Expandable and angularly adjustable intervertebral cages with articulating joint

An expandable spinal implant defining a posterior portion and an anterior portion spaced from the posterior portion in an anterior direction, the expandable spinal implant comprising:

• an upper plate component configured for placement against an endplate of a first vertebral body, and a lower plate component configured for placement against an endplate of a second, adjacent vertebral body;
• and
• a blocking pin comprising an enlarged head portion and a shaft that extends from the enlarged head portion in a posterior direction that is opposite the anterior direction, the blocking pin being movable in the anterior direction from an initial position to an anterior-most position,
• wherein each of the upper and lower plate components defines a respective pair of side walls that are spaced from each other along a direction that is perpendicular to the anterior direction so as to define a cavity therebetween, and the respective pair of side walls of one of the upper and lower plate components is disposed in the cavity of the other of the upper and lower plate components, such that respective projections on one of the pair of side walls fit into respective grooves in the other pair of side walls so as to define an articulating joint of the upper and lower plate components, and
• wherein when the blocking pin is in the initial position, the implant is in a first configuration whereby the plate components are angled toward each other from the posterior portion to the anterior portion, and when the blocking pin moves in the anterior direction to the anterior-most position, the enlarged head portion bears against the upper and lower plate components, thereby urging the implant to articulate about the articulating joint to a second configuration whereby the plate components are angled toward each other at the posterior portion as they extend in a posterior direction that is opposite the anterior direction.