Patent ID: 7414725

Claim:
A programmable processor for executing instructions for obtaining different wavelength-selective spectral images of a sample substantially simultaneously, wherein the processor is capable of executing instructions stored on a programmable memory, the processor comprising: said programmable memory with instructions for said processor, the instructions causing the processor to implement a method, said method further comprising, illuminating the sample with illuminating photons defining a plurality of wavelengths and interacting with the sample to provide interacted photons having a plurality of wavelengths; receiving the interacted photons at a microscope turret and discriminatively filtering the interacted photons to one of reflect or refract photons as a function of the photon wavelength; the microscope turret directing the refracted photons to a first imaging device; receiving the reflected photons at an image selector and discriminatively directing the received photons to at least one of a second imaging device or a third imaging device as a function of the photon wavelength; wherein each of said imaging devices receives the wavelength-discriminated photons substantially simultaneously and provides a corresponding wavelength-discriminative spectral image of the sample.