Patent ID: 7364696

Claim:
A method for evaluating dynamics of incremental changes in a sedimentary pattern formed by a droplet of a solution, said method comprising the steps of: a) depositing said droplet on a surface of a droplet deposition means, said surface including a coating to alter the process of sedimentation of said solution on said droplet deposition means, b) recording a sequence of images of the sedimentary patterns formed during drying of said droplet, said images covering the entire droplet, c) selecting a plurality of windows within each image, each window having a predetermined size and shape within each image at a constant location throughout the recorded sequence of images, said windows radially distributed from the center of said droplet towards its periphery, d) calculating at least one predetermined pattern parameter in each window for each of said successive images, and e) analyzing changes of said parameter in said plurality of windows from one image to the next as a function of time and the respective location of the windows on said image.