GB2242395A

GB2242395A - Multiple payment billing form

Info

Publication number: GB2242395A
Application number: GB9006519A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William Ballard
Original assignee: BALLARD YVONNE SANDRA
Current assignee: BALLARD YVONNE SANDRA
Priority date: 1990-03-23
Filing date: 1990-03-23
Publication date: 1991-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-23
Also published as: GB2242395B; GB9006519D0

Abstract

A method of forming a multiple payment billing form comprising the steps of printing on a sheet of paper the legends for a bill (8) from a billing entity to a customer, and for a multiplicity of payment slips (7) for payment from a customer to the billing entity to produce a blank of the form; providing the sheet with perforation lines (4, 6, 11) at least some of the perforation lines (6, 11) being adjacent the payment slips; subjecting the blank form to a printing stage providing individual detail concerning the billing entity, the bill and the customer; whereby the form is capable of being folded into a book formation (Fig. 3) whereat all legends are disposed in an upright disposition, and the perforations (6, 11) are so located about the payment slips (7) so that they may be removed one by one via the perforations from the book and folded end extremities of the booklet separated by means of perforations (4) to enable its opening. <IMAGE>

Description

Multiple Payment Billing Forms This invention relates to multiple payment billing forms.

Where entities, such as local authorities, wish to present to customers, such as individuals or firms or companies a bill for services provided for example, such as that rendered in the United Kingdom as the "Community Charge", it is already known for the authority to give provision to the customer to make regular payment by means of a plurality of payment slips over a predetermined period of time to an aggregate sum related to the total amount of the bill concerned.

This has hitherto sometimes been accomplished by an arrangement where the billing entity despatches, usually by post, an invoice or bill individually made out to the customer concerned together with a booklet of prepared payment slips similarly made out individually for that customers subsequent regular payments.

Problems arise with such arrangements. Firstly, there is the requirement of the billing entity that before despatch to the customer concerned, the individually prepared bill or invoice is matched with the individually printed booklet of regular payment slips, and preventing any mis-match error occurring, which could be disastrously cummulative.

In addition, with the introduction of the "Community Charge", is the reluctance of manufacturers of personalised payment slip booklets to increase their manufacturing capacity for what essentially is an annual production, at short notice and spread over a very few weeks of a great quantity of such booklets utilising machinery which, of necessity, is likely to be under employed, and therefore uneconomic, throughout the remaining months of the year.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least substantially reduce this problem.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a multiple payment billing form comprising a sheet of paper on which there is printed an individual bill from the billing entity to an individual customer and a plurality of individually printed periodic payment slips for use by that individual customer, the form being provided with perforation lines adjacent the payment slips, whereby the sheet is capable of being folded into a booklet form with all appropriate legends upright, and individual payment slips being removable along their associated perforation lines from within the booklet.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a multiple payment billing form comprising the steps of printing on a sheet of paper the legends generally necessary for a bill from a billing entity to a customer, and for a multiplicity of payment slips for payment from a customer to the billing entity to produce a blank of the form; providing the sheet with perforation lines at least some of the perforation lines being adjacent the payment slips; subjecting the blank form to a printing stage providing all necessary individual detail concerning the billing entity, the bill and the customer; whereby the form is capable of being folded into a book formation whereat all legends are disposed in an upright disposition, and the perforations are so located about the payment slips so that they may be removed one by one via the perforations from the book and folded end extremities of the booklet separated to enable its opening.

The provision of perforation lines may be carried out simultaneously with the printing of the blank form.

The invention includes within its scope a blank form leading to the billing form hereinabove defined, and also includes within its scope a formed booklet utilising the blank form and billing form hereinabove defined, and the method of formation hereinabove defined.

The billing form may include portions within which information concerning methods of payment of the bill from the billing entity can be entered.

The form may be printed on both sides to enable appropriate explanatory and naming legends to be incorporated.

It is to be understood that the use of the word "paper" herein is intended to embrace paper and card of thickness and stiffness and quality appropriate to the usage required in any given instance.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a blank form of one embodiment of a multiple payment billing form in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a reverse side of a blank form of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a isometric representation of the finished booklet, illustrated for convenience still in its blank state, which is obtainable from the blank form of Figures 1 and 2.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated is a multiple payment billing form for use by a local authority, identified as Computastat District Council, for the payment of the United Kingdom "Community Charge" for a given year. The blank form is of machine readable capability paper and has a height in practice of 24 inches and a width, including the sprocket margins 1, 2 at the side, of 16 inches. After removal of the sprocket margins, the width reduces to 15 inches.

The form includes a bill 8, ten payment slips 7, a form 9 relating to payment by direct debiting 12 and a payment record slip 10.

