Geared external fixator
AssigneeSmith & Nephew Richards Inc.
InventorsHarold S. Taylor, J. Charles Taylor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An external fixator for securing two or more bone elements. The external fixator includes an elongated bar; a first carriage for mounting on the bar and for securement to a first bone element; a second carriage for mounting on the bar and for securement to a second bone element; and a drive mechanism for driving the first and second carriages along the length of the bar independent of one another.
Claims18
An external fixator for securing first and second bone elements during a healing process;
- said external fixator comprising:
- (a) an elongated bar;
- (b) a first carriage for mounting on said bar and for securement to the first bone element;
- (c) a second carriage for mounting on said bar and for securement to the second bone element;
- (d) a first drive mechanism associated with said first carriage for driving said first carriage along the length of said bar;
- and
- (e) a second drive mechanism associated with said second carriage for driving said second carriage along the length of said bar independent of said first carriage;
- wherein the fixator controls the relative alignment of said first and second bone segments during the healing processes.
An external fixator for securing and independently translating first, second and third bone elements;
- said external fixator comprising:
- (a) an elongated bar having a first end and a second end;
- (b) a first carriage for mounting on said bar and for securement to the first bone element;
- (c) a second carriage for mounting on said bar and for securement to the second bone element;
- (d) a third carriage for mounting on said bar intermediate said first and second carriages and for securement to the third bone element;
- and
- (e) a driver associated with at least one of said first, second and third carriages for driving said associated carriage along said bar independent of the carriages not associated with said driver;
- said third carriage including a first member for extending around a portion of said bar, a second member for extending around another portion of said bar, and a joint for joining said first and second members to one another around said bar and for allowing said first and second members thereof to be separated from one another so that said third carriage can be repeatedly placed on or removed from said bar at locations intermediate said first and second carriage.
A carriage for an orthopedic external fixator including an elongated bar having a first end and a second end, said carriage comprising:
- (a) a body member for engaging a portion of said bar;
- (b) a lock movable between an open position and a closed position for allowing said body member to be placed on or removed from said bar at locations intermediate said first and second ends of said bar when in the open position and for locking said body member to said bar when in the closed position while allowing said body member to move along said bar.
An external fixator for securing first and second elements;
- said external fixator comprising:
- (a) an elongated bar having first and second ends, having a longitudinal axis extending between said first and second ends, and having a plurality of gear teeth located between said first and second ends;
- (b) a carriage for mounting on said bar and for securement to one of said first and second elements;
- (c) a drive mechanism attached to said carriage for engaging said gear teeth of said bar and for causing said carriage to move back and forth along said bar;
- said gear teeth and said drive mechanism being arranged eccentric of said longitudinal axis of said bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.