Patent ID: 7283937

Claim:
A computer controlled method comprising: processing a plurality of data values in a data set resulting in a data value representation, said data set containing a plurality of valid data values and a plurality of noise data values, said data value representation having a signal side, the number of said plurality of valid data values statistically insignificant with respect to the number of said plurality of noise data values; determining a statistically significant portion of said signal side; fitting a curve to said statistically significant portion, said curve extending beyond said statistically significant portion of said signal side; determining a data-validity confidence value for one of said plurality of data values responsive to said curve, said data-validity confidence value capable of being used to determine that said one of said plurality of data values is not one of said plurality of noise data values; and producing the data values which are not noise data values; wherein the data set is a set of spectral data from a spectrometer.