Patent ID: 8057994

Claim:
A method of investigating a single DNA sample to provide consensus identity information deemed representative of the sample, the method comprising: a) taking at least two sub-samples of DNA from the sample; b) amplifying the sub-samples; c) analysing the sub-samples to obtain identity information, the identity information including an identity and an amount of that identity detected, the identity being the identity of the one or more alleles indicated as present in the sub-samples by the analysing, the analysing being applied in respect of 5 or more loci; and d) establishing identity information deemed representative of the sample from the sub-samples by; 1) including, by an automated step, in the identity information deemed representative of the sample, identity information from a sub-sample about a particular identity when that particular identity is indicated as present by one or more of the sub-samples analyzed; and 2) including, by an automated step, in the identity information deemed representative of the sample, a weighted combination for that particular identity, the weighted combination being weighted according to the amounts of that particular identity in all the sub-samples; thereby establishing the identity information deemed representative of the sample from the sub-samples in the form of a consensus of the identity information of the sub-samples, thereby providing the consensus identity information deemed representative of the sample; wherein the consensus identity information includes an identity and an amount of that identity for each identity indicated by the analysing as present in the sub-samples in respect of the 5 or more loci.