1. A device comprising:
a) a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft defining a conduit; and
b) at least one moveable element, the element including a leg extending through the conduit and a foot at an end of the leg proximal to the distal end of the shaft, the element moveable relative to the shaft between a first position, wherein the foot extends beyond the distal end, and a second position, wherein the foot is substantially adjacent to the distal end.
2. The device of claim 1, further including a surgical implant, the surgical implant defining an opening, said opening having a diameter greater than a diameter of the foot, and less than the sum of the diameter of the foot and a diameter of the distal end of the shaft at a cross section of the foot and the distal end when the element is in the second position, whereby the foot can be directed through the opening when the element is in the first position, and whereby the surgical implant is fixed at the distal end when the leg and distal end extend through the opening and the moveable element is in the second position.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the device includes at least two moveable elements, and wherein the opening of the surgical implant has a diameter greater than a sum of diameters of the feet of the moveable elements, and less than the sum of the diameters of the feet of the elements and the distal end of the shaft at a cross section of the feet and the distal end when the elements are in the second position, whereby the surgical implant is fixed at the distal end when the legs and distal end extend through the opening and the moveable elements are in the second position.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the moveable elements are on opposite sides of the distal end, whereby the feet of the moveable elements extend in substantially opposite directions from the distal end when the moveable elements are in the second position.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein major axes of the moveable elements are positioned at an acute angle relative to each other, whereby movement of the moveable elements from the first position to the second position causes the feet of the moveable elements to move away from each other.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the moveable elements are arcuate, whereby movement of the elements from the first position to the second position distends the legs, thereby causing the feet to move away from each other.
7. The device of claim 3, further including a saddle located between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft.
8. The device of claim 7, wherein the saddle generally conforms to a portion of the surgical implant and abuts the surgical implant when the moveable elements and the distal end extend through the opening and said moveable elements are in the second position.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein the portion of the surgical implant that conforms to the saddle at least partially supports the position of the surgical implant relative to the shaft when the moveable elements and the distal end extend through the opening and the moveable ends are in the second position.
10. The device of claim 9, when the portion of the surgical implant that conforms to the saddle includes at least one flat surface.
11. The device of claim 10, wherein the portion of the surgical implant that conforms to the saddle includes at least two flat surfaces that intersect.
12. The device of claim 11, wherein the surgical implant is a vertebral cage.
13. The device of claim 12, wherein the vertebral cage is elongate.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the opening is at an end of said elongate vertebral cage.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein the vertebral cage is generally arcuate.
16. The device of claim 1, wherein the foot is tapered.
17. A method comprising:
a) providing a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft defining a conduit;
b) providing at least one moveable element, the element including a leg extending through the conduit and a foot at an end of the leg proximal to the distal end of the shaft; and
c) moving the moveable element relative to the shaft between a first position, wherein the foot extends beyond the distal end, and a second position, wherein the foot is substantially adjacent to the distal end.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising removably attaching a surgical implant to the distal end, the surgical implant defining an opening, said opening having a diameter greater than a diameter of the foot, and less than the sum of the diameter of the foot and a diameter of the distal end of the shaft at a cross section of the foot and shaft when the element is in the second position, whereby the foot can be directed through the opening when the element is in the first position, and whereby the surgical implant is fixed at the distal end when the leg and distal end extend through the opening and the moveable element is in the second position.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing at least two moveable elements, and wherein the opening of the surgical implant has a diameter greater than a sum of diameters of the feet of the moveable elements and less than the sum of the diameters of the feet and the distal end, whereby the surgical implant is fixed at the distal end when the legs and distal end extend through the opening and the moveable elements are in the second position.
20. A method for surgically implanting an intervertebral support, comprising the steps:
a) inserting a moveable element into an opening defined by a surgical implant, the moveable element having a leg and a foot at an end of the leg, and the opening having a diameter greater than a diameter of the foot and less than that of the foot and a distal end of a shaft defining a conduit in which the leg of the moveable element is located;
b) moving the moveable element relative to the shaft from a first position when the foot extends beyond the distal end, to a second position, wherein the foot is substantially adjacent to the distal end, whereby the distal end enters the opening of the surgical implant and the foot is essentially adjacent to the distal end, thereby causing the surgical implant to be fixed to the distal end;
c) inserting the surgical implant between two vertebrae of a patient;
d) moving the moveable element from the second position to the first position, thereby releasing the surgical implant from the shaft; and
e) withdrawing the moveable element from the opening of the surgical implant.
