EP1222899A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Pedicle screw assembly
Assignee: Stryker Spine SAS
•
Filing: 2001-10-10
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2021-10-10
Abstract
Abstract A stabilizing assembly includes a fastener having an upper end and a lower end, a head at the upper end, and at least one anchoring element extending between the upper and lower ends. The head includes a center, an underside including a first radial surface and a top side including a second radial surface. The first radial surface of the head defines a first radius from the center of the head and the second radial surface defines a second radius from the center of the head, the first radius being greater than the second radius. The assembly also includes a coupling element having an upper end and a lower end, the coupling element including a rod receiving opening extending from the upper end thereof being adapted to receive a stabilizing rod, a bore extending through the lower end of the coupling element for receiving the fastener, and a conical-shaped seat adjacent the lower end of the coupling element adapted to engage the first radial surface of the head when the fastener is positioned in the bore. A locking element associated with the coupling element is adapted to apply a force upon a stabilizing rod positioned in the rod receiving opening. As a force is applied to a stabilizing rod, the rod in turn, engages the second radial surface at the top side of the head for forcing the underside of the head against the conical-shaped seat of the coupling element so as to prevent further pivotal and rotational movement of the fastener and the coupling element relative to one another. In certain embodiments, the fastener may be a screw fastener having screw threads. In other embodiments, the fastener may include a hook.
Inventors
- 👤 Greg Martin
- 👤 Yves Crozet
- 👤 William J. Kelly
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 16:19
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/56; A61B17/58; A61B17/68; A61B17/70; A61B17/7001; A61B17/7035; A61B17/7037; G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; G06Q10/107; A61B17/7032; A61B17/7074; A61B17/7076; A61B17/7082; A61B2017/564
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 45
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
A stabilizing assembly comprising: a fastener having an upper end and a lower end, a head
at the upper end, and at least one anchoring element between the
upper and lower ends thereof; said head including a center, an underside including a
first radial surface and a top side including a second radial
surface, wherein said first radial surface defines a first radius
from the center of said head and said second radial surface
defines a second radius from the center of said head, the first
radius being greater than the second radius; and a coupling element having an upper end and a lower end,
said coupling element including a rod receiving opening adapted
to receive a stabilizing rod, a bore extending through the lower
end of said coupling element for receiving said fastener, and a
conical-shaped seat adjacent the lower end of said coupling
element, wherein the first radial surface of said head is
engagable with the conical-shaped seat when said fastener is
positioned in the bore.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
80 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 1, further
comprising: a locking element associated with said coupling element
to apply a force upon a stabilizing rod positioned in said rod
receiving opening, wherein said stabilizing rod in turn applies a
force upon the second radial surface of said head for forcing the
first radial surface of said head against the conical-shaped seat
for preventing further pivotal and rotational movement of said
fastener and said coupling element relative to one another.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
fastener is a screw fastener, and wherein the at least one
anchoring element comprises screw threads extending between the
upper and lower ends thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at
least one anchoring element comprises a hook at the lower end of
said fastener.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said head
includes at least one groove extending from the top surface
toward the underside thereof, said at least one groove being
adapted to receive a driver for inserting said fastener into
bone.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at
least one groove extends in a direction substantially parallel to
the longitudinal axis of said screw fastener.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at
least one groove includes a plurality of grooves.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
A driver for screwing the screw fastener of claim 7
into a bone, said driver comprising a shaft having a lower end
and a plurality of prongs extending from the lower end of the
shaft and insertable into said grooves of said screwhead.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The driver as claimed in claim 8, wherein said driver
includes external threads provided on the shaft.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The driver as claimed in claim 9, wherein said coupling
element includes internal threads, and wherein the external
threads of said driver are engagable with the internal threads of
said coupling element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
coupling element includes internal threads extending from the
upper end toward the lower end thereof, said coupling element
including an annular lip having a diameter between the internal
threads and the conical-shaped seat of the coupling element, and
wherein the diameter of said annular lip is less than twice the
first radius of said head.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the center
of said screwhead is in substantial alignment with the
longitudinal axis of said screw fastener.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
coupling element has threads extending from the upper end
thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the
threads of said coupling element are internal threads formed on
an interior surface of said coupling element.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said
locking element comprises a set screw having external threads for
threadably engaging the internal threads of said coupling
element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threads
of said coupling element are exterior threads formed on an
exterior surface of said coupling element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein said
locking element comprises a nut having internal threads for
threadably engaging the exterior threads of said coupling
element.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
coupling element includes an exterior surface having one or more
notches formed therein.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
33 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein said
coupling element includes one or more cuts between the rod-receiving
opening and the exterior surface thereof for minimizing
the width of said coupling element.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
fastener is a screw fastener having screw threads and a neck
having a reduced diameter between the head of said fastener and
the screw threads.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 20, wherein the neck
of said screw fastener has a concave surface.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
stabilizing assembly is made from a material selected from the
group consisting on titanium and stainless steel.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
166 words
A stabilizing assembly comprising: a fastener having an upper end and a lower end, a head
at the upper end, and at least one anchoring element between the
upper and lower ends for anchoring the fastener to bone; said head including a center, an underside including a
first radial surface and a top side including a second radial
surface, said first radial surface defining a first radius from
the center of said head and said second radial surface defining a
second radius from the center of said head, the first radius
being greater than the second radius; and a coupling element having an upper end and a lower end,
said coupling element including a rod receiving opening adapted
to receive a stabilizing rod, a bore extending through the lower
end of said coupling element for receiving said fastener, and a
seat adjacent the lower end of said coupling element engagable
with the first radial surface of said head when said fastener is
positioned in the bore.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 23,
wherein the seat of said coupling element is substantially
