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US 7,255,699 B2Granted
Spinal plate assembly
OwnerKamaljit S. Paulinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Spinal plate assembly, and methods of use, wherein a retaining element such as a retaining band, optionally a resiliently flexible band, mounted to a spinal plate, activates a blocking feature of the spinal plate assembly to thereby prevent the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the spinal plate assembly and past the blocking member. The apertures are typically, but not necessarily, elongate slots, elongate axes of all such slots being commonly oriented. The band can be fabricated from a variety of bio-stable, bio-compatible medical grade materials, including metals or implantable plastics. The retaining element or elements can be disposed in intermittently-located channel elements in the plate.
Claims74
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining element mounted to said spinal plate, and extending from a first said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, along the length of said spinal plate to a second said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, said movable retaining element moving transversely from a first position when a bone fastener is driven through a such aperture, into bone structure of a recipient user, and past said retaining element, and subsequently moving transversely back toward the first position and into interfering relationship with such bone fastener, thus to activate a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature inhibits the bone fastener withdrawing out of said spinal plate assembly and past said retaining band.
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures extending between the top surface and the bottom surface;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining element mounted to said spinal plate, and extending from a first said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, along the length of said spinal plate to a second said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, and interfering with at least one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures,
- said retaining element comprising a movable retaining band, a length of said band extending to, and extending across at least a portion of, one or more corresponding ones of the apertures, composition and structure of said movable band being adapted such that, as such bone fastener is driven past said movable retaining band, said movable retaining band responds to transverse urging of such bone fastener thereby to move transversely of the length of said band, from a first position, until a control structure on such bone fastener is driven past said band, whereupon said band returns toward the first position and overlies the control structure of the so-driven bone fastener and thereby prevents the bone fastener from withdrawing from said spinal plate.
1 more element
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures extending between the top surface and the bottom surface;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining element mounted to said spinal plate, and extending from a first said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, along the length of said spinal plate to a second said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, and interfering with at least one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures
- said movable retaining element comprising a first movable retaining band, and including a second movable retaining band and wherein the first and second movable bands collectively extend along sides of all of the bone-fastener-receiving apertures.
1 more element
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures, said spinal plate further comprising a channel (26) expressed intermittently along the length of said spinal plate;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate, said transversely movable retaining band moving transversely from a first position when a bone fastener is driven through a such aperture, into bone structure of a recipient user, and past said retaining band, and subsequently moving transversely back toward the first position and into interfering relationship with such bone fastener, thus to activate a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature inhibits the bone fastener withdrawing out of said spinal plate assembly and past said retaining band.
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate, said retaining band being disposed in a recess in said spinal plate, the recess having a side wall, said retaining band moving transversely from a first position, when an interfering bone fastener is driven through a said aperture, into bone structure of a recipient user, and past said retaining band, such driving of such bone fastener thus moving said retaining band transversely from the first position, in a direction away from the respective aperture, and away from the side wall of the recess, said transversely movable retaining band moving transversely back toward the first position after disengagement of such bone fastener from said retaining band, thereby to activate a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature interferes with the bone fastener withdrawing out of said spinal plate assembly and past said retaining band.
A spinal plate assembly combination, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- (b) a transversely laterally movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate and interfering with a bone fastener being driven into one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (c) at least one bone fastener, said at least one bone fastener comprising a shank, and blocking structure,
- said bone fastener, when driven through a said aperture and into bone structure of a recipient user, moving said retaining band from a first position to a moved position, so as to enable said blocking structure to move past said retaining band, said retaining band automatically, and as a consequence of the moving of said blocking structure past said retaining band, moving back toward the first position and thereby activating a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly combination, which blocking feature inhibits the respective bone fastener withdrawing past said retaining band.
2 more elements
A spinal plate assembly combination, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- (b) a transversely laterally movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate and interfering with a bone fastener being driven into one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (c) at least one bone fastener, said at least one bone fastener comprising a shank, and blocking structure, said blocking structure on
- said bone fastener, when said bone fastener is being driven through a said aperture and into bone structure of a recipient user, engaging said retaining band and displacing said retaining band laterally from a first position, in a transverse direction so as to enable said blocking structure to move sufficiently past said retaining band, and said retaining band automatically moves back toward the first position and interferes with any withdrawal of said bone fastener past said retaining band,
- said retaining band extending from a first said bone-fastener-receiving aperture to a second said bone-fastener-receiving aperture.
3 more elements
A spinal plate assembly comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate having a length, and defining a longitudinal direction along the length, and a transverse direction transverse to the length, said spinal plate further comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (b) a transversely movable retaining element mounted to said spinal plate, and extending from a first said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures to a second said one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures, and interfering with a bone fastener being driven into at least one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures,
- further comprising at least one bone fastener, said at least one bone fastener comprising a shank, and blocking structure, said bone fastener when driven through a said aperture and into bone structure of a recipient user, moving said retaining element from a first position to a moved position, so as to enable said blocking structure to move past said moved retaining element, said retaining element automatically, and as a consequence of the moving of said blocking structure past said retaining element, moving back toward the first position and thereby activating a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature inhibits the respective bone fastener withdrawing past said retaining element.
1 more element
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures, and a recess extending from the top surface toward the bottom surface, the recess comprising a side wall;
- and
- (b) a resiliently transversely movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate, a length of said retaining band interfering with a bone fastener being driven into one of the apertures,
- said spinal plate assembly being adapted and configured such that, when a bone fastener is driven through a said aperture into bone structure of such recipient user, and wherein blocking structure on such bone fastener interferes with said retaining band, such retaining band moves from a first position at lateral urging of said bone fastener, in a direction away from the respective aperture, and correspondingly away from the side wall of the recess to a moved position so as to enable said blocking structure to move past said moved retaining element, said retaining element automatically, and as a consequence of the moving of said blocking structure past said retaining element, moving back toward the first position, and thereby activating a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature inhibits the respective bone fastener withdrawing past said retaining element.
1 more element
A spinal plate assembly, comprising:
- (a) a spinal plate, said spinal plate comprising a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures, said spinal plate further comprising a channel communicating with the top surface of said spinal plate and with at least one of said bone-fastener-receiving apertures;
- and
- (b) a resiliently transversely movable retaining band mounted to said spinal plate, said retaining band moving transversely from a first position when a bone fastener is driven through a such aperture, into bone structure of a recipient user, and past said retaining band, and subsequently moving transversely back toward the first position and into interfering relationship with such bone fastener, thus to activate a blocking feature of said spinal plate assembly, which blocking feature inhibits the bone fastener withdrawing out of said spinal plate assembly and past said band, said retaining band being disposed in the channel and extending along the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.