Author: claimsbot

1. A method of predicting remaining useful life (RUL) of a rechargeable battery, comprising the steps of:
(a) determining a capacity of a battery based on at least changes between a first state of charge (SOC) value determined at a first time (SOC1) and a second SOC value determined at a second time (SOC2) and a net charge flow of the battery;
(b) applying a particle filter to a capacity degradation model using the determined capacity to form an adjusted capacity degradation model for the battery; and
(c) predicting the RUL of the battery using the adjusted capacity degradation model with a pre-defined EOS threshold.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the capacity degradation model can be a hybrid or exponential capacity degradation model.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exponential capacity degradation model is expressed by the formula:
c
i

=
C
i
C
0
=

1
–

\u03b1
\ue8a0
1
–

exp
\ue8a0

(

–
\u03bb\uf74e

)
–
\u03b2\uf74e
wherein Ci is a capacity at ith the cycle, C0 is the initial capacity, \u03b1 is a coefficient of the exponential component of capacity fade, \u03bb is an exponential capacity fade rate, \u03b2 is a coefficient of the linear component of capacity fade, and ci is a normalized capacity at the ith cycle.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery is selected from a group consisting of nickel-metal hydride battery, nickel-cadmium battery, lithium-ion polymer battery, lithium sulfur battery, thin film battery, smart battery, carbon foam-based lead acid battery, potassium-ion battery, and sodium-ion battery.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the SOC1 value is determined as a function of a first open circuit voltage measurement (V1) of the battery made before a partial charge or discharge period and the SOC2 value is determined as a function of a second open circuit voltage measurement (V2) made after a partial charge or discharge period.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the net charge flow (\u0394Q) is determined by measuring the current of the charge and integrating the current over the charge or discharge period.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the capacity (C) of the battery is determined using the following equation:
C=\u0394Q|SOC1\u2212SOC2|.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein the C is determined using the following equation:
C
k

=
\u222b

t
k
t

k
+
L
\ue89e
\uf74e
\ue8a0

(
t
)
\ue89e
\ue89e

\uf74c
t
SOC

k
+
L
–

SOC
k
wherein Ck is the capacity, SOC is the state of charge, k is the index of the measurement time step at the beginning of the partial charge or discharge, L is the number of measurement time steps over the partial charge or discharge, tk and tk+L are respectively the time points at the beginning and end of the partial charge or discharge, and i is the current
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particle filter is selected from a group consisting of a standard sequential importance sampling and resampling particle filter, a standard sequential importance sampling particle filter, a standard sequential importance resampling filter, an extended Kalman filter, an unscented Kalman filter, and a Gauss-Hermite particle filter.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein an optimal proposal importance density used in the particle filter is derived from formula:
q(xi|x0:i\u22121,y1:i)=p(xi|xi\u22121,yi)

wherein x is a state estimate and y is a system observation.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the Gauss-Hermite particle filter is used in the determination of the RUL of the battery, and the method further comprises the steps of:
(a) determining the capacity at an ith cycle;
(b) determining a system transition and a measurement function;
(c) determining a posterior PDF of the normalized capacity by the Gauss-Hermite particle filter;
(d) predicting normalized capacity forward by a cycle number;
(e) determining RUL for each particle; and
(f) determining RUL distribution.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination of system transition and measurement function uses formulas:
ci=1\u2212\u03b1i\u221211\u2212exp(\u2212\u03bbi\u22121i)\u2212\u03b2i\u22121i+ui,\u03b1i=\u03b1i\u22121+r1,i,\u03bbi=\u03bbi\u22121+r2,i,\u03b2i=\u03b2i\u22121+r3,i\u2003\u2003Transition:
yi=ci+vi\u2003\u2003Measurement:

wherein ci is the normalized capacity at the ith cycle, \u03b1 is the coefficient of the exponential component of capacity fade, \u03bb is the exponential capacity fade rate, \u03b2 is the coefficient of the linear component of capacity fade, yi is the capacity measurement at the ith cycle, and u, r1, r2, r3 and v are the Gaussian noise variables with zero means.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein determination of a posterior PDF of the normalized capacity by the Gauss-Hermite particle filter uses formula:
p
\ue8a0

