Adhesive transaction receipts

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6349971
  • Patent Number
    6,349,971
  • Date Filed
    Monday, February 8, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 26, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
The invention is an account management system using an adhesive transaction receipt, provided at the point of transaction, which can be directly transferred to an account register. In this system, the adhesive transaction receipt contains a printed record of information relating to the transaction, such as the transaction type and the amount of the transaction. The adhesive transaction receipt is temporarily affixed to a more complete transaction receipt and includes an adhesive so that it can be permanently attached to the account register. The adhesive transaction receipt simplifies bookkeeping and eliminates errors by relieving an account user of the requirement of entering individual transactions by hand.
Description




FIELD OF INVENTION




This invention relates to a system for tracking financial transactions. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of transaction receipts which include an adhesive record portion for direct transfer to a transaction account register.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




In conventional bookkeeping systems associated with personal bank accounts, each transaction is memorialized by a transaction receipt. This receipt will include a description of the transaction, e.g., a withdrawal, a deposit, a service fee, a transfer, or some other transaction type. The receipt also includes the amount of the transaction, along with a date, an account number, and any other information used by a bank or an individual to track the transaction. The receipt may be prepared by a bank teller, or may be produced by an automatic teller machine (ATM), depending on the location where the transaction is conducted. In this well known procedure, the individual using the account must still retain the transaction receipt, and transfer the contents therein to an account register by hand in order to accurately maintain up-to-date account balances.




Aside from being tedious, this hand-entry procedure is prone to error, particularly when the account user must enter numerous transactions at one time. One approach to this problem is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,106 to Thomas S. Duck, entitled “Point-of-Sale Check Writing Assist Apparatus.” The '106 patent describes a system in which blank portions of a check are printed onto adhesive labels for direct transfer to checks, thus freeing the check payor from the task of completing a check by hand. The '106 patent further describes a peel-and-stick label which may be placed into a checkbook account register for later balancing of a checkbook.




However, there are numerous other types of bank accounts, and there are numerous other types of transactions which may be conducted with a bank account. With the introduction of ATM's, a checking account may frequently have more non-check transactions than check transactions. Accordingly, there remains a continuing need for a simple, automated account transaction management system.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention is an adhesive transaction receipt to simplify bookkeeping for bank accounts. According to the invention, a receipt is provided relating to a completed financial transaction. The receipt is provided from a bank teller, from an ATM, or from some other individual or institution engaged in financial transactions. The receipt includes an adhesive portion which contains information relating to the transaction. In order to enter a record of the transaction into an account register, the adhesive portion is removed from the transaction receipt and transferred to an appropriate location within the account register.




The adhesive transaction receipt is a self-adhesive, or so-called “peel-and-stick,” label. It is shaped and sized for direct transfer to an account register. The adhesive transaction receipt can be a single, integrated label affixed to a release sheet within the body of a complete receipt. Alternatively, the complete receipt, or some portion thereof, may be printed onto a larger self-adhesive label, with the adhesive transaction receipt portion scored for removal from the remaining label portion.




The adhesive transaction receipt can also be of the type that is moistened before adhering. In this case, the adhesive portion would preferably appear along an outer edge of the complete receipt, such that it may be scored and easily detached from the complete receipt.




The adhesive transaction receipt includes a transaction type and an amount. The adhesive transaction receipt may include other information such as a date of the transaction and a current balance of the account. Account information appearing on the adhesive portion is arranged to appear in the proper column of the associated account register. The adhesive portion may be made of a transparent material so that placing the adhesive portion in the account register does not obscure the view of other information in the account register.




Another aspect of the invention is a method of personal bookkeeping using the adhesive transaction receipt to maintain account balances.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, of which:





FIG. 1

shows a complete receipt including an adhesive transaction receipt that is self-adhesive;





FIG. 2

shows an account register with an affixed adhesive transaction receipt;





FIG. 3

shows another embodiment of the complete receipt;





FIG. 4

shows an embodiment of a complete receipt including an adhesive transaction receipt that is moistened; and





FIG. 5

shows a fan-fold of unprinted complete receipts.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT





FIG. 1

illustrates a complete receipt


10


including an adhesive transaction receipt


20


according to the present invention. As used herein, the term “complete receipt” refers to any machine-printed receipt provided from a bank, a bank teller, an ATM, or any other individual or institution engaged in financial transactions. The term “adhesive transaction receipt” is intended to refer to that portion of the complete receipt that is to be removed from the complete receipt and placed in an account register.




