Gas separation – Combined or convertible – In environmental air enclosure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-10
2003-12-09
Copenheaver, Blaine (Department: 1724)
Gas separation
Combined or convertible
In environmental air enclosure
C055SDIG001, C454S187000, C427S001000, C427S145000, C106S031030, C106S031150, C118S031500, C252S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06660054
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to fingerprint processing. More particularly, this invention relates to the capture of fingerprints from generally inanimate objects. The invention is particularly useful in the science of forensics.
For the past 100 years, law enforcement agencies have collected human fingerprints from crime scenes in order to identify the perpetrators of various felonious crimes from petty larcenies to murders. In the past, the fingerprints were discovered at the scene and crime scene technicians would apply powders to the prints, which are actually human skin oils that are deposited on the evidence. The skin oils would adsorb the powder and become whitish in color, which allowed for either photography or removal from the evidence with adhesive tape. From the crime scene, the latent prints would be taken to a lab, photographed, categorized, and then compared visually by skilled technicians to vast quantities of prints on file. This procedure was followed in order to locate a match, thereby identifying a suspect.
Modern forensic science has improved upon this process immensely. Fingerprint identification is done now by using sophisticated computer programs run by main frame computers in such centers as the FBI fingerprint labs in Washington D.C. Manual inspection of card files is almost a thing of the past. The computers use scanning technology to read fingerprint evidence from prepared samples and automatically categorize and match the prints to corresponding prints stored in a database.
One problem that needed to be overcome to enable the law enforcement agencies to implement this system was that the latent fingerprint itself is a very fragile object. A powdered fingerprint could be easily smeared which could render it useless for comparison to known prints. Also, fingerprints are generally very faint, which led to many prints not being found in the first place. Even with the adhesive tape method, fingerprint removal from the crime scene to the lab was tenuous at best. A method was needed to enable the forensic technicians to find all fingerprints, improve the contrast between the prints and the surrounding surfaces, harden the prints so that smearing is less likely and transport from site to site is possible.
The answer was found to be a development process using fuming cyanoacrylate ester. Cyanoacrylate ester is a cyanide compound that has superior adhesive properties, especially for human tissue. It is commonly sold under trade names such as SuperGlue. As most people know, when cyanoacrylate ester is applied to two skin surfaces which are then brought into contact, the skin surfaces fuses and stick together. The result can range from merely annoying, if two fingers are fused, to extremely dangerous, if an eye membrane and skin are involved. The adhesive property of cyanoacrylate esters is so well known that medical researchers are investigating the possibility of using the compound to replace sutures in closing of wounds and incisions during operations.
Forensic scientists used this property of fusing and hardening skin oils to their advantage by heating the liquid cyanoacrylate ester and causing a mist or vapor to be formed. This vapor deposits on the latent fingerprint oils, hardens them and turns them whitish in color. When dry, the print treated by vaporous cyanoacrylate ester is very resistant to smearing, fixed to the substrate and is easily seen against a darker background. In addition. if the entire piece of evidence, such as a plastic garbage bag, gun or knife is subjected to the fumes, all fingerprints which are on the evidence will be developed and will stand out visually, reducing the possibility of losing fingerprint evidence. After developing, fingerprint evidence is processed further, allowing scanning into a computer for comparison and identification, all by techniques that are now well-known to the art.
This method has been utilized for many years with excellent results and is now the state of the art for fingerprint processing. However, some detriments are also inherent in this method.
When the cyanoacrylate ester is heated, a white vapor or mist is formed. The particle size of the vapor is very small and is easily respirable. When inhaled, the small particles can migrate into the small pulmonary channels of the lungs and cause irritation or other lung reactions that are deleterious to lung tissue. As importantly, when cyanoacrylate ester is heated, the possibility of compound breakdown exists wherein hydrogen cyanide is formed and is present in the vapor. It is well known to health experts that hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is toxic and dangerous to human health. Inhaling this compound is to be avoided.
Products have been developed to contain the vapors of cyanoacrylate ester and offer some degree of protection for the user. Generally, the design of these items is similar to laboratory fume hoods or glove boxes, wherein the evidence is placed, the sash or door closed, the liquid cyanoacrylate ester is fumed, misted, or vaporized and the fingerprints are processed. At the end of the deposition phase, the fumes are vented via a fan to an outside exhaust. By definition, this type of chamber is fixed in location, usually in a laboratory environment. Since solid connection to the ductwork is required, portability within the lab or from the lab is not possible. Also, all of the vapors are expelled to the atmosphere, increasing pollution levels emitted in the lab exhaust. If higher levels of HCN are present, a potential safety hazard is incurred since the HCN is traveling throughout the lab's ductwork.
If the process is being carried out in the field, a portable enclosure, in some cases an inverted fish tank is used to contain the vapors. At the end of the fuming cycle, the chamber is simply lifted off and the vapors are allowed to dissipate in the atmosphere. Of course, a breeze or wind could blow the vapors back into the face of the technician or deposit the vapors on other surfaces such as car paint or such.
All of these solutions, however expedient, are not fully safe, nor are they automated in any way. Technician training and experience is very critical to the fuming process, in that too much or to little cyanoacrylate ester fumes or processing time could destroy the fingerprints and therefore important case evidence. This user dependence is compounded by the realization that the fuming process is also temperature and humidity dependent, in that it is well known that best results are obtained at about 80% RH at 72 F. Control (or at least measurement) of these parameters would allow for more consistent processing.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and/or method for capturing a fingerprint from an object.
A more particular object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus and/or method which is portable.
Another particular object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus and/or method which has enhanced safety features.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus or method which facilitates optimal deployment of a chemical fingerprint fixative agent such as cyanoacrylate ester.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus or method which is easy to use owing in part to automatic operation.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings and descriptions herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of a fingerprint capture or processing apparatus comprises, in accordance with the present invention, a casing defining a sealable chamber, a first support in said chamber for holding a source of a chemical fingerprint fixative agent, a second support in said chamber for holding an article to be tested for fingerprints, a filtration system connected to said chamber for removing contaminants from air in said chamber, and an air circulation assembly operatively connected to said casing for circulating air from said chamber and through said filt
Isola Scott
Manna Ronald R.
Pinka Michael
Voic Dan
Coleman Henry D.
Copenheaver Blaine
Misonix Incorporated
Pham Minh-Chau T.
Sapone William J.
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