Metal authenticity testing of an object using radiation
US8515009B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 26, 2012 |
| Grant date | Aug 20, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 26, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2223/633
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for identifying counterfeit gold jewelry and other counterfeit gold items. Techniques include determining—using a non-destructive mechanism—whether an item of interest (such as an article represented as true gold) is solid gold or a gold-plated object. Techniques include using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer to differentiate true gold from gold plating. The XRF analyzer can distinguish between gold plating and bulk gold material by comparing a ratio of L-alpha and L-beta x-ray lines of gold. The analyzer measures a ratio of intensities of characteristic L-lines of gold using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. When implemented using an XRF analyzer, the system nondestructively determines whether a test object is made of solid gold/gold alloy or has gold plating only.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.