Screw tower and rod reduction tool

US12544117B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12544117-B2
Application numberUS-202318298509-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateApr 11, 2023
Priority dateJul 22, 2021
Publication dateFeb 10, 2026
Grant dateFeb 10, 2026

How to read this patent

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  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

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  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A system includes a screw tower, an instrument, and a housing. The instrument includes a driver shaft extendable longitudinally through the screw tower, and a threaded sleeve mounted on a proximal portion of the driver shaft. The housing includes one or more retention members coupleable to the screw tower, and a threaded button threadably coupleable to the threaded sleeve. The threaded sleeve is rotatable about a longitudinal axis to urge the driver shaft longitudinally relative to the screw tower.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1 . A tracking system for tracking bone screw towers configured to be attached to vertebral bodies during a minimally invasive surgical procedure, the system comprising: a first screw tower adapted to be attached to a pedicle screw attached to a vertebral body of a patient, the first screw tower having a plurality of spaced stripes in a selected pattern; a second screw tower having a plurality of spaced stripes and adapted to be attached to a second pedicle screw attached to the same vertebral body as the first pedicle screw; a processor; and a plurality of position sensors in communication with the processor and including a plurality of stereo-photogrammetric cameras; wherein the processor is configured to determine a 3D pose of the spaced stripes on the first screw tower from camera images obtained from the stereo-photogrammetric cameras based on a stereo-photogrammetry process, wherein the processor is configured to determine a 3D pose of the spaced stripes on the second screw tower based on images obtained from the stereo-photogrammetric cameras based on stereo-photogrammetry, and wherein the plurality of spaced stripes on the first screw tower is spaced apart differently than the plurality of spaced stripes on the second screw tower to allow the processor to distinguish between the first and second screw tower based on the spaced stripes of the first and second screw tower. 2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to transfer registration to the spaced stripes on the first screw tower for use as a dynamic reference base. 3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower include a plurality of parallel stripes. 4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines the 3 D pose of the spaced stripes of the first screw tower by comparing an image from the position sensor to a geometrical model of the stripes. 5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower include: a first set of stripes; a second set of stripes longitudinally spaced from the first set. 6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower further include a single stripe disposed between the first and second sets of stripes. 7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein a thickness of at least one of the spaced stripes in the first screw tower is different from at least one of the spaced stripes in the second screw tower. 8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first and second screw towers are retro-reflective detectable by the position sensors. 9 . A tracking system for tracking bone screw towers configured to be attached to vertebral bodies during a minimally invasive surgical procedure, the system comprising: a first screw tower adapted to be attached to a pedicle screw attached to a vertebral body of a patient, the first screw tower having a cylindrical body and a plurality of spaced stripes in a selected pattern on the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body having a pair of longitudinal recesses for receiving a rod to be fixed to the pedicle screw; a second screw tower having a plurality of spaced stripes and adapted to be attached to a second pedicle screw attached to the same vertebral body as the first pedicle screw; a processor; a plurality of position sensors in communication with the processor and including a plurality of stereo-photogrammetric cameras; wherein the processor is configured to determine a center of the spaced stripes on the first screw tower from camera images obtained from the stereo-photogrammetric cameras based on a stereo-photogrammetry process, and wherein the plurality of spaced stripes on the first screw tower is spaced apart differently than the plurality of spaced stripes on the second screw tower to allow the processor to distinguish between the first and second screw tower based on the spaced stripes of the first and second screw tower. 10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to transfer registration to the spaced stripes on the first screw tower for use as a dynamic reference base. 11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower include a plurality of parallel stripes. 12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor determines the 3 D pose of the spaced stripes of the first screw tower by comparing an image from the position sensor to a geometrical model of the stripes. 13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower include: a first set of stripes; a second set of stripes longitudinally spaced from the first set. 14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first screw tower further include a single stripe disposed between the first and second sets of stripes. 15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein a thickness of at least one of the spaced stripes in the first screw tower is different from at least one of the spaced stripes in the second screw tower. 16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the spaced stripes of the first and second screw towers are retro-reflective detectable by the position sensors.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Coupling (A61B2017/0046 takes precedence) · CPC title

  • for applying, tightening or removing longitudinal element-to-bone anchor locking elements, e.g. caps, set screws, nuts or wedges · CPC title

  • Rod reducers, i.e. devices providing a mechanical advantage to allow a user to force a rod into or onto an anchor head other than by means of a rod-to-bone anchor locking element; rod removers · CPC title

  • Tools for guidance or insertion of tethers, rod-to-anchor connectors, rod-to-rod connectors, or longitudinal elements · CPC title

  • for driving, i.e. rotating, screws or screw parts specially adapted for spinal fixation, e.g. for driving polyaxial or tulip-headed screws · CPC title

Patent family

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Frequently asked questions

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What does patent US12544117B2 cover?
A system includes a screw tower, an instrument, and a housing. The instrument includes a driver shaft extendable longitudinally through the screw tower, and a threaded sleeve mounted on a proximal portion of the driver shaft. The housing includes one or more retention members coupleable to the screw tower, and a threaded button threadably coupleable to the threaded sleeve. The threaded sleeve i…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Globus Medical Inc
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61B17/708. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Feb 10 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 12 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).