Identification system

Claim 2

In an identification system for identifying an individual at a particular time, the combination comprising: a. record means having at least one coded representation of at least a portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint including material added to the portion of the fingerprint which is a function of said portion; b. a support member for receiving a person''s fingerprint; c. means for taking the person''s fingerprint at the time an identification is to be made on said support member for comparison with the fingerprint representation on the record means; d. comparison means for comparing the fingerprint representation on said record means with the fingerprint on said support member; and e. means for indicating an identity or lack of identity between said fingerprints.

Claim 3

An identification system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. said record means is partially transparent and the coded representation of the fingerprint thereon is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions thereof; b. said support member is partially transparent and the fingerprint of the support member is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions thereof; and c. said comparison means comprises means for moving said support member relative to said record means with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to the coded representation of the fingerprint on said record means and through a position in which said coded representation will be in alignment with the fingerprint on said support member where there is an identity between the two fingerprints.

Claim 4

a photoelectric sensing means positioned on the opposite side of said record and support means for sensing variations in the light passing therethrough; and

Claim 5

a photoelectric sensing means positioned on the opposite side of said record and support means for sensing variations in the light passing therethrough; and

Claim 6

means for bringing said inking means into pressure engagement with the one side of said tape upon positioning of the person''s finger against the opposite side thereof to conform said tape to the fingerprint and to form a representation thereof on said one side.

Claim 7

means for bringing said inking means into pressure engagement with the one side of said tape upon positioning of the person''s finger against the opposite side thereof to conform said tape to the fingerprint and to form a representation thereof on said one side.

Claim 8

inking means on the one surface of the transparent portion of said body member facing said transparent tape for transferring an impression of the individual''s fingerprint onto said tape upon positioning of the person''s finger against the surface of said transparent portion facing away from said tape and upon relative movement of one surface of said body member and tape into engagement with each other.

Claim 9

inking means on the one surface of the transparent portion of said body member facing said transparent tape for transferring an impression of the individual''s fingerprint onto said tape upon positioning of the person''s finger against the surface of said transparent portion facing away from said tape and upon relative movement of one surface of said body member and tape into engagement with each other.

Claim 10

a light source positioned on one side of said mask for projecting a beam of light through the mask opening and the aligned transparent coded portion of said identification card,

Claim 11

a light source positioned on one side of said mask for projecting a beam of light through the mask opening and the aligned transparent coded portion of said identification card,

Claim 12

means for moving said support member relative to said identification card and mask with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to said coded portion of the fingerprint and through a position in which said coded portion will be in alignment with the opening in said mask and the corresponding portion of the fingerprint on the support member where there is an identity between the two fingerprints.

Claim 13

means for moving said support member relative to said identification card and mask with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to said coded portion of the fingerprint and through a position in which said coded portion will be in alignment with the opening in said mask and the corresponding portion of the fingerprint on the support member where there is an identity between the two fingerprints.

Claim 14

means for moving said support member relative to said identification card and mask with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to said coded portion of the fingerprint and through a position in which said coded portion will be in alignment with the opening in said mask and the corresponding portion of the fingerprint on the support member where there is an identity between the two fingerprints.

Claim 15

means for moving said support member relative to said identification card and mask with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to said coded portion of the fingerprint and through a position in which said coded portion will be in alignment with the opening in said mask and the corresponding portion of the fingerprint on the support member where there is an identity between the two fingerprints.

Claim 16

a photoelectric sensing means positioned on the opposite side of said mask and identification card for sensing variations in the light passing therethrough,

Claim 17

a photoelectric sensing means positioned on the opposite side of said mask and identification card for sensing variations in the light passing therethrough,

Claim 18

means controlled by said sensing means for indicating the variations in light sensed thereby.

Claim 19

means controlled by said sensing means for indicating the variations in light sensed thereby.

Claim 20

An identification system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the combination further comprises: a. a closed housing; b. means for securing said record means within said housing against unauthorized access, said record means containing the coded representation of the fingerprint of each of a plurality of individuals to be identified; c. a comparison station located in said housing for containing said comparison means; and d. means for positioning the coded representation of a designated fingerprint contained on said record means in said comparison station for comparison with the fingerprint on said support member.

Claim 21

An identification system as set forth in claim 3 wherein: a. the record means in the area of each of the coded representations of the fingerprints contained thereon is partially transparent and each of said coded representations of the fingerprints thereon is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions of said areas; b. said support member is partially transparent and said fingerprint of the support member is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions thereof; and c. said comparison means comprises means for moving said support member relative to the designated coded representation of the fingerprint on said record means with the fingerprint of the support member moving relative to the coded representation of said designated fingerprint and through a position in which the coded representation will be in alignment with the fingerprint on the support member where there is an identity between the fingerprints

Claim 22

means for moving said support member between said light source and photoelectric sensing means to a position in which the fingerprint on said support member will align with the transparent coded portion of the identification card visible through the opening in said mask where there is an identity between the two fingerprints, and

Claim 23

means for moving said support member between said light source and photoelectric sensing means to a position in which the fingerprint on said support member will align with the transparent coded portion of the identification card visible through the opening in said mask where there is an identity between the two fingerprints, and

Claim 24

means controlled by said sensing means for indicating the variations in light sensed thereby.

