US2211532A - Waybill - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1940. w. c. BIGGS 2,211,532

WAYBILL Filed Nov. 15, 1938 INVENT R ATTRNEY Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a waybill of the type used by railroads in connection with the shipping of freight.

Those skilled in the art will of course know 5 that waybills generally come in the form of a series of connected leaves, with the ends of the leaves joined together and folded in zigzag form, and with each leaf separable from the leaves to which it is connected along the lines of folding. My invention is equally applicable to a waybill formed by a series of leaves joined at their upper and lower edges.

The number of leaves used is not fixed, and depends upon the individual railroad practice. In the waybill that I have invented, I show nine leaves, but it will be quite apparent that a greater or lesser number of leaves may be used, as desired.

The two most importantleaves of the waybill form are the original freight bill which goes to the customer, and the waybill exception, which on many railroads is known as the checking memo. In still some other railroads, it is known as the carriers waybill. I shall, in describing my invention, refer to this portion of the waybill as 5 the waybill exception.

It is well recognized in the art that the waybill exception should be the first leaf of the series of leaves which are to accompany the freight in its travels. This is absolutely essential in order that the waybill exception be available for memoranda by the carriers agents or employees who, during the travel of the shipment, will wish to apply to this waybill exception dates and hours of departures, arrivals, stamps or endorsements, checking records, junctions, transfers, vehicles, names or initials of employees involved in the handling of the shipment, service bureau data, corrections, charges, damages, etc.

In other words, the waybill exception provides a space conveniently accessible to the employees handling the freight, and upon which may be recorded all information and data in connection with the movement of the freight. In addition, it will be appreciated that because the waybill exception will eventually go to a railroad office, it will provide therefore a record in original form of all information relating to the shipment, this record being available at all times to the. railroad.

While it is necessary that the waybill exception 50 occupy the head of the series of leaves, it is of extreme importance also that the original freight bill be made out in original type. Because of the form of my waybill, I am able to arrange that the original freight bill be written in original type, with all the other leaves of the waybill in carbon. When the waybill is prepared, it is possible to sever certain of the leaves which are to be forwarded immediately to various ofiices of the railroad, leaving several of the leaves joined together and forming what is known as the traveling packet. The leaf corresponding to the waybill eXception, as I prefer to call it, may then be folded over so as to hold united the entire series of connected leaves, also to form the top 7 leaf of the traveling packet and available for use, as heretofore explained.

It is obvious, therefore, that my invention contributes, among other things, three features of extreme importance, which are: (1) a waybill exception available at the top of the traveling packet, (2) an original freight bill in original type for the customer, (3) a traveling packet held together for shipment and handled as a unit, being maintained assembled by simple means.

Incidentally, the third feature of my invention is one that has been disclosed in the prior art, but in other and much more complicated forms. In my invention, I so form the waybill exception that the end thereof which is secured to the leaf preceding it serves to bind together one of the ends of each the leaves of the traveling packet, while the other end of the waybill exception has a portion thereof adapted to be folded over to join together all the other ends of each of the leaves of the traveling packet.

While my invention probably will appear quite clear from the explanation and general description thus far given, I believe it best to describe a form of my invention and a modification thereof shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a waybill of nine leaves folded in zigzag form. Fig. 2 shows how the last four leaves are severed from the preceding five leaves, and how the waybill exception leaf is folded over to assume its place at the head of the traveling packet, that is, at the top of the traveling packet. Fig. 3 is a view of the rear of the traveling packet formed and held together by the folding over of the waybill exception. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of my invention.

'Referring now more especially to Fig. 1, there is shown a waybill having nine leaves, the leaves being connected to one another along folded lines l0, Perforations may be formed along the lines ID to facilitate severance of the leaves of the waybill one from the other.

The waybill is first typed with the original freight bill as the head of the packet, and with suitable carbon paper between the leaves. In

some cases, it may even be desirable to form each of the leaves so that its back Will be of carbon. This is of course old and Well known in the art. Since the original freight bill is typed at the head of the packet, it will always be available to the customer in a form which is recognized as desirable in the art.

In the usual course of procedure, the last four leaves of the waybill, that is, the leaves beginning with the one entitled General oflice accounts receivable, will be severed from the waybill exception leaf and forwarded to the various offices. The first five leaves, including the original freight bill and the waybill exception, will accompany the shipment in transit.