(
c
i

|

y

1
\ue89e

:

\ue89e
i
)
\u2248
1

N
P
\ue89e
\u2211

i
=
1
N
P
\ue89e
\ue89e

\u03b4
\ue8a0

(
c
i

–

c
i
j
)
wherein NP is the number of particles, \u03b4 is the Dirac delta function, and cij is the jth particle after the resampling step at the ith cycle.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of predicting a normalized capacity forwarded by a cycle number using the formula:
p
\ue8a0

(
c

i
+
l
|

y

1
\ue89e

:

\ue89e
i
)
\u2248
1

N
P
\ue89e
\u2211

i
=
1
N
P
\ue89e
\ue89e

\u03b4
\ue8a0

(
c

i
+
l
–

c

i
+
l

j
)
wherein ci=1\u2212\u03b1ij1\u2212exp(\u2212\u03bbij(i+l))\u2212\u03b2ij(i+l)
wherein NP is the number of particles, \u03b4 is the Dirac delta function, cij is the jth particle after the resampling step at the ith cycle, \u03b1ij is the coefficient of the exponential component of capacity fade, \u03bbij is the exponential capacity fade rate, and \u03b2ij is the coefficient of the linear component of capacity fade.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining the RUL for the particle as the number of cycles between a current cycle and an end of service cycle (EOS) uses formula:
Lij=root\u03b1ij1\u2212exp(\u2212\u03bbiji)+\u03b2iji=x\u2212i

wherein \u03b1ij is the coefficient of the exponential component of capacity fade, \u03bbij is the exponential capacity fade rate, \u03b2ij is the coefficient of the linear component of capacity fade and x=1\u2212pre-defined EOS threshold (%).
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the RUL distribution is determined using formula:
p
\ue8a0

(
L
i

|

y

1
\ue89e

:

