1. A vascular filter device comprising:
a filter comprising a plurality of filter elements, the filter elements being movable from a capturing position to capture thrombus passing through a blood vessel to an open position to facilitate unrestricted blood flow, and
a holder to hold the filter elements in the capturing position at a distal end of the filter elements, the filter elements being biased towards the open position,
the holder being configured to temporarily hold the filter elements in the capturing position until elapse of a predetermined period of time,
at least part of the holder extends through an opening in each of the plurality of filter elements to hold the filter elements in the capturing position; and
the plurality of filter elements each include a twisted portion adjacent the holder, and an untwisted portion proximal the twisted portion the twisted portion being maintained in both the capturing position and the open position.
2. The vascular filter device of claim 1, wherein the holder is uninterrupted and has a consistent cross-sectional area throughout.
3. A vascular filter device comprising:
a filter comprising a plurality of filter elements, the filter elements being movable from a capturing position to capture thrombus passing through a blood vessel to an open position to facilitate unrestricted blood flow, and
a holder to hold the filter elements in the capturing position, the filter elements being biased towards the open position,
the holder being configured to temporarily hold filter elements in the capturing position until elapse of a predetermined period of time,
at least part of the holder extends through an opening in each of the plurality of filter elements to hold the filter elements in the capturing position, and
the holder including a single biodegradable andor bioabsorbable filament extending through each of the openings in the filter elements to form a closed loop, with a first and second end of the single filament being tied together in a single knot in a manner that secures the filament as the closed loop within the openings in the filter elements,
wherein, the plurality of filter elements each include a twisted portion adjacent the holder, and an untwisted portion proximal the twisted portion.
4. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of filter elements include a twisted portion adjacent the holder, the twisted portion being maintained in both the capturing position and the open position.
5. The vascular filter device of claim 4, wherein the twisted portion of the plurality of filter elements is twisted through 90 degrees.
6. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of filter elements include a wall located radially inwardly of the opening, the wall including a thickness that is greater than a thickness of a wall located radially outwardly of the opening.
7. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein each opening has a chamfered edge.
8. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein each opening in the plurality of filter elements faces circumferentially when the one or more filter elements are in the capturing position.
9. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the single filament is a first filament and the holder member includes a second filament, the first and second filaments extend through the openings in the plurality of filter elements.
10. The vascular filter device of claim 9, wherein the second filament has first and second ends, wherein the first and second ends of the first filament are tied in the knot with the first and second ends of the second filament.
11. The vascular filter device of claim 10, wherein the first and second filaments extend twice through only one of the openings of one of the plurality of filter elements, and the knot secures the two filaments directly to said one of the plurality of filter elements.
12. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the single filament extends twice through one of the openings of one of the plurality of filter elements, and the knot secures the single filament directly to said one of the plurality of filter elements.
13. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the opening is formed by a hook-shaped end of each of the plurality of filter elements.
14. The vascular filter device of claim 3, wherein the knot additionally secures the single filament directly to one of the filter elements to form an anchor point for the knot.
15. A vascular filter device comprising:
a filter comprising a plurality of filter elements, the plurality of filter elements being movable from a capturing position to capture thrombus passing through a blood vessel to an open position to facilitate unrestricted blood flow, and
a biodegradable andor bioabsorbable holder to hold the one or more filter elements in the capturing position, the plurality of filter elements being biased towards the open position,
the holder being configured to temporarily hold the plurality of filter elements in the capturing position until elapse of a predetermined period of time,
wherein at least part of the holder extends through an opening in each of the plurality of filter elements to hold the plurality of filter elements in the capturing position, the holder including a single filament extending through each of the openings in the filter elements to form a closed loop;
the plurality of filter elements each include a twisted portion adjacent the holder, and an untwisted portion proximal the twisted portion; and
the single filament includes first and second ends, wherein the first and second ends of the at least one filament are tied in a single knot to secure the closed loop, and the at least one filament extends twice through one of the openings of one of the plurality of filter elements and extends only once through each of the openings of the other filter elements, and the knot secures the at least one filament to the plurality of filter elements, and additionally secures the filament directly to said one of the plurality of filter elements.