The General ofice accounts receivable leaf is formed with perforations l2 outlining a tab [3, which tab is preferably gummed, as is best seen in Fig. 2, and is adapted to extend from one edge of the waybill exception.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, it is seen that when the General ofiice accounts receivable leaf is severed from the waybill exception leaf, it will be possible to fold the waybill exception leaf so that it may take its place in front of the original freight bill, and therefore at the head of the traveling packet. The tab l3 may be folded over, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to hold together at its end the edges of the five leaves of the traveling packet. The end of the *waybill exception opposite the end which includes the tab i3 is designated by reference numeral I4, and it is the fold at M between the waybill exception and the Destination agents permanent record leaf which holds together the other ends of each of the leaves of the traveling packet.

It will now be apparent that because of my construction, it is very simple for the waybill exception to hold together the leaves of the traveling packet, this being made possible by a simple operation at but a single end of the waybill exception. The traveling packet formed is convenient to handle, the waybill exception will occupy the head thereof and will be available for memoranda, while the original freight bill in original type will remain undefaced and ready for handing over to the customer.

In Fig. 4, I show a modification of my invention in which a form of tab i5 extends from the waybill exception, this tab being preferably cut away from the General office accounts receivable leaf. The operation is of course the same as in the modifications of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as will be obvious.

I now claim:

1. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edges and folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application of carbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight bill will be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leaf called a waybill, delineating marks formed on the paper of said waybill along predetermined lines whereby said leaves are readily severable one from the other along said predetermined lines, the said delineating marks being so formed between the waybill leaf and the next following leaf that when said waybill leaf is severed along the predetermined lines determined by said delineating marks from the said next following leaf, it will have at least a small portion thereof extending beyond the edges of the leaves preceding it and to which it remains fastened, whereby said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves preceding it and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its place as the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of the side edges of all the preceding leaves, while said portion extending from the edge of said waybill when folded over and secured to the bottom leaf of the group of leaves, secures as a group the opposite edges of all of said preceding leaves, thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf at the top of said waybill while placing the originally typed customers freight bill in protected relation therebelow, and with the entire group of preceding leaves held securely assembled.

2. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edges and folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application of carbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight bill will be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leaf called a waybill, lines of severance determined as by perforations formed between each of the said leaves so that all of the leaves when severed along said lines are of substantially the same length with the exception of the said waybill leaf and the next following leaf, the said lines of severance between the said waybill leaf and the said next following leaf being placed to define an extension on said waybill leaf, which extension was formerly part of the next following leaf, said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves preceding it and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its place as the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of the side edges of all the preceding leaves, While said extension of said waybill when folded over and secured to the bottom leaf of the group of leaves, secures as a group the opposite edges of all of said preceding leaves, thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf at the top of said waybill while placing the originally typed customers freight bill in protected relation therebelow, and with the entire group of preceding leaves held securely assembled.

3. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edges and folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application of carbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight bill will be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leaf called a waybill, perforating marks formed on the paper of said waybill along predetermined lines whereby said leaves are readily severable one from the other along said predetermined lines, the said perforating marks being so formed between the waybill leaf and the next following leaf that when said waybill leaf is severed along the predetermined lines determined by said perforating marks from the next following leaf, it will have a tab portion extending therefrom and which tab portion was formerly part of the next following leaf, whereby said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves preceding it and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its place as the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of the side edges of all the preceding leaves, While said tab portion extending from the edge of said waybill leaf when folded nected at their side edges and folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application of carbon paper, matter Written on the first leaf or original freight bill will be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leaf called a waybill, perforations between each of said leaves placed so that all of the leaves when severed along said perforations are of substantially the same length with the exception of the said waybill leaf and the next following leaf, the said perforations between the said waybill leaf and the said next following leaf being placed to outline an extension on said waybill leaf, which extension was formerly part of the next following leaf and was carved out of that leaf by said perforations, whereby said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves preceding it and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its place as the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of the side edges of all the preceding leaves, While said extension of said waybill leaf when folded over and secured to the bottom leaf of the group of leaves secures as a group the opposite edges of all of said preceding leaves, thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf at the top of said waybill while placing the orig inally typed customers freight bill in protected relation therebelow, and with the entire group of preceding leaves held securely assembled.

WILLIAM C. BIGGS.

Images