Patent ID: 7662942

Claim:
An oligonucleotide probe compound having the formula: wherein Ar 1 and Ar 2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, and one of Ar 1 and Ar 2 is directly or indirectly substituted with a substituted aryl group (Ar 3 ), where Ar 3 extends the resonance ability of the Ar 1 —N═N—Ar 2 aromatic system and thereby increases the wavelength absorbance maximum of the compound; MGB is a minor groove binding group; FL is a fluorescent group having an emission maxima in the region from about 400 to about 900 nm; K is a cyclic or acyclic linking group having from 1 to 30 backbone atoms selected from C, N, O, S and P; W is a linking group having from 3 to 100 backbone atoms selected from C, N, O, S, Si and P, said linking group being cyclic, acyclic, aromatic or a combination thereof; [A-B] n is a natural or modified oligonucleotide where the subscript n is an integer of from 4 to 100; and the subscript zz is 0 or 1.