Claim 25

means controlled by said sensing means for indicating the variations in light sensed thereby.

Claim 26

An identification system as set forth in claim 4 wherein: a. said means for indicating an identity between the two fingerprints comprises:

Claim 27

An identification system as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. the record means comprises an identification card having a coded portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon.

Claim 28

An identification system as set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. said identification card is partially transparent and the coded portion of said fingerprint is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions of the identification card; b. said support member is partially transparent and said fingerprint of the support member is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions thereof; and c. said comparison means includes:

Claim 29

An identification system as set forth in claim 6 wherein: a. the identification card has thereon a coded portion of the individual''s fingerprint which is a function of the angle of intersection of the lines of the fingerprint with a reference line drawn therethrough.

Claim 30

An identification system as set forth in claim 8 wherein: a. the coded portion of the individual''s fingerprint is defined by a series of parallel code lines representing the widths of the areas of intersection as taken along one direction and elongated in a direction extending at an angle thereto.

Claim 31

An identification system as set forth in claim 9 wherein: a. said identification card is partially transparent and said code lines are defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions of the identification card; b. said support member is partially transparent and said fingerprint of the support member is defined by the contrast between transparent and opaque portions thereof; and c. said comparison means includes:

Claim 32

An identification system as set forth in claim 10 wherein: a. the code lines on said identification card individually are of uniform width throughout their lengths; and b. said comparison means further includes:

Claim 33

An identification system as set forth in claim 11 wherein: a. the parallel lines of the coded portion on said identification card are transparent; and b. the fingerprint on said support member is defined by opaque lines on a transparent background.

Claim 34

An identification system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the means for moving said support member relative to said mask and identification card includes: a. means for oscillating said mask in a direction parallel to said code lines; and b. means for simultaneously moving said support means in a direction perpendicular to said code lines.

Claim 35

An identification system as set forth in claim 13 wherein: a. said support member comprises a body member having at least one window therein with a piece of transparent sheet material secured thereacross; and b. said means for defining a fingerprint on said transparent sheet material comprises a piece of removable sheet material disposed behind said windows and having an ink transferring surface facing said window one of said sheet materials being impression conforming.

Claim 36

An identification system as set forth in claim 13 wherein: a. said support member comprises an envelope body member having at least one window therein with a piece of transparent impression conforming sheet material secured thereacross and with the opposed portion of said body member being transparent; and b. said means for defining a fingerprint on said transparent sheet material comprises a piece of removable sheet material disposed within said envelope body member behind said windows and having an ink transferring surface facing said windows.

Claim 37

An identification system as set forth in claim 13 wherein: a. said support member comprises a supply of transparent tape; and b. said means for defining a fingerprint on said transparent tape comprises:

Claim 38

An identification system as set forth in claim 16 wherein: a. said transparent tape includes a coating of transparent adhesive on the surface thereof facing the one surface of the body member; and b. said inking means on the one surface of said body member comprises a dry, removable carbon material.

Claim 39

An identification system as set forth in claim 13 wherein: a. said support member comprises a supply of impression conforming transparent tape; and b. said means for defining a fingerprint on said transparent tape comprises:

Claim 40

An identification system as set forth in claim 18 wherein: a. the means for bringing said inking means into pressure engagement with said tape includes means for pressing said tape against the finger with a predetermined uniform pressure each time a fingerprint is to be formed on said tape.

Claim 41

In an identification system as set forth in claim 19 where a number of identifications are made between the coded fingerprint of the card and the person''s fingerprint as taken during consecutive time periods, the combination further comprising: a. two time period code areas positioned on said identification card; b. means for forming a first time period code on one of said code areas when a first identification between said two fingerprints is made in a first time period; c. means for forming a second time period code on the other of said code areas by at least the time the last identification between said two fingerprints is made in said first time period; d. means for erasing the first formed time period on said card after an identification between said two fingerprints is made in each subsequent time period and for replacing it with the time period code for the next succeeding time period; e. means for comparing the time period code of any time period code with the known code for that period; and f. means for indicating an identity or nonidentity between the known time period code and that as found for the same time period on said identification card.

Claim 42

In an identification system employing record means having a coded representation of at least a portion of at least one individual''s fingerprint thereon, the method of identifying a person whose finGerprint is contained on said record means comprising the steps of: a. taking the person''s fingerprint on a support member at the time the identification is to be made; b. placing a designated coded representation of a fingerprint as contained on said record means in a comparison station, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint including material added to the portion of the fingerprint which is a function of said portion; and c. moving the fingerprint on said support member across the coded representation of the designated fingerprint positioned in said comparison station and through a position in which the lines of the fingerprint on said support member will be in alignment with the coded representation of said designated fingerprint where there is an identity between two fingerprints.