The blank form is shown, from top to bottom, midway across, with a fold line 3. This would not actually be marked on the sheet and shown to aid understanding. The paper can be folded backwards at each side edge about the central fold line. Similarly the blank is provided with a perforation line 4, additionally acting as a fold line, across its width midway down its height. It will be appreciated that by means of these lines, the blank can be folded into four so as to form the basic booklet 5 configuration which eventually finishes in the form illustrated in Figure 3.

Additional perforation lines 6 are provided across the form as indicated to separate each of the sequential payment slips 7 printed onto the sheet, further perforation lines 11 going from top to bottom of the sheet enabling separation of the slips away from the centre line of the formed booklet. In addition, a perforation line 12 is provided enabling the removal of a form to be used by the billed customer for, in the instance illustrated, despatching to the local authority for direct debit payment as an alternative to the use of the payment slips.

It will be seen from Figure 2 that the back face of the blank form is provided with appropriate legends to identify each of the payment slips 7, to provide information on the back of the bill 8, and to provide information on direct debiting at the place where the form 9 for direct debiting is to be located.

After printing and forming the perforation lines of the blank form. as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the form, with juxtaposed similar forms connected along perforation lines at the top and bottom edges of the form (not shown) is fed to a laser printing machine (for example) in order that individual billing details and customer entity details may be entered onto the bill portion of the blank, and also onto each of the individual payment slips. The blank, in its succession with other blanks, is fed through such a machine by means of the margin.

After individual laser printing as just described, the individually processed sheet is now separated from its fellows along the appropriate perforation lines between each form, the sprocket margins removed, and the form is then folded into booklet form, wire stitched together (as shown in Figure 3 at 13) or glued (not shown) and the top of each page guillotine trimmed so that the booklet can be opened.

It will be appreciated that in the finished booklet form of Figure 3, the front page comprises the bill itself, whilst subsequent pages comprise a multiplicity of successive payment slips useable on a regular basis as their due dates come up, as well as the form to be detached and sent off for direct debiting information.

In practice, the booklet would not be in the blank state illustrated, but would have all necessary individual printing provided.

By means of the invention we have provided simple, effective and reliable means of providing an individual identified multiple payment provision together with an individually particularised bill for use from a billing entity to a customer.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of multiple payment billing forms in accordance with the invention and that modifications can readily be made thereto without departing from the true scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of forming a multiple payment billing form comprising the steps of printing on a sheet of paper the legends generally necessary for a bill from a billing entity to a customer, and for a multiplicity of payment slips for payment from a customer to the billing entity to produce a blank of the form; providing the sheet with perforation lines at least some of the perforation lines being adjacent the payment slips; subjecting the blank form to a printing stage providing all necessary individual detail concerning the billing entity, the bill and the customer; whereby the form is capable of being folded into a book formation whereat all legends are disposed in an upright disposition, and the perforations are so located about the payment slips so that they may be removed one by one via the perforations from the book and folded end extremities of the booklet separated to enable its opening.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the provision of perforation lines is carried out simultaneously with the printing of the blank form.

3. A method as claimed in Claims 1 or 2 wherein the form is printed on both sides for the incorporation of explanatory and/or naming legends.

4. A method of forming a multiple payment billing form substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A multiple payment form comprising a sheet of paper on which there is printed an individual bill from the billing entity to an individual customer and a plurality of individually printed periodic payment slips for use by that individual customer, the form being provided with perforation lines adjacent the payment slips, whereby the sheet is capable of being folded into a booklet form with all appropriate legends upright, and individual payment slips being removable along their associated perforation lines from within the booklet.

6. A form as claimed in Claim 5 including portions within which information concerning methods of payment of the bill can be entered.

7. A form as claimed in Claim 5 or 6 printed on both sides to enable explanatory and/or naming legends to be incorporated.

8. A multiple payment billing form substantially as shown in and as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A blank multiple payment billing form formed by the steps of printing on a sheet of paper the legends generally necessary for a bill from a billing entity to a customer, and for a multiplicity of payment slips for payment from a customer to the billing entity to produce a blank of the form; and providing the sheet with perforation lines at least some of the perforation lines being adjacent the payment slips; the blank form being capable of being subjected to a printing stage providing all necessary individual detail concerning the billing entity, the bill and the customer; and the blank form being capable of being folded into a book formation whereat all legends are disposed in an upright disposition, and the perforations are so located about the payment slips so that they may be removed one by one via the perforations from the book and folded end extremities of the booklet separated to enable its opening.

10. A blank multiple payment billing form and its method of formation substantially as shown in and as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.