CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0051765, filed on Apr. 21, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to a method of generating artificial latent fingerprints for latent fingerprint development experiments.

2. Description of the Related Art

Fingerprint evidence found at the crime scene is important evidence that may identify a suspect.

A latent fingerprint refers to a fingerprint shape that remains as evidence by natural secretions from human skin, but cannot be seen with the naked eye. Most fingerprints generated at crime scenes exist in the form of latent fingerprints. Therefore, the technique of developing these latent fingerprints to the naked eye is very important.

As described above, the technique of developing latent fingerprints to make latent fingerprints visible to the naked eye varies depending on a target surface to be developed and the environment. In an experiment to evaluate a fingerprint reagent or method for the development of the technique of developing latent fingerprints, a method of generating a fingerprint by directly touching a human finger with a target surface is used. In such an experiment, unnecessary personal fingerprint information is included, and a wasteful procedure is required to obtain permission from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for all experiments.

However, artificially created fingerprints, not human fingerprints, may be found only by simple search on the Internet. In this way, when an artificially created fingerprint shape is used during the experiment for the development of the technique of developing latent fingerprints, an approval procedure of the IRB may be omitted.

Currently, latent fingerprints that may be artificially generated may only be generated on a flat surface such as printing paper or transparent label paper through an inkjet printer. Accordingly, there is a problem that artificial latent fingerprints are not generated on the surface of various objects such as metal, glass, corrugated cardboard, and wood, as found at crime scenes.[Prior art document] Korean Patent No. 10-1612343 (registered on Apr. 7, 2016)

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments include a method of generating artificial latent fingerprints for latent fingerprint development experiments, in more detail, a method of forming a human fingerprint shape on a molding member such as silicone or gelatin to generate latent fingerprints on various target surfaces rather than flat surfaces as found in crime scenes.

One or more embodiments include a method of simplifying the procedure of a latent fingerprint development experiment by omitting an approval procedure of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) by using artificially created fingerprints instead of directly using human fingerprints.

According to one or more embodiments, a method of generating artificial latent fingerprints for latent fingerprint development experiments includes: printing an artificially created fingerprint shape on paper for application to a target surface; thermally transferring the fingerprint shape printed on the paper to an etching plate by applying a certain range of heat and pressure to the paper on which the fingerprint shape is printed; forming a three-dimensional fingerprint shape on the etching plate by performing an etching process according to the fingerprint shape transferred to the etching plate; patterning the three-dimensional fingerprint shape formed on the etching plate with a molding member; and forming a latent fingerprint on the target surface using an artificial fingerprint solution from the three-dimensional fingerprint shape formed by patterning with the molding member.

The printing of the fingerprint shape on paper may be performed by a laser printer or an inkjet printer.

The thermal transferring may be performed at a heating temperature of 200° C. or higher when the etching plate is made of copper.

The forming of the three-dimensional fingerprint shape on the etching plate may be performed using an etchant in which 23% hydrochloric acid, 35% hydrogen peroxide, and water are mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio when the etching plate is made of copper.

The molding member may include gelatin or silicone.

A target member on which the target surface is formed may include metal, glass, corrugated board, or wood.

The artificial fingerprint solution may include a human body fluid component.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