\ue89e
i
)
\u2248
1

N
P
\ue89e
\u2211

i
=
1
N
P
\ue89e
\ue89e

\u03b4
\ue8a0

(
L
i

–

L
i
j
)
;
wherein NP is the number of particles, and \u03b4 is the Dirac delta function.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the pre-defined EOS threshold is between 20%-90% of the normalized capacity.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the pre-defined EOS threshold is between 30%-80% of the normalized capacity.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein the pre-defined EOS threshold is between 40%-70% of the normalized capacity.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the pre-determined EOS threshold is between 50%-60% of the normalized capacity.
21. A system, comprising: an implantable medical device having a rechargeable battery said rechargeable battery having a voltage, a total capacity which changes over time and a charge level; a processor configured to predict the RUL of the rechargeable battery by performing the steps comprising of:
(a) determining a capacity of a battery based on at least changes between a first state of charge (SOC) value determined at a first time (SOC1) and a second SOC value determined at a second time (SOC2) and a net charge flow of the battery;
(b) applying a particle filter to a capacity degradation model using the determined capacity to form an adjusted capacity degradation model for the battery; and
(c) predicting the RUL of the battery using the adjusted capacity degradation model with a pre-defined EOS threshold, electronic componentry, operatively coupled to said implantable medical device, configured to measure electrical signals of the battery used to determine the SOC1 and SOC2 values and net charge flow and transmit the electrical signals or SOC1 SOC2 values and the net charge flow values to the processor; and a user output, operatively coupled to said electrical componentry or processor, configured to communicate said RUL to a user.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the battery is selected from a group consisting of nickel-metal hydride battery, nickel-cadmium battery, lithium-ion polymer battery, lithium sulfur battery, thin film battery, smart battery, carbon foam-based lead acid battery, potassium-ion battery, and sodium-ion battery.
23. The system of claim 21, wherein electronic componentry is configured to make a first open circuit voltage measurement (V1) before a partial charge or discharge period and to make a second open circuit voltage measurement after the partial charge or discharge period (V2) and to communicate V1 and V2 to the processor.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the electronic componentry is configured to make a first open circuit voltage measurement (V1) before a partial charge or discharge period and to determine the SOC1 value as a function of V1 and to make a second open circuit voltage measurement after the partial charge or discharge period (V2) and to determine the SOC2 value as a function of V2 and to communicate SOC1 and SOC2 to the processor.
25. The system of claim 23, wherein the electronic componentry is further configured to measure the current of the battery charge and communicate the measured current value to the processor.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the processor is configured to determine the net charge flow (\u0394Q) by integrating the current over the charge or discharge period.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A color coded instrument comprising:
a metal handle comprising one end and another end;
a colored resin cone connected to at least one end of the handle; and
a working tip extending from the colored resin cone; wherein the colored resin cone provides a means to visually identify the instrument and will not harbor pathogens.
2. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
3. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said colored resin cone is adhered to said metal handle.
4. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said colored resin cone is adhered to said metal handle with an adhesive.
5. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said colored resin cone is adhered to said metal handle by induction heating.
6. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said working tip is adhered to said colored resin cone.
7. The color coded instrument of claim 1, further comprising a non-slip surface on said metal handle where said metal handle is connected to said resin cone and wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
8. The color coded instrument of claim 6, wherein said working tip has a shank end that extends from said resin cone and further comprises a non-slip surface on said shank end, and wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
9. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said metal handle is selected from a group consisting of, stainless steel, chromed brass and aluminum.
10. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said colored resin cone is connected to said metal handle when at least one bore in at least one end of said handle receives a shaft of said resin cone.
11. The color coded instrument of claim 1, wherein said colored resin cone is connected to said metal handle when at least one pin on at least one end of said handle is received by a bore in said resin cone.
12. The colored coded instrument of claim 11, wherein said pin is a threaded stem.
13. The color coded instrument of claim 11, wherein said pin extends to a tip of said cone and said working tip is connected to said pin.
14. A color coded instrument comprising:
a metal handle comprising one end and another end and comprising at least one bore in at least one end;
a colored resin cone comprising a shaft and a tip, connected to at least one end of the handle when the shaft of the cone is received by the bore of the metal handle; and
a working tip connected to and extending from the colored resin cone; wherein the colored resin cone provides a means to visually identify the instrument and will not harbor pathogens.
15. The color coded instrument of claim 14, wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
16. The color coded instrument of claim 14, wherein said working tip has a shank end that extends from said resin cone and further comprises a non-slip surface on said shank end, and wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
17. A color coded instrument comprising:
a metal handle comprising one end and another end and comprising at least one pin on at least one end;
a colored resin cone comprising a bore, connected to at least one end of the handle when the pin of the handle is received by the bore of the cone; and
a working tip extending from the colored resin cone; wherein the colored resin cone provides a means to visually identify the instrument and will not harbor pathogens.
18. The color coded instrument of claim 16, wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.
19. The color coded instrument of claim 16, wherein said pin is a threaded stem.
20. The color coded instrument of claim 14, further comprising a non-slip surface on said metal handle where said metal handle is connected to said resin cone, and wherein said instrument is heat treated by induction heating.

