Method and apparatus for imaging and documenting fingerprints

• US 6,485,981 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ciencia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ciencia, Inc.
• Inventors: Fernandez, Salvador M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEFKE, SAMUEL P
• Application Number:
  US09/362,517
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 436/71, 436/86, 436/87, 436/88, 436/164, 436/172, 436/89, 436/90, 436/111, 422/82.08
• US Class Current: 436/71
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/92 involving lipids, e.g. cholesterol , lipoproteins, or their receptors steroid hormones G01N33/743

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for imaging and documenting fingerprints. A fluorescent dye brought in intimate proximity with the lipid residues of a latent fingerprint is caused to fluoresce on exposure to light energy. The resulting fluorescing image may be recorded photographically.

Claims

1. A method of imaging a latent pattern of lipid residues comprising the steps of:

contacting the residues with a dye having an affinity for lipids, wherein said dye fluoresces when in proximity to the lipids and excited by an appropriate energy source;

exposing said dye to an energy source for exciting said dye to fluoresce; and

observing the fluorescing image formed thereby;

wherein said dye is one or more members of the dyes of the styryl family consisting of;

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method further includes the step of recording the fluorescing image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a digital camera is used for recording the fluorescing image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein an analog camera is used for recording the fluorescing image.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said appropriate energy source is a light source within an emission spectrum in the blue-green range.

6. A method of imaging a latent fingerprint comprising the steps of:

contacting the latent fingerprint with a dye having an affinity for lipid residues which comprise the fingerprint, which dye fluoresces when in proximity of the lipid residues and excited by an appropriate energy source;

exposing the dye to an energy source to cause fluorescing excitation; and

observing the fluorescing fingerprint image formed thereby;

wherein said dye is one or more members of the dyes of the styryl family consisting of;

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said method further includes the step of recording the fluorescing image.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a digital camera is used for recording the fluorescing image.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein an analog camera is used for recording the fluorescing image.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said appropriate energy source is a light source within an emission spectrum in the blue-green range.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said dye is in solution with a polar solvent, said solution having a dye concentration in the range of 0.5×

0<sup>−

6</sup> to 15×

10<sup>−

6</sup> moles of dye per liter solution.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said polar solvent comprises one or more members selected from the group consisting of water, dimethyl sulfoxide, TRIS-acetate, and saline solution wherein the saline solution is in a concentration of about 0.6-1%.