Locking member for a bone fixation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9622784-B2
Application number	US-201615229437-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2016
Priority date	Nov 15, 2012
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A locking member for a bone fixation device can include a locking body that defines an outer surface, an opposed bone contacting surface, and a slot that extends from the bone contacting surface to the outer surface. The locking member can further include at least one locking tooth that extends into the slot and a biasing member that extends into the slot and defines an abutment surface that faces the at least one locking tooth. The slot can be configured to receive a toothed member along an insertion direction and the biasing member can be configured to bias the toothed member toward the at least one locking tooth such that at least one tooth of the toothed member engages the at least one locking tooth of the locking member so as to prevent the toothed member from translating through the slot along a direction that is opposite the insertion direction.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A locking member for a bone fixation device, the locking member comprising:
a locking body that defines an outer surface, an inner bone contacting surface opposite the outer surface, an internal surface that extends between the inner bone contacting surface and the outer surface;
a toothed body that is movably coupled to the locking body, the toothed body having an engagement side that faces the internal surface, and a biasing side that is opposite the engagement side;
a member that is supported by the locking body, the member defining a biasing surface that faces the biasing side,
wherein the locking body is configured to receive a toothed member such that the biasing surface abuts the biasing side to thereby move the toothed body toward the toothed member so as to i) permit the toothed member to translate through the locking body along a direction that extends from the inner surface to the outer surface, and ii) prevent the toothed member from translating through the locking body along a direction that extends from the outer surface to the inner surface.

2. The locking member of claim 1 , wherein the toothed body is rotatably coupled to the locking body at a pivot such that when the locking body receives the toothed member the biasing surface abuts the biasing side to thereby cause the toothed body to rotate about the pivot.

3. The locking member of claim 2 , wherein the pivot is disposed proximate to the inner bone contacting surface, and the biasing surface abuts the biasing side proximate to the outer surface.

4. The locking member of claim 2 , wherein the toothed body includes at least one tooth that extends from the engagement side toward the internal surface.

5. The locking member of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is separate from the toothed body and devoid of locking teeth.

6. The locking member of claim 1 , wherein the locking member defines a slot that extends through the locking body from the inner bone contacting surface to the outer surface, the slot configured to receive the toothed member therethrough.

7. The locking member of claim 6 , wherein the locking member includes a second internal surface that extends between the inner bone contacting surface and the outer surface, and a pair of side surfaces that are opposed to each other and extend from the internal surface to the second internal surface, wherein the internal surface, the second internal surface, and the pair of side surfaces define the slot.

8. The locking member of claim 6 , wherein the locking body includes a platform that extends from the second internal surface toward the first internal surface, and the member extends from the platform such that the member is spaced between the internal surface and the second internal surface.

9. The locking member of claim 1 , wherein the toothed body includes at least one tooth, each of the at least one tooth defining a beveled leading edge that is configured to cam over a complementary beveled leading edge of the toothed member when the toothed member is translated along the direction that extends from the inner surface to the outer surface.

10. The locking member of claim 9 , wherein each of the at least one tooth, further defines a trailing edge that is sloped less than the beveled leading edge such that the trailing edge engages a trailing edge of the toothed member to prevent the toothed member from translating along the direction that extends from the outer surface to the inner surface.

11. A bone fixation device, comprising:
the locking member of claim 1 ; and
the toothed member.

12. The bone fixation device of claim 11 , wherein the toothed member defines a stem that is elongate along a first direction and includes a first end and a second end that is spaced from the first end along the first direction, the stem further including at least one tooth.

13. The bone fixation device of claim 12 , further comprising a second locking member fixed to a first end of the stem with respect to translation relative to the stem along the first direction.

14. The bone fixation device of claim 12 , wherein the stem has first and second surfaces that are opposed along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the stem includes a plurality of teeth that extend only from the first surface.

15. The bone fixation device of claim 14 , wherein the stem further includes a first coupling member at the first end and a pair of second coupling members that extend from the first and second surfaces respectively at a location spaced from the first coupling member such that first and second gaps are defined between the first coupling member and the second coupling members respectively, and wherein the first and second gaps receive a portion of the second locking member to thereby couple the locking member to the stem.

16. The locking member of claim 1 , wherein the member is a biasing member that is supported by the locking body and that defines the biasing surface that faces the biasing side.

17. A method of affixing a first anatomical structure to a surrounding skull portion, the method comprising steps of:
positioning a locking member such that (i) a first clamp member of the locking member is proximate to respective inner surfaces of the first anatomical structure and the surrounding skull portion and (ii) a toothed stem of the locking member that extends from the first clamp member along a first direction protrudes out from between the first anatomical structure and the surrounding skull portion such that a portion of the toothed stem is external to the surrounding skull portion;
inserting the toothed stem through a stem receiving slot of a second clamp member such that a biasing surface of a biasing member of the second clamp member abuts a biasing side of a toothed body of the second clamp member, thereby biasing the toothed body towards the toothed stem, wherein the biasing member extends into the stem receiving slot; and
translating the second clamp member along the toothed stem and toward the first clamp member such that at least one tooth of the toothed stem engages at least one tooth of the toothed body to thereby prevent the second clamp member from translating along the toothed stem away from the first clamp member.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the translating step comprises moving the second clamp member so that a bone contacting surface of the second clamp member abuts respective outer surfaces of the first anatomical structure and the surrounding skull portion.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the translating step further comprises moving the second clamp member so that the bone contacting surface of the second clamp member abuts the respective outer surfaces of the first anatomical structure and the surrounding skull thereby causing a flexible extension of the second clamp member to flex.

Assignees

• Depuy Synthes Products Inc

Inventors

• Memmolo Marcello
• Wheeler Kurtis

Classifications

• A61B17/688 Primary

  for reattaching pieces of the skull · CPC title

• A61B17/84

  Fasteners therefor {or fasteners being internal fixation devices} · CPC title