Patent ID: 8077934

Claim:
A device configured to form a composite image of a friction ridge pattern of a subject as a fingerprint signature, the device comprising: a light source; a prism having a platen on a first light-reflecting surface of the prism; a camera, wherein the light source, the prism, and the camera are disposed within the device such that if a friction ridge pattern of a subject is placed in contact with the platen, light rays emitted by the light source become incident upon the friction ridge pattern of the subject through the prism and are directed toward the camera such that the camera receives an image of the friction ridge pattern; and a processor in communication with the camera, wherein the processor is configured to automatically start and end a capture sequence based on images of the friction ridge pattern received by the camera such that the images of the friction ridge pattern received by the camera during the capture sequence enable the formation of a composite image from a plurality of the images of the friction ridge pattern received by the camera during the capture sequence.