IE48291B1 - Improvements in or relating to business forms assemblies - Google Patents

Description

This invention has reference to business forms assemblies which includes a plurality of record sheets with interleaved transfer sheets usually of one carbon paper.

Such business forms assemblies may be in the form of snap5 out sets, continuous stationery assemblies, autographic register sets or check books.

Snap out sets assemblies oansist of a plurality of record sheets of which the top sheet is invariably the customers copy and the underlying sheets correspond to the top sheet. Each record sheet is divided into data receiving areas so that the information recorded on an area on the top sheet by writing implements or typewriter face is transferred to corresponding areas on the underlying sheets.

It is known to provide transfer sheets which are selectively coated and the record sheets and transfer sheets are so registered that the data applied to the top sheet is selectively transferred to the underlying sheets. It is also known to construct multipart business forms, with one or more sheets printed with complex blocking patterns sometimes .20 referred to as 'block out or printed masking in order to ensure that information printed on the top sheet is not legible on the underlying sheet or sheets.

It is further known to provide business forms stationery in which a copy record sheet has data receiving areas printed in more than one colour (blue and red) with a single blue - 3 colour transfer medium. However on such known copy record sheet, the area defining the debit column (which area might be considered as containing the most relevant information) has a blue background colour.

It is also known to provide business forms stationery with coloured lines or blocks extending across the sheet to facilitate reading of the information typed on the form.

For example U.K. Patent Specification No. 1447964 (Lamson Industries Limited, now Moore Business Forms Limited) describes a continuous business form in which the record sheets have printed on them a series of half tone continuous parallel bars of different colours and the bars form a repetitive pattern, whereby lines of characters printed on one bar will be clearly distinguished from a line of characters printed on the other bars.

It is also known from Patent Specification No. 41152 (Moore Business Forms Limited) to provide a business forms stationery printed with spaced groups of parallel blocks extending transversely of the web and a transverse line or lines between the groups of parallel blocks to assist the eye to follow the lines of recorded information across the web.

U.K. Patent Specification No. 1507467 Moore Business Forms Limited describes business forms stationery having a s'eries of spaced parallel blocks printed with a plurality of spots with adjacent blocks printed with areas of different intensity of spots to assist the eye to follow the blocks and hence facilitate the reading of lines of information printed on the stationery. The blocks are printed in a single colour selected to contrast with the colour of the transfer material.

French Patent Specification No. 1439667 (Herve) describes a single printed sheet to facilitate reading having different zones of the sheet of different colours (light grey, dark grey, rose coloured orange).

French Patent Specification No. 1314558 (S.A.F.R.A) describes a single salary sheet embodying coloured bands to mask certain colours; for example, non essential digits.

United States Patent Specification No. 3281960 (Cross) describes an educational sheet bearing a question in visible writing with an answer in hidden writing which are both in coloured printing. The hidden writing is rendered visible by viewing through coloured sheets to mask the back ground and make the hidden printing visible.

It is usual to have one of the parts of the sets of business forms assemblies include a so-called ledger copy which is used by a computer input operator to extract information for entry into a computer. Insofar as the computer is concerned some of the information included on the record sheet is relevant, some is irrelevant and some is useless, and the computer entry operator may have some difficulty in separating the relevant information from the irrelevant and/or useless information.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved business forms assembly.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved business forms assembly embodying a part intended for extraction of information for computer entry, which part facilitates the reading of the form to enable easy extraction of information to be obtained.

The invention provides a business forms assembly comprising a top sheet having an information receiving area and a plurality of record sheets having data receiving areas printed in more than one colour with coloured transfer material between the adjacent record sheets, each of the record sheets being divided into data receiving areas to receive information as it is applied to the top sheet of the business form assembly and the corresponding data receiving areas on the respective sheets being in register with one another, characterised in that the data receiving areas of at least two of the record sheets consist of an area having a background contrasting with the colour of the transfer material so that the information received thereon is easily visible and an area having a background not contrasting with the colour of the transfer material so that the information received thereon is not easily visible and in which the contrasting and not contrasting background areas on the one record sheet are in different positions to the positions of the contrasting and not contrasting background area on the second record sheet respectively.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:Figure 1 illustrates a business forms assembly; Figure 2 illustrates the top copy of the assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates the transfer sheet of a business forms assembly; Figure 4 illustrates a record sheet in the assembly of Figure 1; 4829 1 Figure 5 illustrates a transfer sheet in which the transfer coating is applied selectively; and Figure 6 is a record sheet underlying the transfer sheet of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a typical business forms assembly to which the present invention is adapted. The assembly may contain a large number of record sheets for making a requisite number of copies when information is impressed on the top sheet 10. The top sheet (which may be the invoice) may contain coloured or shaded areas 11 which tend to either contrast or not to contrast with the imprint of record material thereon. Thus highlighted material would ideally refer to such important specific items as quantity delivered and the total charge for each item whilst the other relative unimportant material although still readable is not highlighted.

Information inserted on the top copy part 10 is transferred to the corresponding areas onto the record sheet 12 below, which may be a computer entry sheet. The computer entry sheet 12 is characterised by contrasting coloured blocks 13 and 14 — say orange and blue — with the blue blocks 14 corresponding in colour to that of the blue transfer coating on the imnediately overlying transfer sheet shewn in Figure-3. It vri.ll be readily apparent that the information in the orange blocks 13 contrasts with the blue colour of the transfer coating and can be more realily extracted by say a computer input operator than can the information in the blocks 14, thereby minimizing the likelihood of errors in this area.

Referring to the second record sheet depicted in Figure 6 and the other transfer sheet depicted in Figure 5, the record 48281 - 7 sheet 15 is a packing slip which needs only a limited amount of information thereon and the different pieces of information transferred are highlighted by using contrasting colours as shown at 16. In this instance, the transfer sheet is selectively coated with the transfer material so that part only of the information record in the top copy part 10 is transferred to the corresponding area on the record sheet 15, namely that information regarded as relevant on a packing slip. The irrelevant information is transferred to the not contrasting background area and the useless information is effectively blocked by the complementary area of the transfer sheet 7 being a selective area not bearing a transfer coating.

The packing slip 15 is provided with contrasting colours or shaded areas as mentioned above but the contrast15 ing and not contrasting areas on the packing slip are in a different relevant position from the contrasting and not contrasting areas on the computer entry sheet depending upon the relevancy of the information to the particular application. Figure 4 demonstrates the ease with which an operator is able to extract the relevant information from the computer entry part.

In this Specification reference is made to transfer sheets which is intended to include carbon sheets and socalled NCR and other self copy paper.

Claims (3)

1. CLAIMS;

1. A business forms assembly comprising a top sheet having an information receiving area and a plurality of record sheets having data receiving areas printed in more 5 than one colour with coloured transfer material between the adjacent record sheets, each of the record sheets being divided into data receiving areas to receive information as it is applied to the top sheet of the business form assembly and the corresponding data receiving areas on the respective 10 sheets being in register with one another, characterised in that the data receiving areas of at least two of the record sheets consist of an area having a background contrasting with the colour of the transfer material so that the information received thereon is easily visible and an area 15 having a background not contrasting with the colour of the transfer material so that the information received thereon is not easily visible and in which the contrasting and not contrasting background areas on the one record sheet are in different positions to the positions of the contrasting and 20 not contrasting background area on the second record sheet respectively.

2. A business forms assembly as claimed in Claim 1 characterised in that transfer material for transfer of relevant information is applied selectively so that 25 irrelevant and/or important information applied to the top sheet is not applied to selected record sheets.

3. A business forms assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as illustrated in accompanying drawings.