Patent ID: 8417539

Claim:
A method for identifying a pharmaceutical solid in a closed prescription vial, comprising: storing a plurality of known optical properties corresponding to known pharmaceutical solids; illuminating the closed prescription vial with a first light source that is substantially transmitted by artifacts of the closed prescription vial and recording a first image through the closed prescription vial using an imaging device, wherein artifacts of the closed prescription vial include lettering on the prescription vial or indentations in the closed prescription vial; illuminating the closed prescription vial with a second light source that is substantially reflected by the artifacts and recording a second image through the closed prescription vial using the imaging device; illuminating the closed prescription vial with a third light source and recording a third image through the closed prescription vial using an imaging device; illuminating the closed prescription vial with a fourth light source and recording a fourth image through the closed prescription vial using the imaging device; using the second image to remove the effects of the artifacts in the first image and processing the first image, the third image, and the fourth image to find an optical property of the pharmaceutical solid; performing a first comparison of the optical property to one or more of the plurality of stored optical properties; and determining, using a processor, an identity of the pharmaceutical solid from the first comparison.