US 9,539,043 B2 · Screw driver, combination, and related methods

Abstract

An orthopedic implant screw driver includes drive shaft. A first gear is operably coupled to the drive shaft and in meshing engagement with a hollow gear which rotates in response to rotation of the drive shaft. The hollow gear includes a passage defining an inwardly facing screw engagement periphery configured to receive and drivingly rotate a threaded portion of the screw. A method of securing an orthopedic implant to a bone includes positioning a screw within the passage which is configured to drivingly engage a threaded portion of the screw and rotating a drive shaft in driving engagement with the gear causing the gear to engage the screw along the threaded portion of the screw and rotatably drive the screw via the threaded portion.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method of securing an orthopedic implant to a bone, the method comprising:

positioning a bone screw within a central passage of a gear configured to drivingly engage a threaded portion of the bone screw;
rotating a drive shaft in driving engagement with the gear causing the gear to engage the bone screw along the threaded portion of the bone screw and rotatably drive the bone screw via the threaded portion,
wherein positioning the bone screw within the passage comprises inserting the bone screw through a first end of the central passage, wherein positioning the bone screw within the central passage comprises aligning an axis of rotation of the bone screw in a first direction which is disposed at an angle to an axis of rotation of the drive shaft, wherein the angle is a non-perpendicular angle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Screw driver, combination, and related methods

Life of this patent

Screw driver, combination, and related methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14