US498931A - Eealdine - Google Patents

Description

(Specimens.)

D. GERALDINE. EXPENSE AGGOUNT BOOK AND DIARY.

No. 498,931 Patented June 6, 1893.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DION GERALDINE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLIAM DEERING & COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

EXPENSE-ACCOUNT BOOK AND DIARY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,931, dated-Tune 6, 1893.

Application filed April 15,1890- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DION GERALDINE, of Chicago,county of Cook,and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Merchant-Travelers Expense-Account Books and Diaries, of which the following is a full description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows a book, the proportions being about such as I deem preferable. Fig. 2 is a modification. Fig. 3 shows the first page of one leaf of the book, and Fig. l shows the second page of the same leaf. Fig. 5 shows a page containing a blank summary of weekly reports during the month.

The object of my invention is to produce a combined diary and expense account book for commercial travelers, from which leaves can be torn when filled and forwarded to the business headquarters of the individual or company carrying on the business. The pages may be so arranged that returns can be made at the close of each week, or at the close of each month. In case returns were to be made at the close of each month four, five or six leaves of the book would be devoted to each month, and the dates and other lettering would be made to correspond therewith. I prefer, however, to arrange the book so that the reports may be made weekly, and have so shown, and will describe in accordance therewith, but

\ I do not confine myself to the particular arrangement of dates upon the leaves, nor do I confine myself to the particular division of the pages into columns, as it may sometimes be desirable to have several accounts kept in the same diary.

The nature of my invention consists: first, in providing abook consisting of a blank expense account for each day of the year; second, in arranging such blanks so that one sheet, or more when torn from the book shall serve as a report of expenses for a day or for a week, or for a month, as the circumstances of special cases may require; third,in arranging the pages in the form of coupons, with a stub that shall remain after the report has been torn out, and on which stub the sum total of expenses for the period provided for may be entered, so that at the end of the year (in cases where the book is made to serve the Serial No. 3%,042. (Specimens) purpose for that length of time) the total expenses may be preserved, and the traveler carrying the book thus be enabled to'retain a record corresponding with his reports; fourth, in arranging double or multiple columns for various accounts; for instance, personal expenses, or expenses to be borne by the employing individual or company, or expenses incurred in various branches of the business, to wit:-expenses incurred in selling, expenses incurred in collecting, expenses incurred in advertising, 850.; fifth, in placing the said reports upon the same leaf, or upon a leaf adjacent to that upon which the last weekly report of the month is made.

In the drawings, A is my book, shown preferably, with a flap, 13. Upon this flap ispasted the slate, C. When the book is closed it is covered by the lid, D. The slate, however, may be on the under side of thelid, D. When the flap, B, is used a pocket E, for the pencil may be provided.

In the modification, Fig. 2, the slate is shown as on the inside of the cover D. The leaves are secured to the covers in the ordinary manner, and are perforated, or in part out out at a point near the back of the book, as at F, so that they can be readily torn out. The book which I have constructed, a sample of which forms a part of this application, is arranged for one year. Upon the fly leaves there may be,data convenient for business or traveling men, consisting of interest tables, rates of in terest, rates of postage, instructions for collection, making settlements, contracts, and other information useful to business men. Blank leavesmay also be inserted for various ordinary purposes.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown the sheet for the week beginning December 21, 1890. The two pages of the leaf shown contain places for expenses for each day of the week in diary form, and I provide blanks in which the expenses may be written. I print upon the page the items for which the expenses maybe incurred; for instance, the first day of Fig. 3 is stated as being Sunday, December 21, 1890. The railroad fare is printed, and a line left in which may be entered the points from which and to which the party may travel, as for instance, the traveler is supposed to have writ-- ten in on this page the words From Des Moines to Waterloo. The word. Hotel is printed in, and adjacent thereto Name. Beneath this word is spacein which the traveler is supposed to have written, in Fig. 3, the words Sheridan House. Adjacent thereto is printed the word at and beneath is space in which may be written the city. The traveler is supposed to have written Des Moines. The words Livery and incidentals or words to the same effect are printed in, and beneath the traveler is supposed to have written Livery, as shown in Fig. 3 and to have written in as incidentals the words Postage 6, telegram 50. The diary for the next day, Monday December 22, 1890, follows, and beneath this the space and. the same printed as for the day preceding, as just described.

I find it convenient to place four days upon the first page of each leaf and three days upon the second page of the leaf. This leaves about a quarter of the second page in which the total expense may be summed up, and print the words Weekly expenses, total for fourth week of the month, and beneath the words Grand total, and the space in which the grand total may be entered. Beneath this I print the word Report, and leave a blank in which the travelers name may be written.

Adjacent thereto is printed the words Approved and General agent, leaving a space wherein the general agent may sign the report.

At the close of each week the commercial traveler tears the sheet from his book and mails it to headquarters, but, in order that he may have a record, he writes upon that portion of the leaf which is to be the stub after the coupon is torn out the total expenses here- With the words Expenses for week ending December 27, 1890. The line of dots at the end of the sheet represents where it is bound into the book.

It is very often the case that a traveling man may wish to keep separate accounts. For instance, he may be selling goods, and at the same, time making collections. I provide double columns at the right of each page so that he. may divide the expenses, and enter them properly. For instance, December 21, 1890, the traveler is supposed to have gone from Des Moines to WVaterloo for the purpose of making sales. He enters in his book the total railroad fare. He puts up at the Sheridan House at Des Moines. When there he inci; dentally remains longer than otherwise intended, and his hotel bill is increased from one-half to a whole day. Consequently, he enters one-half of the hotel bill as a selling expense, and the other half as a collecting ex- In order to make the collection he inpense.

curred an expense of two dollars for livery rig. This he enters in the collection expense column. In connection with his business as a seller he finds occasion to send a telegram, which costs him fifty cents, and to pay postage on a package of samples. These he entersin the column devoted to selling expenses. Little items have been paid out during the day, and he has made note upon the slate, 0., of his book. At the close of the day he has transferred the items as shown in Fig. 3. He sums up the amounts, finds that four dollars and sixty-six cents have been spent by him in conducting the selling part of his business, and he enters that amount at the foot of the column. He also foots up the amount spent in making collection which amounts to three dollars. As shown in Fig. 3, he has not charged any portion of his railroad fare to the collecting expenses because it has been incidental. In an ordinary case, however, he would charge such portion of the three dollars of the collection to expenses as his judgment may direct.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. An expense-account diary having detachable leaves, the two pages of each leaf printed in blank form arranged to cover a definite period of time, and form, when filled up, an itemized report of expenses for the said definite period, the leaves having also at the back of the book a separate blank form for a summary of the report, to. be retained as a stub.

2. An expense-account diary having detachable leaves, the two pages of each leaf printed in blank form arranged to cover a definite period of time, the successive leaves covering successive periods, and forming when filled up, itemized reports for the said definite periods, each leaf having also at the back of the book a separate blank form for a summary of the report to be retained as a stub.

3. An expense account diary having detachable leaves, the two pages of each leaf printed in blank form to cover a definite limited period of time, and form, when filled up, an itemized report of expenses for this said definite period, the said leaves divided into groups by interposed leaves, the leaves of each group covering a definite extended period, the interposed leaves between the several groups being also printed in blank form for consolidated reports for the extended periods, and all the leaves having at the back of the book separate blank forms for summaries of the reports, to be retained as stubs.

DION GERALDINE.

Witnesses:

A. L. ULETON, J. F. STEWARD.

IIC

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