Location analysis using fire retardant-protected nucleic acid-labeled tags
AssigneeSRC, Inc.
InventorsMary F. Swartz, Laura T. Bortolin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nucleic acid tag comprising a nucleotide-support platform attached to a nucleic acid molecule, a fire retardant, and an encapsulant. Unique nucleic acid-containing tags containing a fire- or heat-protective element are seeded at one or more geographic locations. Using sequence analysis techniques, the person or object of interest is examined for the presence of one or more of the seeded nucleic acids. The geographic location associated with each detected nucleic acid is used to backtrack the item's path or extrapolate a probable point of origin.
Claims8
A method for determining whether an item has moved through a geographic location, the method comprising:
- creating a nucleic acid tag comprising:
- an agglomerated plurality of nanoparticle nucleotide-support platforms each attached to a plurality of nucleic acid molecules, each of said nucleic acid molecules comprising identifying information, wherein a spacer is located between said nanoparticle nucleotide-support platform and said identifying information;
- a fire retardant;
- and an encapsulant surrounding said agglomerated plurality of nanoparticle nucleotide-support platforms and said plurality of nucleic acid molecules;
- seeding the geographic location with the nucleic acid tag;
- and
- examining the item for the presence of the nucleic acid tag.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.