Patent ID: 8267311

Claim:
A method of sequentially collecting a plurality of spectral responses for analysing mixtures of materials provided on an object directly or as part of the object, or on the surface of the object, or on a label on the object, or on a label on the primary or secondary packaging containing the object, the method comprising the steps of: illuminating a section of an object with more than one form of radiation using a hand held portable apparatus capable of producing more than one form of radiation; sequentially measuring spectral emission and/or reflection and/or absorption obtained from the object resulting from the forms of stimulation including any of the following: visible absorption, IR absorption, anti-stokes emissions, emissions with long wave UV stimulation, emissions with short wave UV stimulation, emissions from phosphorescent materials under long wave UV with slow phosphorescent decay rate, emissions from phosphorescent materials under long wave UV with medium phosphorescent decay rate, emissions from phosphorescent materials under long wave UV with fast phosphorescent decay rate, emissions from phosphorescent materials under short wave UV with slow phosphorescent decay rate, emissions from phosphorescent materials under short wave UV with medium phosphorescent decay rate, emissions from phosphorescent materials under short wave UV with fast phosphorescent decay rate, Raman spectroscopy or combinations thereof; and obtaining data from each measurement, the data indicating the presence or not of the mixtures of materials to determine the presence of a unique marker on the object.