Claim 43

In an identification system employing record means having a coded representation of at least a portion of at least one individual''s fingerprint thereon, the method of identifying a person whose finGerprint is contained on said record means comprising the steps of: a. taking the person''s fingerprint on a support member at the time the identification is to be made; b. placing a designated coded representation of a fingerprint as contained on said record means in a comparison station, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint including material added to the portion of the fingerprint which is a function of said portion; and c. moving the fingerprint on said support member across the coded representation of the designated fingerprint positioned in said comparison station and through a position in which the lines of the fingerprint on said support member will be in alignment with the coded representation of said designated fingerprint where there is an identity between two fingerprints.

Claim 44

In an identification system for identifying an individual at a particular time, the combination comprising: a. record means having at least one coded representation of at least a portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint being a nonelectrical transformation into a design having a visual appearance other than that of said fingerprint and one which is a unique function of said fingerprint; b. a support member for receiving a person''s fingerprint; c. means for taking the person''s fingerprint at the time an identification is to be made on said support member for comparison with the fingerprint representation on the record means; d. comparison means for comparing the fingerprint representation on said record means with the fingerprint on said support member; and e. means for indicating an identity or lack of identity between said fingerprints.

Claim 45

In an identification system for identifying an individual at a particular time, the combination comprising: a. record means having at least one coded representation of at least a portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint being a nonelectrical transformation into a design having a visual appearance other than that of said fingerprint and one which is a unique function of said fingerprint; b. a support member for receiving a person''s fingerprint; c. means for taking the person''s fingerprint at the time an identification is to be made on said support member for comparison with the fingerprint representation on the record means; d. comparison means for comparing the fingerprint representation on said record means with the fingerprint on said support member; and e. means for indicating an identity or lack of identity between said fingerprints.

Claim 46

In an identification system for identifying an individual at a particular time, the combination comprising: a. record means having at least one coded representation of at least a portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint being a nonelectrical transformation into a design having a visual appearance other than that of said fingerprint and one which is a unique function of said fingerprint; b. a support member for receiving a person''s fingerprint; c. means for taking the person''s fingerprint at the time an identification is to be made on said support member for comparison with the fingerprint representation on the record means; d. comparison means for comparing the fingerprint representation on said record means directly with the actual fingerprint on said support member; and e. means for indicating an identity or lack of identity between said fingerprints.

Claim 47

In an identification system for identifying an individual at a particular time, the combination comprising: a. record means having at least one coded representation of at least a portion of an individual''s fingerprint thereon, the coded representation of the individual''s fingerprint being a nonelectrical transformation into a design having a visual appearance other than that of said fingerprint and one which is a unique function of said fingerprint; b. a support member for receiving a person''s fingerprint; c. means for taking the person''s fingerprint at the time an identification is to be made on said support member for comparison with the fingerprint representation on the record means; d. comparison means for comparing the fingerprint representation on said record means directly with the actual fingerprint on said support member; and e. means for indicating an identity or lack of identity between said fingerprints.

Claim 48

An identification system as set forth in claim 8 wherein: a. the coded portion of the individual''s fingerprint is a function of the widths of the areas of intersection as measured along a single direction.

Claim 49

The method of identifying an individual as set forth in claim 21 wherein the coded representation of the fingerprints on the record means of the individuals to be identified are each defined by a contrast between transparent and opaque portions including the steps of: a. maintaining the record means in a secured area against unauthorized access; b. taking the individual''s fingerprint on a transparent support member at the time the identification is to be made with the lines representing said fingerprint being defined by a contrast between transparent and opaque portions of said support member; and c. locating the comparison station in said secured area.

Claim 50

The method of identifying an individual as set forth in claim 21 wherein said record means comprises an identification card adapted to be carried by the individual to be identified and having a comparison area with a coded portion of the individual''s fingerprint thereon, said coded portion including a series of transparent code lines, the steps including: A. taking the person''s fingerprint on a transparent support member with the lines representing said fingerprint being opaque; b. covering the comparison area of the card placed in said comparison station against the transmission of light with the exception of an area corresponding to said coded portion; and c. moving said support member across the exposed portion of the comparison area of said card and through a position in which the lines of said fingerprint will be in alignment with the exposed transparent portions of the coded lines where there is an identity between two fingerprints.

Claim 51

The method of identifying an individual as set forth in claim 26 wherein the coded portion of an individual''s fingerprint is represented by the intersection of the lines of the fingerprint with a reference line drawn therethrough and includes a series of parallel, transparent code lines representing the widths of the areas of intersection as taken along one direction and elongated in a direction extending at an angle thereto; the steps including: a. covering the comparison area of said card placed in said comparison station against the transmission of light with the exception of an area corresponding to said reference line.

Claim 52

The method of identifying an individual as set forth in claim 25 further including the steps of: a. directing a beam of light through the coded representation of the designated fingerprint on said record means and through the fingerprint on said transparent support member as the two are moved across each other; and b. sensing the amount of light passing therethrough as the two are moved across each other.

Claim 53

The method of identifying an individual as set forth in claim 68 further including the steps of: a. directing a beam of light through the exposed portion of the comparison area of the card and through the transparent support member as the two are moved across each other; and b. sensing the amount of light passing through said comparison area and transparent support member as the two are moved across each other.