Patent ID: 8326008

Claim:
A method for determining the area of an analysis chamber covered by a biologic fluid sample quiescently residing within the chamber, which chamber has a first panel with an interior surface, and a second panel with an interior surface, at least one of which panels is transparent, the method comprising the steps of: non-obliquely illuminating the sample residing within the analysis chamber at one or more wavelengths operable to highlight interfaces between the sample and air, and to highlight at least one constituent within the sample; imaging the sample along the one or more wavelengths non-obliquely illuminating the sample, and producing image signals representative of the interaction of the one or more wavelengths with the sample; determining a location of at least one interface between the sample and air, using the image signals; determining a location of one or more constituents within the sample relative to the at least one sample-air interface using the image signals; and determining an area of the chamber containing the sample, using the location of the one or more constituents and the at least one sample-air interface.