The complete receipt


10


is provided by an institution at the place and time where an account transaction takes place. This institution may be a financial institution such as a bank, or a retail institution such as a restaurant, supermarket, or other store. The complete receipt


10


will typically include the name of an issuing institution


22


, along with information


24


relating to a completed transaction. The information


24


includes an account number, the date, the type of transaction, the amount of the transaction, and any other information used to identify the customer, the institution, or the transaction.




The adhesive transaction receipt


20


is placed within the complete receipt


10


and will contain a subset of the information


24


which a customer may wish to place in an account register. This will include a transaction type


26


and an amount


28


. Although the transaction type


26


is shown as “withdraw,” it should be understood that this may include any transaction type which might be performed relative to the account.




The complete receipt


10


includes a release sheet


30


, also known as a non-stick backing, so that the adhesive transaction receipt


20


may be adhered to the complete receipt


10


in a non-permanent fashion. The transaction type


26


and the amount of the transaction


28


appear on an upper surface


34


of the adhesive transaction receipt


20


. A lower surface


36


of the adhesive transaction receipt


20


includes an adhesive which is mated to the release sheet


30


. The release sheet


30


is at least as large as the adhesive transaction receipt


20


. According to the invention, the adhesive transaction receipt


20


may be removed from the complete receipt


10


, as shown by an arrow


38


, for transfer to an account register.




The transaction information


24


, including the transaction type


26


and the amount


28


, is machine printed onto the complete receipt


10


. Preferably, the transaction type


26


and the amount


28


will be printed on the adhesive transaction receipt


20


and elsewhere on the complete receipt


10


so that the complete receipt will constitute a full record of the transaction after the adhesive transaction receipt


20


is removed. Many techniques for machine printing text and numbers are well known in the art, including laser printing, ink jet printing, dot matrix printing, impact printing with inked ribbons or film ribbons, and thermal printing. Any of these techniques, or other techniques, may be suitably adapted to the present invention, provided they are capable of producing a legible record of the transaction on an adhesive transaction receipt.




According to the present invention, the complete receipt


10


is provided to an account user upon the completion of a transaction. The account user can then prepare a permanent record of the transaction in an account register by peeling the adhesive transaction receipt


20


away from the complete receipt


10


and securing the adhesive transaction receipt


20


in an appropriate location of an account register. It should be understood that the specific technique used to affix the adhesive transaction receipt


20


to the complete receipt


10


is not important. Any known technique for preparing self-adhesive labels may be used to prepare the adhesive transaction receipt


20


, provided that the adhesive transaction receipt


20


can be easily removed from the complete receipt


10


by an account user, and that the adhesive transaction receipt


20


can subsequently be securely affixed to an account register.





FIG. 2

shows an account register


50


containing the adhesive transaction receipt


20


. The account register is of the type accompanying a conventional checkbook. The dimensions of a page of the account register


50


are approximately 6″×2.75″. The account register includes rows


52


for individual entries, and columns for transaction information such as a date


54


, a check number


56


(for use with check writing transactions), a description of the transaction


58


, a debit amount


60


, a credit amount


62


, and a balance


64


. The adhesive transaction receipt


20


fits within one row


52


of the account register


50


, with transaction information arranged to properly align with the columns


54


-


64


.





FIG. 2

also shows a second adhesive transaction receipt


70


containing a more comprehensive description of a transaction. Specifically, the second adhesive transaction receipt


70


includes a record of the date of the transaction


72


, the type of transaction


74


, the credited amount


76


, and the account balance


78


. Other information may be included here, such as the name of the institution conducting the transaction, the place of the transaction, or any other information identifying the transaction.




The arrangement of the information on the adhesive transaction receipt


20


may be established by customer preferences or preferences of the issuing institution. For example a customer may find that the account balance


78


is frequently not current due to outstanding checks, or the customer may find it easier to align the adhesive transaction receipt


20


,


70


within the account register


50


when the receipt


20


,


70


runs the full width of a page of the account register


50


. Similarly, the issuing institution may prefer to print transaction information


24


in rows, with each specific item of transaction information


24


scored for separate removal. In this latter arrangement, the adhesive transaction receipt


20


(

FIG. 1

) would actually comprise a plurality of individual receipts


20




a,




20




b,


along with scoring


79


so that each individual receipt


20




a,




20




b


can be removed separately for arrangement in the account register


50


.




