Patent ID: 7072773

Claim:
A method of analyzing three-dimensional data derived from a sample using a two-dimensional analysis technique, comprising: (a) obtaining data for said sample, said data characterized by at least a first parameter, a second parameter, and a third parameter, at least the third parameter being correlated with time; (b) binning said obtained data to form a plurality of binned data sets, wherein a bin size is selected based on the third parameter correlated with time and data points of each binned data set are characterized utilizing the first and second parameters; (c) transforming each said binned data set into an aligned binned data set, wherein alignment data points with a null value of the second parameter are added to said binned data sets so that all said aligned binned data sets have a same number of data points, and for each value of the first parameter in said aligned binned data sets at least one of the aligned binned data sets has a non-null value of the second parameter; (d) forming a two-dimensional array from said aligned binned data sets by associating said first parameter with one axis of the two-dimensional array and associating bin numbers with a second axis of the two-dimensional array, wherein values of said second parameter of the data points of said aligned binned data sets are associated with elements of the two-dimensional array; and (e) subjecting said two-dimensional array to a two dimensional multi-variant statistical analysis.