Bone treatment plate assembly
OwnerKamaljit Paulinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Bone treatment plate assemblies, methods of fabrication, and methods of use. Such assemblies comprise spring structures assembled to bone treatment plates. The spring structure comprises elongate bands, and springs between the bands, urging the bands against structure of the plate. Spring width is less than spring height and/or one or more protuberances extending from the band or bands cooperate with one or more detents in the plate thereby to arrest longitudinal movement of the spring structure with respect to the plate.
Claims22
A spring structure (14) having first and second ends, a length, a structure top and a structure bottom, and a structure height (H) therebetween, said spring structure comprising:
- (a) first and second bands (36A, 36B) each having first and second ends, a band top, and a band bottom associated with the structure top and the structure bottom, said bands having respective lengths thereof, said first and second bands each having an outer surface (46) facing outwardly of said spring structure, and an inner surface, the inner surfaces facing each other and facing inwardly into said structure, said first and second bands defining a width (W1) of said spring structure between the outer surfaces (46);
- and
- (b) springs (38) spaced along the length of said spring structure, said springs extending between and connected to said bands, and having spring lengths extending between the first and second bands, said springs having spring tops and spring bottoms, opposing spring sides, spring heights between the spring tops and the spring bottoms, spring widths (W) between the opposing spring sides, angles α being defined between the springs (38) and the inner surfaces of said bands (36), and angles β being defined between the band tops and the spring tops, ratio of the widths (W) of the springs to the heights of the springs being less than 1/1,
- whereby, when a squeezing force is imposed on said spring structure (14), squeezing said first and second bands (36) toward each other, said springs (38) resiliently deflect so as to accommodate reduced width (W1) of said spring structure (14) in preference to deflecting in a direction corresponding to height (H), such that the response of said spring structure (14) to such squeezing force is a preferential resilient change in magnitude of angle α relative to change in magnitude of angle β.
11-71. (canceled)
A spring structure having first and second ends, a length, a structure top and a structure bottom, and a structure height (H) therebetween, said spring structure comprising:
- (a) first and second bands (36A, 36B) each having first and second ends, a band top, and a band bottom associated with the structure top and the structure bottom, said bands having respective lengths thereof, said first and second bands each having an outer surface (46) facing outwardly of said spring structure, and an inner surface, the inner surfaces facing each other and facing inwardly into said structure, said first and second bands defining a width (W1) of said spring structure between the outer surfaces (46);
- and
- (b) springs spaced along the length of said spring structure, said springs extending between and being connected to said bands, and having spring lengths extending between the first and second bands, said springs having spring tops and spring bottoms, opposing spring sides, spring heights between the spring tops and the spring bottoms, and spring widths (W) between the opposing spring sides,
- said spring structure comprising at least one protuberance extending outwardly from a said outer surface of a respective one of said bands (36), said at least one protuberance being effective, in combination with cooperating at least one detent in a cooperating structure, and wherein said spring structure is otherwise confined with respect to such other cooperating structure, to arrest longitudinal movement of said spring structure along such other cooperating structure.
82-97. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.