As a further feature, the adhesive transaction receipt


20


may be made of transparent material. In this embodiment, only the transaction type


26


and the amount of the transaction


28


will appear when the adhesive transaction receipt


20


is permanently affixed to the account register


50


.




Referring again to

FIG. 1

, the complete receipt


10


can be adapted to a credit card transaction. In this embodiment, the complete receipt


10


is shaped and sized according to conventional credit card receipts. The transaction type


26


indicated on the adhesive transaction receipt


20


is “credit,” “charge,” or some similar legend, and the transaction information


24


appearing on the adhesive transaction receipt


20


includes an indication of the credit card type and credit card account number. In this embodiment, the adhesive transaction receipt


20


is not transferred to a check ledger such as that shown in FIG.


2


. Instead, the adhesive transaction receipt


20


is transferred directly to a monthly statement (not shown) provided by the credit card issuer. The monthly statement preferably includes a location shaped and sized to receive the adhesive transaction receipt


20


corresponding to each transaction so that a customer can quickly and accurately match adhesive transaction receipts


20


to entries appearing on the monthly statement.





FIG. 3

shows an embodiment of a complete receipt


110


using a different configuration for an adhesive transaction receipt


120


adapted to a moistened-adhesive type adhesive transaction receipt


120


. The complete receipt


110


includes the name of an issuing institution


122


, along with information


124


relating to a completed transaction. The information


124


includes an account number, the date, the type of transaction, the amount of the transaction, and any other information used to identify the customer, the institution, or the transaction. As before, the adhesive transaction receipt


120


includes a subset of the information


124


which a customer may wish to place in an account register, such as a transaction type


126


and an amount of the transaction


128


.




However, in this embodiment, the adhesive transaction receipt


120


is intended to be torn off of the complete receipt


110


, moistened, and affixed to the account register


50


(FIG.


2


). The adhesive transaction receipt


120


includes a lower surface


130


having a moistened-adhesive type adhesive. The adhesive will not exhibit adhesive properties until it is moistened, and the moistened adhesive will cure upon subsequent drying. This lick-and-stick type adhesive is commonly used for postage stamps and other labels. The transaction type


126


and the amount of the transaction


128


appear on an upper surface


132


of the adhesive transaction receipt


120


. To facilitate the use of this type of adhesive transaction receipt


120


, the adhesive transaction receipt


120


is printed along an edge


134


of the complete receipt


110


. The edge


134


is perforated or scored to permit easy detachment. Many techniques for scoring or perforating detachable surfaces are known. The specific technique used is not important, however, it is important that the adhesive transaction receipt


120


be easily detachable from the complete receipt


110


.





FIG. 4

shows an embodiment of a complete receipt


210


using another configuration for an adhesive transaction receipt


220


. This embodiment uses a self-adhesive, peel-off type adhesive transaction receipt


220


. The complete receipt


210


includes the name of an issuing institution


222


, along with information


224


relating to a completed transaction. The information


224


includes an account number, the date, the type of transaction, the amount of the transaction, and any other information used to identify the customer, the institution, or the transaction. The adhesive transaction receipt


220


includes a subset of the information


224


which a customer may wish to place in an account register, such as a transaction type


226


and an amount of the transaction


228


. In this embodiment, the adhesive transaction receipt


220


runs horizontally along a bottom edge


229


of the complete receipt


210


. A release sheet


230


is positioned beneath the adhesive transaction receipt


220


to enable easy removal of the adhesive transaction receipt


220


.




A number of arrangements are possible for the release sheet


230


and the adhesive transaction receipt


220


. The choice of a particular geometry will depend upon the manner in which the adhesive transaction receipt


220


is used by a customer, and the manner in which unprinted complete receipts


210


are manufactured, stored, and fed to a printer. For example,

FIG. 5

shows unprinted complete receipts


240


arranged in a fan-fold


242


. It is preferred to arrange the complete receipts


210


of

FIG. 4

in this manner, because the relatively thicker release sheet


244


and adhesive transaction receipt


246


portions of the unprinted complete receipt


240


occur alternately on the left side


248


and the right side


246


of the fan fold


242


, thereby reducing thickness of the overall stack of unprinted complete receipts


240


.




