Patent ID: 8274740

Claim:
A beam splitter, comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein: the first and second surfaces are linearly offset from one another along an axis; the first and second surfaces are positioned to receive an optical beam projected in a first direction that is generally perpendicular to the axis; the first surface is configured to redirect a first portion of the optical beam in a second direction that has a first rotational offset with respect to the first direction and a second rotational offset with respect to the axis; the second surface is configured to redirect a second portion of the optical beam in a third direction that has a third rotational offset with respect to the first direction and a fourth rotational offset with respect to the axis; the first surface is configured to redirect a first portion of the optical beam through a first bin only if the first bin is empty; and the second surface is configured to redirect a second portion of the optical beam through a second bin only if the second bin is empty.