Newborn Footprint Imaging System for Reliable Biometric Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for foot printing newborns in hospitals are inefficient and unreliable, with ink or inkless paper methods resulting in less than 20% accuracy, rendering them ineffective for identification purposes.
Innovation Solution
A computer system that includes a specialized scanner to capture high-resolution forensic-quality images of newborn footprints and mother's fingerprints, with a server to process and correlate these images in real-time, generating a unique identification number and creating a correlation between the two, and a printer to produce sharp hardcopy images, enabling accurate identification and tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ink or inkless paper methods are used for foot printing newborns, then the process is simple and quick, but the identification accuracy is less than 20%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical ink-based footprinting with a digital imaging system using a scanner to capture footprint images. This substitution of mechanical processes with optical/digital systems enables high-resolution capture of footprint details while eliminating the reliability issues of ink transfer methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the newborn's footprint through scanning, producing a permanent, high-fidelity record that can be stored and analyzed. This digital copying approach replaces the transient ink impression with a reusable, high-quality image that maintains identification accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If high-resolution forensic quality images are captured, then identification accuracy improves, but image processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing by capturing multiple images and pre-selecting the sharpest one during the scanning phase. By preparing and pre-processing images at the time of capture rather than during later analysis, the system reduces subsequent processing time while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically selects the sharpest image from multiple captures using built-in image quality assessment algorithms. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual image selection and reduces processing time by autonomously identifying the best quality image without human intervention.
3Reliability
If multiple forensic quality images are captured rapidly, then the probability of obtaining a usable image increases, but the data processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information by automatically selecting and retaining only the sharpest image from multiple captures, discarding redundant lower-quality images. This extraction approach maintains high capture reliability while reducing the data processing load by eliminating unnecessary images.
Solution Approach 2:
The system captures more images than strictly necessary (excessive action) to ensure at least one high-quality image is obtained, then uses automatic selection to process only the best one. This approach prioritizes reliability in image capture while managing processing efficiency through selective processing of a subset of captured images.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, the instant invention provides for a computer system, including: 1) a specialized scanner; 2) a server having software stored in a computer readable medium accessible by the server; where the software is configured to: i) receive: a) forensic quality images of the foot print of the infant, b) the forensic quality image of the finger print of the mother; and c) an identification parameter of the mother ii) generate a customer identification number and correlate the customer identification number with: a) the forensic quality images of the foot print of the infant, b) the forensic quality image of the finger print of the mother; and c) the input of the identification parameter of the mother; iii) select a sharpest forensic quality image; iv) store: the sharpest forensic quality image, iv) create a correlation, v) generate an output, and 3) a plurality of specifically programmed input/output devices.