Patent · US Expired

Orthopaedic rod/plate locking mechanism

US6524315B1 · kind B1 · utility

191Cited by
67References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 8, 2000
Grant dateFeb 25, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 17, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B17/7055
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An orthopaedic junction or anchor assembly for anchoring a linkage such as a rod or cable used for fixation or reduction. The assembly includes a slotted bolt that fits through an apertured plate, and a support platform that fits over the bolt, capturing the plate in a one-piece assembly for convenient installation. The base of the bolt is recessed in the plate and a cap or nut tightens down to secure the linking member, e.g., a rod or cable, in the bolt slot, simultaneously clamping the bolt to fix both its position and its orientation on the plate. The support platform has the form of a generally annular washer with an upper surface including a transverse groove on which the rod seats, and a lower surface abutting the plate. A sleeve potion may extend within and buttress the surrounding wall of the plate. The plate may take various forms, such as a hook or offset arm, an occipital T-plate, or a vertebra plate. In one embodiment the support platform is swaged to the bolt, allowing the bolt to rotate freely, and slide along the slot of the bone plate as a captive assembly, keeping all the components together without constraining the alignment during installation. Other embodiments …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.