Patent ID: 7675611

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: an enclosure including an aperture; a prism mounted in the enclosure so that a surface of the prism is exposed through the aperture; an optical assembly contained within the enclosure, the optical assembly comprising a radiation source and a radiation detector, the source being configured to direct radiation towards the prism and the detector being configured to detect radiation from the source reflected from the exposed surface of the prism; and an electronic processor contained within the enclosure, the electronic processor being in communication with the detector, wherein the apparatus is configured so that, during operation, the electronic processor determines information about a sample placed in contact with the exposed surface of the prism based on radiation reflected from the exposed prism surface while it is in contact with the sample; and wherein the electronic processor is further configured to compare the information about the sample to reference information, and to determine an identity of the sample based on the comparison.