conical-shaped and includes inwardly tapering sidewalls.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
85 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 24,
further comprising: a locking element associated with said coupling
element, said locking element being adapted to apply a force upon
a stabilizing rod positioned in said rod receiving opening, wherein said stabilizing rod in turn engages the second radial
surface at the top side of said head for forcing the underside of
said head against the conical-shaped seat for preventing further
pivotal and rotational movement of said screw fastener and said
coupling element relative to one another.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 23,
wherein said fastener is a screw fastener having screw threads,
the at least one anchoring element including the screw threads.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 23,
wherein said fastener includes a hook, the at least one anchoring
element including the hook.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
106 words
A stabilizing assembly comprising: a fastener having an upper end and a lower end, a head
at the upper end, and at least one anchoring element extending
between the upper and lower ends, said head including an
underside having a first radial surface; and a coupling element having an upper end and a lower end,
said coupling element including a rod receiving opening adapted
to receive a stabilizing rod, a bore extending through the lower
end of said coupling element for receiving said fastener, and a
conical-shaped seat adapted to engage the first radial surface of
said head when said fastener is positioned in the bore.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
69 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 28,
further comprising: a locking element associated with said coupling
element, said locking element being adapted to apply a force
against a stabilizing rod positioned in said rod receiving
opening, said stabilizing rod in turn applying a force to a top
side of said head for forcing the first radial surface of said
head against the conical-shaped seat of said coupling element.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
60 words
The stabilizing assembly as claimed in claim 29,
wherein the top side of said head includes a second radial
surface, and wherein said first radial surface defines a first
radius from a center of said head and said second radial surface
defines a second radius from the center of said head, the first
radius being greater than the second radius.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 30, wherein the center
of said head is in substantial alignment with a longitudinal axis
of said fastener.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
33 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 31, wherein said
fastener is a screw fastener, the at least one anchoring element
including screw threads extending between the upper and lower
ends of said fastener.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
40 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 28, wherein said
coupling element has threads extending from the upper end thereof
and said locking element includes a threaded set screw having
threads adapted to mesh with the threads of said coupling
element.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
85 words
A bone fastener having an upper end and a lower end,
said bone fastener comprising: a head at the upper end thereof; and at least one bone anchoring element extending between
the upper and lower ends of said fastener, wherein said head
includes a center, an underside having a first radial surface
with a first radius from the center, and a top side having a
second radial surface with a second radius from the center, wherein the first radius is greater than the second radius.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
23 words
The fastener as claimed in claim 34, wherein said
fastener comprises a material selected from the group consisting
of titanium and stainless steel.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
102 words
The fastener as claimed in claim 34, wherein said
fastener is insertable into a coupling element having an upper
end and a lower end, said coupling element including a rod
receiving opening, a bore extending through the lower end of said
coupling element for receiving said fastener, and a conical-shaped
seat adjacent the lower end of said coupling element being
engagable with the first radial surface at the underside of said
head when said fastener is positioned in the bore, wherein said
inserted screw fastener pivots relative to said coupling element
before being locked from further movement relative to said
coupling element.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
21 words
The fastener as claimed in claim 34, wherein said
fastener includes screw threads extending between the upper and
lower ends thereof.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
18 words
The fastener as claimed in claim 34, wherein said
fastener includes a hook at the lower end thereof.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
164 words
A stabilizing assembly for use in conjunction with an
orthopedic stabilizing rod, said assembly comprising: a fastener including a lower end insertable into bone
and a head at an upper end thereof having a first radial surface
with a first radius at an underside of said head and a second
radial surface with a second radius at a top side of said head,
wherein the first radius is greater than the second radius; and a coupling element having an upper end and a lower end,
said coupling element including a rod receiving opening adapted
to receive a stabilizing rod, a bore extending through the lower
end of said coupling element for receiving said fastener, and a
conical-shaped seat adapted to engage the underside of said head
when said fastener is assembled with said coupling element, wherein said fastener and said coupling element are free to pivot
and rotate relative to one another before the head of said
fastener is locked in said coupling element.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
31 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 39, wherein said
coupling element includes an exterior surface having one or more
notches formed therein, said notches being engageable for
securing said coupling element.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
83 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 39, further comprising
a locking element for locking a stabilizing rod in the rod
receiving opening of said coupling element, said locking element
being associated with said coupling element to force said
stabilizing rod against the second radial surface of said head
which in turn forces the first radial surface of said head
against the seat of said coupling element for preventing said
coupling element and said screw fastener from pivoting and
rotating relative to one another.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
21 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 39, wherein said
fastener includes screw threads extending between the upper and
lower ends thereof.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
13 words
The assembly as claimed in claim 39, wherein said
fastener includes a hook.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
124 words
A coupling element for a stabilizing assembly
comprising: an upper end and a lower end; a rod receiving opening adapted to receive a
stabilizing rod; a bore extending through the lower end of said coupling
element for receiving a fastener having a head with a first
radial surface of a first diameter; a seat adjacent the lower end of said coupling element
adapted to engage an underside of the head of said fastener; threads extending from the upper end toward the lower
end of said coupling element; and an annular lip between the threads and the seat of said
coupling element, wherein said annular lip has a second diameter
that is less than the first diameter of the first radial surface
of said head.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
98 words
A coupling element for a stabilizing assembly
comprising: an upper end and a lower end remote therefrom; a rod receiving opening adapted to receive a
stabilizing rod; said coupling element having an exterior surface and an
interior surface defining a central bore extending through the
lower end of said coupling element; a seat adjacent the lower end of said coupling element
adapted to engage an underside of a head of said fastener, wherein said coupling element includes one or more cuts between
the rod-receiving opening and the exterior surface thereof for
minimizing the width of said coupling element
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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