GB1214639A - Improvements relating to the printing of cheques - Google Patents

Abstract

1,214,639. Selective printing. McCORQUODALE & CO. Ltd. 16 Aug., 1968 [16 Aug., 1967], No. 37806/67. Heading B6F. A method of preparing personalized cheques and preparing a cheque book therefrom includes bulk printing information and background pattern on a continuous web, cutting the web into individual cheques, automatically reading record data representing personalizing information to be printed on the cheques, setting adjustable printing members at successive stations of an in-line printing machine in accordance with the sensed information, feeding the cheques with other documents to be inserted in the cheque book in order from station to station of the printing machine so that the cheques and other documents move in the direction of their longitudinal axes, stacking the documents which pass through the machine, and collating and binding the documents: Bulk printed cheques bearing security background patterns, the name of a bank, a stamp duty medallion and lines indicating areas to be written on are stored in a feed hopper, further documents such as paying-in slips and cheque book order forms being stored in further compartments of the hopper. Information in the form of edge-punched cards is read by a reader 10 and stored at 13, the information including the number and form of cheques required and the personalizing information to be printed. Print wheels 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 are automatically set, and the cheques are fed successively past each such printing station. At each station, the cheques are stopped by synchronized end stops and impressed by means of synchronized hammers. Serial numbers are applied at a station 24. A station 26 detects delayed feed, and in such a case stops the feed from the hopper and diverts subsequent cheques to prevent doubling. The branch name is applied at a station 12, and the cheque may be crossed and perforated if required at 30. The cheques are finally stacked and collated at 32 and made ready for binding. A checking station 28 reads information off printed cheques and compares it with the required information in the store 13. The name and account number printing stations 14, 16 and 20, 22 are doubled to permit long names to be printed on two lines if necessary. If a one line name is being printed by one of the name printing stations, the other is simultaneously prepared for the next batch of cheques, the second account numbering station operating is a similar way. Documents fed in order through the machine not requiring personalizing information bear marks detected photo-electrically at each station to inhibit the operation of the respective hammer.