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 printing apparatus, comprising:
an identification information storing section that stores identification information for other printing apparatus;
a restriction information storing section that groups the identification information stored in the identification information storing section, and stores restriction information that gives a restriction for using a function provided by a printing apparatus belonging to the same group;
an information sharing section that mutually shares the identification information stored in the identification information storing section and the restriction information stored in the restriction information storing section with printing apparatuses in the same group;
an information controller that, upon update of the restriction information stored in the restriction information section, controls to send the restriction information to other printing apparatus in the same group, based on the identification information mutually shared by the information sharing section;
a usage restriction section that restricts use of the function, based on the restriction information sent from the information controller to other printing apparatus, and
a history information storing section that stores usage history information on the utilization of the function of the printing apparatus for each user and each group to which the user belongs,
wherein the restriction information storing section stores the restriction information for each user and group, and stores restriction information for a plurality of periods of time for each user and group,
the usage restriction section includes:
a checking section that, in a case of exceeding the restriction information for the user stored in the restriction information storing section, checks a usage status for each period of time based on the usage history information of the user and of other users in a same usage group as the user stored in the history information storing section; and
a calculation section that calculates a usable restriction range for the user by using the restriction information of the user, margins of the other users, and ratios of the margins of the other users, based on the usage status of the user and of the other users checked by the checking section, and
the user is enabled to use the function within the restriction range calculated by the calculation section,
wherein the margins of the other users are estimated based on past trends of the other users, respectively.
2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
in a case of using the function beyond the restriction information stored in the restriction information storing section, the usage restriction section comprises a usage condition displaying section that displays a usage condition for the function within the restriction information, and
the use of the function is restricted under the usage condition displayed by the usage condition displaying section.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a usable limit checking section that checks a usable limit of the function with the restriction information stored in the restriction information storing section, and
a visual information displaying section that displays visual information to refer to the usable limit checked by the usable limit checking section.
4. A printing method, comprising:
storing identification information of other printing device,
grouping the stored identification information,
storing restriction information that gives a restriction for using a function provided by a printing apparatus belonging to the same group,
mutually sharing the stored identification information and the stored restriction information with the other printing apparatus,
upon update of the stored restriction information, controlling to send the restriction information to other printing apparatus, based on the mutually shared identification information,
restricting the use of the function based on the restriction information sent to the other printing apparatus, and
storing usage history information on the utilization of the function of the printing apparatus for each user and each group to which the user belongs,
wherein the restriction information is stored for each user and group, and restriction information is stored for a plurality of periods of time for each user and group,
the restricting the use based on the restriction information includes:
in a case of exceeding the restriction information stored for the user, checking a usage status for each period of time based on the usage history information of the user and of other users in a same usage group as the user; and
calculating a usable restriction range for the user by using the restriction information of the user, margins of the other users, and ratios of the margins of the other users, based on the checked usage status of the user and of the other users, and
enabling the user to use the function within the calculated usable restriction range,
wherein the margins of the other users are estimated based on past trends of the other users, respectively.
5. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a printing program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:
storing identification information of other printing device,
grouping the stored identification information,
storing restriction information that gives a restriction for using a function provided by a printing apparatus belonging to the same group,
mutually sharing the stored identification information and the stored restriction information with the other printing apparatus,
upon update of the stored restriction information, controlling to send the restriction information to other printing apparatus, based on the mutually shared identification information,
restricting the use of the function based on the restriction information sent to the other printing apparatus, and
storing usage history information on the utilization of the function of the printing apparatus for each user and each group to which the user belongs,
wherein the restriction information is stored for each user and group, and restriction information is stored for a plurality of periods of time for each user and group,
the restricting the use based on the restriction information includes:
in a case of exceeding the restriction information stored for the user, checking a usage status for each period of time based on the usage history information of the user and of other users in a same usage group as the user; and
calculating a usable restriction range for the user by using the restriction information of the user, margins of the other users, and ratios of the margins of the other users, based on the checked usage status of the user and of the other users, and
enabling the user to use the function within the calculated usable restriction range,
wherein the margins of the other users are estimated based on past trends of the other users, respectively.