Referring again to

FIG. 4

, another possible arrangement includes a release sheet


230


and an adhesive transaction receipt


220


covering the entire complete receipt


210


, with perforations or scoring to permit removal of a selected portion thereof containing the desired transaction information. This arrangement works well with a stack of unconnected complete receipts. Another possible arrangement is a band of release sheet


230


and adhesive transaction receipt


220


along one side, permitting easier rolling of the unprinted complete receipts. The particular arrangement of the adhesive transaction receipt


220


on the complete receipt


210


is not important. It is important that the adhesive transaction receipt


220


can be easily detached from the complete receipt


210


in a shape and size that may be transferred to an account register


50


(FIG.


2


).




A number of financial accounts are well known, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and credit lines. Within these accounts, a number of transactions are also known, most typically deposits, withdrawals, and transfers. The present invention may be usefully practiced with any of these accounts and transactions, or other accounts and transactions not mentioned above, provided the transactions is memorialized in a printed transaction receipt.




Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes, omissions and additions to the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A complete receipt for a financial transaction, the complete receipt comprising:information relating to the financial transaction; and an adhesive transaction receipt including an upper surface containing a record of an amount of the transaction and a record of a type of the transaction, the type being determined at a time of the transaction, and a lower surface comprising an adhesive, the adhesive transaction receipt being shaped and sized for transfer to an account register, the adhesive transaction receipt being removably attached to the complete receipt, and the adhesive transaction receipt being affixable to the account register, the adhesive comprising a moistenable adhesive and the adhesive transaction receipt being scored or perforated along one edge.
  • 2. The receipt of claim 1, the adhesive transaction receipt further comprising a plurality of individual receipts, each individual receipt including a specific item of information relating to the financial transaction.
  • 3. The receipt of claim 1, the adhesive comprising a self-adhesive, and the complete receipt further comprising a release sheet, the adhesive transaction receipt being adhered to the release sheet of the complete receipt in a non-permanent fashion.
  • 4. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the adhesive transaction receipt further comprises a record of a date of the transaction.
  • 5. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the adhesive transaction receipt further comprises a record of an account balance.
  • 6. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the adhesive transaction receipt further comprises a record of an institution conducting the transaction.
  • 7. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the adhesive transaction receipt is made of a transparent material.
  • 8. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the adhesive transaction receipt further comprises a record of an account balance.
  • 9. The receipt of claim 1, wherein the transaction is an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) transaction.
  • 10. A method for managing an account, the method comprising the steps of:providing a complete receipt of a transaction at the time and place where the transaction takes place; printing information relating to the transaction onto the complete receipt; providing an adhesive transaction receipt, the adhesive transaction receipt being temporarily attached to the complete receipt; printing a type of the transaction and an amount of the transaction onto the adhesive transaction receipt; and scoring or perforating the complete receipt to provide a plurality of individual receipts, each individual receipt including a specific item of information relating to the financial transaction.
  • 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:removing the adhesive transaction receipt from the complete receipt; and permanently affixing the adhesive transaction receipt to an account register.
  • 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of printing a record of a date of the transaction onto the adhesive transaction receipt.
  • 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of printing a record of an account balance onto the adhesive transaction receipt.
  • 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of printing a record of an institution conducting the transaction onto the adhesive transaction receipt.
  • 15. The method of claim 10, firther comprising the step of printing a credit card type or a credit card account number onto the adhesive transaction receipt.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
1608294 Beman Nov 1926 A
2693909 Allan Nov 1954 A
3455576 Hammerling Jul 1969 A
4346917 Clancy Aug 1982 A
4689018 Trinity Aug 1987 A
4944532 Pollard Jul 1990 A
4948174 Thomson et al. Aug 1990 A
4974878 Josephson Dec 1990 A
5011559 Felix Apr 1991 A
5022683 Barbour Jun 1991 A
5071167 O'Brien Dec 1991 A
5121945 Thomson et al. Jun 1992 A
5440106 Duck Aug 1995 A
5673944 Walker et al. Oct 1997 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
0 836 952 Oct 1997 EP