Patent ID: 7012256

Claim:
A method for inspecting a series of articles containing discrete objects to select for further examination discernable objects in articles within the series comprising steps of: (a) conveying a series of articles containing discrete objects into and through an inspection zone; (b) irradiating said series of articles containing discrete objects with incident electromagnetic radiation while in said inspection zone; (c) measuring the electromagnetic radiation emanating from an article within said irradiated series of articles containing discrete objects; (d) processing said measured electromagnetic radiation to produce one or more electronic images of irradiated articles within said irradiated series of articles containing discrete objects and presenting said electronic images for visual display; (e) interactively selecting, from said visual display, one or more discrete objects discernable within the images of an article within said series of articles containing the one or more discrete objects; and (f) displaying said selections on additional displays of said images of said series of articles containing discrete objects.