Patent Impression
Definition
An impression that is visible to the naked eye without enhancement. A bloody shoeprint on white tile is patent.
- Visibility
- Visible to the naked eye, no enhancement
- Example
- Bloody shoeprint on white tile
- Category
- Footwear and tyre impression evidence
Common questions
How does a patent impression differ from a latent one?+
A patent impression is already visible because it was made in a contrasting medium such as blood, dust, or paint, while a latent impression is invisible until developed with chemical, physical, or lighting techniques.
Does a patent impression still need special photography?+
Yes. Oblique or specialized lighting and scale photography are still used to capture fine detail, even though the impression itself is visible without chemical development.
Related terms
- 2D Impression
- A two-dimensional print on a hard, flat surface (tiled floor, polished cement, paper). Lifted with electrostatic dust lifter (ESLA), gel lifter, or...
- 3D Impression
- An impression made in a deformable medium: soil, sand, snow, mud, soft asphalt. The sole or tread pushes into the medium and...
- Class Characteristic
- A feature shared by an entire group of objects (every shoe of one model has the same sole tread; every tire of...
- Individual Characteristic
- A characteristic unique to a specific typewriter unit arising from manufacturing variation or service wear; used to identify or eliminate a specific...
- Latent Impression
- An impression that is invisible or barely visible until developed or lifted. Dust impressions on dark floors and oblique-light-only impressions sit here.