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. An access right managing method, which is used in a computer system comprising a storage system and a management computer for managing the storage system, for managing an access right of a resource of the storage system, the management computer comprising an interface connected to the storage system, a processor connected to the interface, and a memory connected to the processor, the access right managing method comprising:
storing, in the memory, a management program for managing the resource of the storage system, access right definition information for defining the access right of the resource managed by the management program, and resource correspondence information which includes information on a management program for managing another resource related to the resource managed by the management program;
updating, by the processor, in case of which the processor receives an updating request for the access right of the resource managed by the management program, the access right of the resource which is required to be updated based on the received updating request for the access right of the resource;
selecting, by the processor, a management program corresponding to the resource whose access right is required to be updated based on the resource correspondence information;
specifying, by the processor, based on the resource correspondence information, a resource which is managed by the selected management program and is related to the resource whose access right is required to be updated;
transmitting, by the processor, an access right updating request for the specified relative resource to the management computer for executing the selected management program; and
updating, by the processor, in case of which the processor of the management computer for executing the selected management program receives the access right updating request for the specified relative resource, the access right of the specified relative resource based on the received updating request.
2. The access right managing method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the updating request for the access right to the management computer is executed by executing the management program.
3. The access right managing method according to claim 1, further comprising storing, in the memory, an access right interconnection program,
wherein the transmitting of the updating request for the access right to the management computer is executed by executing the access right interconnection program.
4. The access right managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:
judging, by the processor, whether or not authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in an access right of a user who instructs to execute the management program before the access right updating request is transmitted to the management computer which executes the selected management program; and
transmitting, by the processor, in case which the authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in the access right of the user who instructs to execute the management program, the access right updating request to the management computer which executes the selected management program.
5. The access right managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:
managing, by the processor, the resource for every resource group including at least one resource; and
specifying, by the processor, in case of which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request, the resource which constitutes the resource group specified by the updating request as the relative resource.
6. The access right managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:
managing, by the processor, the resource for every resource group including at least one resource;
updating, by the processor, the access right for every resource group; and
selecting, by the processor, in case of which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request, a management program which manages the resource group specified by the access right updating request, and transmitting an updating request of an access right to the management computer which executes the selected management program for managing the source group.
7. A management computer, which is connected to a storage system, for managing the storage system, comprising:
an interface connected to the storage system;
a processor connected to the interface; and
a memory connected to the processor, wherein:
the memory stores a management program for managing the resource of the storage system, access right definition information for defining the access right of the resource managed by the management program, and resource correspondence information which includes information on a management program for managing another resource related to the resource managed by the management program;
in case of which the processor receives an updating request for the access right of the resource managed by the management program, the processor updates the access right of the resource which is required to be updated based on the received updating request for the access right of the resource;
the processor selects a management program corresponding to the resource whose access right is required to be updated based on the resource correspondence information;
the processor specifies a resource based on the resource correspondence information, which is managed by the selected management program and is related to the resource whose access right is required to be updated;
the processor transmits an access right updating request for the specified relative resource; and
in case of which the processor receives the access right updating request for the specified relative resource, the processor updates the access right of the specified relative resource based on the received updating request.
8. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor transmits the access right updating request to the management computer by executing the management program.
9. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein:
the memory stores an access right interconnection program; and
the processor transmits the access right updating request to the management computer by executing the access right interconnection program.
10. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein:
the processor judges whether or not authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in an access right of a user who instructs to execute the management program before the access right updating request is transmitted to the management computer which executes the selected management program; and
incase of which the authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in the access right which instructs the management program, the processor transmits the access right updating request to the management computer which executes the selected management program.
11. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein:
the processor manages the resource for every resource group including at least one resource; and
in case which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request, the resource which constitutes the resource group specified by the updating request is specified as the relative resource.
12. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein:
the processor manages the resource for every resource group including at least one resource;
the processor updates the access right for every resource group; and
in case of which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request, the processor selects a management program which manages the resource group specified by the access right updating request, and transmits an updating request of an access right to the management computer which executes the selected management program for managing the source group.
13. A machine-readable medium, containing at least one sequence of instructions that, in case of which executed, causes a management computer to:
receive an updating request of an access right with respect to a resource;
update the access right based on the received updating request;
select a management program corresponding to the resource whose access right is requested to be updated;
specify a resource which is managed by the selected management program and is related to the resource whose access right is requested to be updated; and
transmit an updating request of an access right for the specified relative resource to the management computer which executes the selected management program.
14. The machine-readable medium according to claim 13, further causes the management computer to:
judge whether or not authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in an access right of a user who instructs to execute the management program before the access right updating request is transmitted to the management computer which executes the selected management program; and
transmit the access right updating request to the management computer which executes the selected management program in case which the authority to update the access right of the specified relative resource is included in the access right of the user who instructs to execute the management program.
15. The machine-readable medium according to claim 13, further causes the management computer to:
manage the resource for every resource group which is including at least one resource; and
specify the resource which constitutes the resource group specified by the updating request as the relative resource in case of which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request.
16. The machine-readable medium according to claim 13, further causes the management computer to:
manage the resource for every resource group which is including at least one resource;
update the access right for every resource group; and
select a management program which manages the resource group specified by the updating request in case which the resource group is included in the received access right updating request, and transmit an updating request of an access right to the management computer which executes the selected management program for managing the source group.