1. A system for enabling donations, comprising
at least one processor; and
at least one data storage device electronically coupled to the at least one processor,
the at least one processor operable to receive, from a first entity, a purchase request comprising a selection of one or more donation parameters, the selection comprising at least one potential donation recipient and at least a monetary amount,
the at least one data storage device operable to store information associated with the purchase request;
the at least one processor being further operable to receive a donation request comprising at least one donation recipient and at least one monetary amount.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one potential donation recipient comprises a plurality of potential donation recipients.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one potential donation recipient is a potential donation recipient included in a plurality of potential donation recipients presented to the first entity.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is received from a second entity, which is different than the first entity.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an account module operable to link at least a portion of the purchase request information to a separate account.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an account module operable to link at least a portion of the donation request information to a separate account.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is associated with a donation and wherein the donation is linked to a separate financial account.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein an amount of the donation is deducted from the separate financial account.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the separate financial account is an account held by the first entity.
10. The system of claim, 9, wherein the separate financial account is a credit card account.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the separate financial account is a savings account.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the separate financial account is a checking account.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the purchase request information is incorporated into a monetary card.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the incorporated information is embedded in a magnetic stripe on the card.
15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monetary card having at least a portion of the purchase request information incorporated therein, the monetary card being used to make the donation request.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is received telephonically.
17. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is received by using a card reader to read information from a monetary card.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is received through a web-based communications network.
19. The system of claim 1, wherein the donation request is received over a computer network.
20. A method for providing a donation gift card, comprising:
providing a card to a first entity, the card incorporating at least a first value corresponding to a first donation parameter;
receiving information associated with a donation after the donation has been made using the card, the donation information corresponding to the first donation parameter.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first donation parameter is one of a plurality of donation parameters.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the card incorporates a plurality of values, each corresponding to one of a plurality of donation parameters.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the first donation parameter is a monetary parameter.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the first parameter comprises at least one potential donation recipient.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least a first value comprises a first value and a second value, the first value representing at least one potential donation recipient and the second value representing at least one monetary amount.
25. The method of claim 20, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the donation information from a second entity.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein the first donation parameter is a plurality of potential donation recipients selected by the first entity, the selection being made from a group of potential donation recipients presented to the first entity.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the donation information is received from a second entity and the donation information comprises at least one donation recipient selected from the plurality of potential donation recipients of the first donation parameter.
28. The method of claim 20, wherein the donation information comprises at least one monetary value and at least one donation recipient.
29. The method of claim 20, wherein the first donation parameter is a time parameter.
30. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of executing a donation based at least in part on the donation information.
31. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of linking the at least a first value to a separate financial account.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the separate financial account is an account held by the first entity.
33. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of executing a donation based at least in part on the donation information, and the step of debiting the separate financial account.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of debiting the separate financial account occurs after the step of receiving the donation information.
35. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of debiting the separate financial account occurs in connection with the step of providing the card to the first entity.
36. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining who, between the first entity and a second entity, will be entitled to claim a tax deduction based on the donation.
37. The method of claim 20, wherein the first entity establishes the value based on a financial contribution.
38. The method of claim 20, wherein the first entity reimburses account awards to establish the value.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method performed by a network node for supporting cell selection of user equipments, UEs, in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising low power nodes, LPN, and high power nodes, HPN, the LPNs and the HPNs being arranged to transmit signals wirelessly to UEs, the method comprising:
identifying cell range expansion, CRE, areas of a group of LPNs, which CRE areas experience interference from a group of HPNs;
