of the rear face of slip 43. In consequence, there is a clear trace of the writing instrument on the face of slip 43 and a duplicate of that trace on the face of the underlying sli -42 as well as upon the bottom slip 40.

As described above in connection with the first embodiment, slips 40, 42 and 43 are imprinted before assembly with its own distinctive transaction pack serial number 44, unique to that particular packandwith appropriate gridwork and other data.

Additionally and importantly, either slip 42 or 43 has two rectangular areas thereof, specially processed to prevent the impression of at least a major portion of the merchant's and the cardholder's respective identifying numbers on either of the slips 42 and 43. This can be accomplished by providing either slip with windows 46 and 47, corresponding to similar blank outs or windows 26 and 27 in the first embodiment. Alternatively, these areas can be either coated with an opaquing material or can be crash printed in advance to prevent the entry of an impression of either the merchant's or the customer's identifying numbers on slips 42 and 43.

Duplicator slip 41 is a carbonless duplicator slip

which is effective to impress the full complete impression of each of the identifying transaction numbers only on slip 40.

In order to safeguard against wrongdoers making misuse of the identifying numbers present on card 40, after the pack has been processed in a transaction device, marginal portions of duplicator slip 41 are preferably bonded to perimeter portions of slip 40 as is indicated by the discontinuous strip of adhesive 49 in FIG. 5 and corresponding with the adhesive 30 in FIG. 4. In addition, the overlying, marginal portions of slip 41 are imprinted with warnings similar to those present in FIG. 4 advising all persons that slips 40 and 41 must not be altered or separqted by anyone except authorized personnel of the card issuer.

In use, the packs of both embodiments are utilized in the same manner. Data evidencing a business -transaction are entered with a writing instrument in the spaces provided on the topmost slips 16 or 43 while all slips lie flush against one another. These entries are reproduced on the underlying bank and merchant copies by the intervening duplicator slips. These entries having been completed, the merchant places the customer's credit card in the space provided in the merchant's transaction recording device and then inserts the transaction pack in the space provided therefor in the recording device. The device is then operated in known manner to impress indicia identifying the cardholder by name and address on the respective transaction sheets. At the- same time, the cardholder's and the merchant's identifying numbers are recorded on the cardholder's slip 14 or 40 but at least a major portion of each of these identifying numbers . is not legibly recorded on either the merchant's slip or the cardholder's slip,

nor upon the adjacent one of the duplicator slips for self evident reasons in view of the foregoing description of the expedients described above for preventing impressions of either of these numbers. As is well known, the merchant's identifying number is on an embossed plate mounted in the merchant's recording device. Thereafter, the credit card is returned to the owner and the pack slips, are separated with the cardholder's copy being given to him, the merchant's copy being retained for his records and the bank copy being turned over to the bank for payment, due care being exercised to. prevent separation of slips 14- and 18 or slips 40 and 41 from one another.

It is to be understood that while I have shown and described a certain embodiment of the present invention with reference to credit card slips, that the same features can be applied with equal vitality to other commercial transaction slip packs having two or more slips. For example, a particular transaction may require only a first slip containing information including identifying indicia, i.e., account number, merchant number or the like, and a receipt wherein at-"least a portion of the indicia may be excluded to provide security for the transaction. Other examples of implementing the -present ^' invention may reside in the im.printation.pf other documents like airline tickets, fund transfers or the like.