Patent ID: 8081303

Claim:
A method for analyzing a blood sample, comprising the steps of: depositing a sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis, the chamber defined by a first panel and a second panel, both of which panels are transparent, which sample has one or more first constituents and one or more second constituents, which second constituents are different from the first constituents; admixing a colorant with the sample, which colorant is operative to cause the first constituents and second constituents to fluoresce upon exposure to predetermined first wavelengths of light, and which colorant is operative to absorb light at one or more predetermined second wavelengths of light; illuminating at least a portion of the sample containing the first constituents and the second constituents at the first wavelengths and at the second wavelengths; imaging the at least a portion of the sample, including producing image signals indicative of fluorescent emissions from the first constituents and the second constituents and the optical density of the first constituents and the second constituents; determining one or more fluorescent emission values for each the first constituents and second constituents using the image signals; determining one or more optical density values for each of the first constituents and second constituents, which optical density is a function of the colorant absorbed by the constituents, using the image signals; and identifying the first constituents and the second constituents using the determined fluorescent emission and optical density values.