counting the number of HPNs in the group of HPNs and the number of LPNs in the group of LPNs;
when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills a predefined criterion, triggering connection of a UE situated in any of the identified CRE areas to the LPN of the identified CRE area in which the UE is situated,
when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion, triggering connection of a UE situated in any of the identified CRE areas to one of the HPNs of the group of HPNs.
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the CRE areas that experience interference from a group of HPNs are geographical areas within one or more floors of one or more buildings.
3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying of CRE areas is performed based on measurements performed at extended LPN areas of received signal strength values for signals sent from the LPNs and the HPNs of the communication network.
4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying of CRE areas is performed based on statistical values of measurements performed at extended LPN areas of received signal strength values for signals sent from the LPNs and the HPNs of the communication network.
5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined criterion is that the number of LPNs is higher than the number of HPNs.
6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the network node is an operation and maintenance node.
7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the network node is a distributed node, distributed among at least some of the HPNs and the LPNs in the wireless network.
8. Method according to claim 1, wherein, for a UE connected to a HPN and that is moving into any of the identified CRE areas, the steps of triggering are realized by triggering handover of the UE to the LPN of the identified CRE area to which the UE has moved when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills the predefined criterion, and by letting the UE stay connected with the HPN when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion.
9. Method according to claim 1, wherein, for a UE connected to a LPN and that is moving into any of the identified CRE areas, the steps of triggering are realized by triggering handover of the UE to the LPN of the identified CRE area to which the UE has moved, when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills the predefined criterion, and triggering handover of the UE to one of the HPNs of the group of HPNs when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion.
10. Method according to claim 1,
wherein the method is repeated a number of times for different CRE areas such that a number of LPN groups experiencing interference from different groups of HPNs are identified, the method further comprising:
determining priority for using CRE for each LPN group experiencing interference from a group of HPNs such that the fewer HPNs in a group, the higher the priority.
11. A network node configured for supporting cell selection of user equipments, UEs, in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising low power nodes, LPN, and high power nodes, HPN, the LPNs and the HPNs being arranged to transmit signals wirelessly to UEs, the network node comprising:
an identifying unit for identifying cell range expansion, CRE, areas of a group of LPNs, which CRE areas experience interference from a group of HPNs;
a counting unit for counting the number of HPNs in the group of HPNs and the number of LPNs in the group of LPNs; and
a triggering unit for triggering connection of a UE situated in any of the identified CRE areas to the LPN of the identified CRE area in which the UE is situated, when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills a predefined criterion, and for triggering connection of a UE that is situated in any of the identified CRE areas to one of the HPNs of the group of HPNs, when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs in the group does not fulfill the predefined criterion.
12. Network node according to claim 11, wherein the CRE areas that experience interference from a group of HPNs are geographical areas within one or more floors of one or more buildings.
13. Network node according to claim 11, wherein the identifying unit is arranged for identifying CRE areas based on measurements performed at extended LPN areas of received signal strength values for signals sent from the LPNs and the HPNs of the communication network.
14. Network node according to claim 11, wherein the predefined criterion is that the number of LPNs is higher than the number of HPNs.
15. Network node according to claim 11, wherein the network node is an operation and maintenance node.
16. Network node according to claim 11, wherein the network node is a distributed node, distributed among at least some of the HPNs and the LPNs in the wireless network.
17. Network node according to claim 11, wherein, for a UE connected to a HPN and that is moving into any of the identified CRE areas, the triggering unit is arranged for triggering handover of the UE to the LPN of the identified CRE area to which the UE has moved, when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills the predefined criterion, and the triggering unit is arranged for letting the UE stay connected with the HPN when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion.
18. Network node according to claim 11, wherein, for a UE connected to an LPN and that is moving into any of the identified CRE areas, the triggering unit is arranged for triggering handover of the UE to the LPN of the identified CRE area to which the UE has moved, when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills the predefined criterion, and the triggering unit is arranged for triggering handover of the UE to one of the HPNs of the group of HPNs when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion.
19. A computer program comprising computer readable code means, which when run in a network node causes the network node to perform the following steps:
identifying cell range expansion, CRE, areas of a group of LPNs, which CRE areas experience interference from a group of HPNs;
counting the number of HPNs in the group of HPNs and the number of LPNs in the group of LPNs;
when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs fulfills a predefined criterion, triggering connection of a UE situated in any of the identified CRE areas to the LPN of the identified CRE area in which the UE is situated,
when the numerical relation between the number of LPNs and the number of HPNs does not fulfill the predefined criterion, triggering connection of a UE situated in any of the identified CRE areas to one of the HPNs of the group of HPNs.
20. A computer program product, comprising computer readable medium and a computer program according to claim 19 stored on the computer readable medium.