Patent ID: 8026479

Claim:
A system for analyzing analytes in a sample, comprising: (a) an ion source for emitting ions from the sample; (b) a mass spectrometer adapted to receive the ions from the ion source, wherein the mass spectrometer includes: (i) a first mass filter to filter ions received from the ion source, (ii) an ion fragmenter configured to fragment ions received from the first mass filter, (iii) a second mass filter configured to filter ion fragments received from the ion fragmenter, and (iv) at least one detector configured to detect ion fragments received from the second mass filter; (c) a controller operatively coupled to the mass spectrometer and configured to control the first mass filter to filter for a designated ion of interest and to control the second mass filter to filter for a designated ion fragment of interest; (d) a trigger data set having at least one trigger entry, wherein each trigger entry includes: (i) a designated trigger ion, (ii) a designated trigger ion fragment, (iii) a trigger time window, and (iv) a confirmatory data set; (e) wherein each confirmatory data set has at least one confirmatory entry, and wherein each confirmatory entry includes: (i) a designated confirmatory ion, and (ii) a designated confirmatory ion fragment; (f) wherein the controller is responsive to the trigger data set, and during the trigger time window for each trigger entry the controller is configured to control the first mass filter to filter for the corresponding designated trigger ion and to control the second mass filter to filter for the corresponding designated trigger ion fragment; (g) wherein upon detection of the designated trigger ion fragment by the detector, the controller is configured to control the first mass filter to filter for the designated confirmatory ion and to control the second mass filter to filter for the designated confirmatory ion fragment.