Ligament assembly
US9980808B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 31, 2014 |
| Grant date | May 29, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2220/0008
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A ligament assembly (2) comprising a resilient element (20) connected to a bone anchor (4) and a ligament (18), the resilient element (20) acting m a cantilever and resisting toads transmitted between the bone anchor (4) and the ligament (18) by virtue of the resistance to bending of the resilient element. The ligament (18) may comprise an artificial ligament (18) which is adapted to replace a human or animal ligament. The resilient element (20) may comprise a spiral spring and may act as a biasing element/shock absorber operatively coupled to the artificial ligament (18) to control the effective stiffness of the artificial ligament (18). Consequently, the resilient element (20) enables an effective stiffness of the artificial ligament (18) to be achieved that more closely approximates the stiffness of a natural ligament.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.