Patent Document ID: 5453613
Application ID: 08327166
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A mass spectrometric system comprised of: (i) measuring device operable to measure the mass spectra of a sample which contains one or more compounds; (ii) introduction device connected to the measuring device operable to introduce the sample into the measuring device; (iii) control means electrically connected to the measuring device operable to control the operation of the measuring devices so as to measure one or more mass peaks of the sample; (iv) data input/output device wherein said input/output device is electrically coupled to an analyzer device operable to analyze the mass peaks, wherein said analyzer device comprises: a. storage means operable for storing data from the sample; b. re-sorting means connected to the storage means operable for re-sorting sample data from chronological order, primarily, to ion-mass order and secondarily to chronological order within each ion-mass grouping; c. determining means connected to the re-sorting means operable for determining local ion abundance maxima within each mass grouping; d. sorting means connected to the determining means operable for sorting all local ion abundance maxima from the determining means chronologically; and e. partitioning means connected to the sorting means operable for partitioning all local maxima such that a set of deconvoluted spectra is obtained wherein each element of the set represents a distinct compound; (v) comparison device operable for comparing deconvoluted spectra with stored standard reference spectra such that deconvoluted spectra are matched to at least one reference spectra; and (vi) matching means operable for matching the measured mass peaks to corresponding mass peaks of the stored spectrum of a target compound on a probabilistic basis, wherein the degree of matching is being determined with respect to a spectral matching criterion, the matching means being electrically coupled to the first and second storage means and to the measuring device, whereby, the target compound is identified as being present in the sample or as not being present therein in accordance with the spectral matching criterion.