US1122860A - Perpetual call-guide. - Google Patents

Description

E. GHRISTIANSON.

PERPETUAL CALL GUIDE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25. 1913.

1,1 22,860. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD CHRISTIANSON, OF WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

PERPETUAL CALL-GUIDE.

Application filed August 25, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CHRISTIAN SON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at WVoodbridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Perpetual Call-Guides, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to collectors perpetual call guides.

Ordinarily, an agent controlling a debit of a large number of calls, in order to follow up his people with regularity and maintain the collection percentage required by his company, must prepare a list of the names and addresses of his policy holders every week. This practice requires considerable time, and is manifestly quite inconvenient. I propose to eliminate these inherent disad vantages by providing a call guide which comprises a plurality of units, each consisting of a permanent leaf or sheet and a slip leaf or sheet, the permanent leaves being adapted to contain the names and addresses of the policy holders and arranged to partially inclose the slip leaves upon which are written the amounts paid by the respective parties. Provision is also made for utilizing both sides of each leaf, thereby reducing the size of the call guide to a minimum.

To the accomplishment of the recited objects and others subordinate therewith, the preferred embodiment of myinvention resides in that construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, and embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawings :Figure l is a perspective view of the guide with the cover slightly elevated to show the arrangement of the leaves. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the end of one set of leaves turned upwardly to show the reverse side thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the slip leaves.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a permanent leaf which is suitably ruled and folded upon itself'at 2. Between the folded portions of this leaf is adapted to be placed the slip sheet 3, the same having a greater transverse extent than the permanent leaf, from which it follows that there is an uncovered portion 4. Both leaves are suitably ruled upon each side, and the transverse rulings register. Any number of these units are arranged in superposed relation and detachably fastened Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914. Serial No. 786,531.

to a cover 5 by vices 6. The call guide is provided with numbers, in this instance shown as upon the left hand vertical side thereof, which numbers represent the page numbers of the book where each customers business is entered.

In use, the names and addresses of the policy holders are written upon the permanent sheet, as clearly shown in the drawings, and the slip sheets are inserted in the manner hereinbefore explained. Upon making a collection trip, the amounts paid will be entered in the columns of the extended por tion of the slip sheet just opposite the names and addresses. When one side of one unit has been used, the the other side of the unit, as will be found upon inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings. When the trip has been completed, the slip sheets are removed and the entries transferred to the companys books, while blank slip sheets may be substituted in readiness for the succeeding collection.

The following is a description of the kind of book used by industrial insurance collectors when collecting premiums, and they have the book with them when collecting. It has about four hundred pages, each page having space for ten policies and space to make fifty-two separate cash entries for each policy, one year. Some policy holders will pay every week, others every two or four weeks. Many agents have four hundred or more calls to make each week to cover the whole debit, but as some pay two or four weeks premium at a time, the agent is relieved of the necessity of calling on each and every one he has on his book the same week. The agent is constantly writing new policies which he must enter in his book on any page where he can find blank space for them, as during a years time the book will be filled with policies. The agent often, owing to the crowded state of his book, will have to enter policies in the last part of his book that should have been entered in the first or middle part of the book. Also, as many of his customers will change their residences to different parts of the city during a year, it is very plain to see that his calls according to his book will not be in regular order as he wants to make them very long. No matter how carefully he may have planned his book when he started with a new book, the first means of the securing deentries are continued upon ecause the book is made to last for i of the year, owing to these changes. he will have to spend a lot of his valuable time each week writing and carefully arranging a list of the customers he wishes to call on each week in order not to miss any of those who are to be collected from for the week as,

otherwise, he would be very much confused when he goes over his debit, because he cannot always remember the page number of his book where each customers business is entered. I will now explain the great value as a time-saver the perpetual call guide will be to an agent when he has it with him and uses it in cooperation with his book when he goes over his debit to collect the premiums each week. Opposite each name on the call guide he has marked the number of the page each customers policy is entered in his collection book so he can see at a glance what page to look for when he wants to credit each customers policy with the cash he collects. As he goes over the debit, before he starts out from his office to collect on Monamount in the collection book to his policy.

After the weeks collection is made and properly credited to the customers policy, the slip leaf is of no further use, unless the agent wishes to save it for future reference;

in that case, he can mark the time it was used and file it.

Obviously, anagent with a guide constructed in accordance with my invention may save a great deal of time and walking by having his calls concentratedthis being in addition to the advantages before recite It should be understood that in its broader aspect the invention comprehends the employment not only of the various means described, but of equivalent means for per forming the recited functions.

\Vhile the arrangement shown isthought at the present time to be preferable, it is desired to reserve the right to efiect such modifications andvariations thereof as may come fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A call guide comprising a permanent leaf folded medially upon itself and ruled to provide columns and spaces on both faces thereof, the columns of one face being appropriately designated to receive page number, name and address indicia, and a slip leaf adapted to be removably inserted between the folds of the permanent leaf, said slip leaf having a greater width than the folds of the permanent leaf whereby a marginal extension is provided by said slip leaf, said marginal extension being'provided with columns, and further with spaces intransverse alinement with the spaces of the permanent leaf.

2. A call guide comprising a permanent leaf folded medially upon itself and ruled to provide columns and spaces, said columns being designated to receive page numbers, name and address indicia, and a slip leaf adapted'to be removably inserted between the folds of said permanent leaf, said slip leaf having a greater width than the folded permanent leaf to project therebeyond at the edge opposite the folds, said slip leaf being provided at its projecting edge with columns and transverse spaces in alinement with the spaces of the permanent leaf.

In testimony whereof I" aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWVARD CHRISTIANSON.

Witnesses:

' WM. L. HARNED,

J OHN H. CAMPBELL.

(topic: 0! thil patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

Washington, D. 0.

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