Flexible interbody implant
AssigneeK2M, Inc.
InventorsJoseph Michael Meyer, Kevin Orbine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lumbar interbody fusion device includes a first wing, a second wing, and a bridge. The bridge has an arcuate resting shape and include a first end connected to the first wing, a second end connected to the second wing, and at least one aperture extending through the bridge in a radial direction relative to the arcuate resting shape of the bridge. The bridge is elastically deformable such that a distance between the first wing and the second wing may vary according to elastic deformation of the bridge.
Claims20
A lumbar interbody fusion device, comprising:
- a first wing and a second wing;
- and
- a bridge monolithically formed with the first and second wing extending along a path from a first end connected to the first wing to a second end connected to the second wing, the bridge having at least one aperture extending through the bridge in a direction transverse to the path, the bridge being elastically deformable such that a distance between the first wing and the second wing may vary according to elastic deformation of the bridge.
A method of assembling an interbody device, the method including:
- positioning a first wing adjacent a second wing such that a fulcrum extending from the first wing extends along a lateral axis toward a socket provided by the second wing;
- inserting the fulcrum into the socket by moving the first and second wings towards one another along the lateral axis;
- and
- rotating the first wing relative to the second wing such that the fulcrum turns within the socket about the lateral axis.
A lumbar interbody fusion device, comprising:
- a first wing and a second wing connected to one another in a first relative orientation;
- and
- an elastic biasing element maintaining the first wing and the second wing in contact with one another at a pivoting contact point;
- wherein, absent the biasing element, the first wing and the second wing would be freely separable from one another when the first and second wings are positioned in a second relative orientation with respect to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.