US RE49,973 E1
Expandable intervertebral implant, system, kit and method
William Miller, Middleboro, MA (US)
Assigned to DePuy Synthes Products, Inc., Rayham, MA (US)
Filed by DePuy Synthes Products, Inc., Raynham, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/441,356.
Application 16/441,356 is a reissue of application No. 13/780,796, filed on Feb. 28, 2013, granted, now 9,717,601, issued on Aug. 1, 2017.
Int. Cl. A61F 2/44 (2006.01); A61F 2/30 (2006.01); A61F 2/46 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 2/4455 (2013.01) [A61F 2/447 (2013.01); A61F 2/4611 (2013.01); A61F 2002/3008 (2013.01); A61F 2002/30156 (2013.01); A61F 2002/3082 (2013.01)] 35 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An expandable implant for insertion in an intervertebral space defined between a first vertebral body and a second vertebral body, the implant defining an insertion end spaced apart from a trailing end along a longitudinal direction, the implant comprising:
a first plate defining a first connection groove and a first projection;
a second plate opposed to the first plate along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the second plate defining a second connection groove and a second projection, wherein the first and second projections are positioned between the first and second connection grooves with respect to the vertical direction;
a first wedge member and a second wedge member spaced from the first wedge member along the longitudinal direction, each wedge member defining:
an inner end and a narrow end spaced apart from the inner end along the longitudinal direction, each wedge member tapering from the inner end to the narrow end, the inner ends of each wedge member facing one another;
a first side surface and a second side surface spaced from the first side surface along a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal and vertical directions;
a first ridge and a second ridge spaced from the first ridge with respect to the vertical direction, each of the first and second ridges 1) elongated in a direction extending from the narrow end to the inner end of the associated wedge member, and 2) protruding from one of the first and second side surfaces of the associated wedge member in the transverse direction,
wherein the first ridge is received within the first connection groove and overlaps the first projection in the transverse [ vertical ] direction so as to interlock the associated wedge member with the first plate, the second ridge is received within the second connection groove and overlaps the second projection in the transverse [ vertical ] direction so as to interlock the associated wedge member with the second plate, and the first and second wedge members are configured to translate away from one another along the longitudinal direction along the first and second plates from a first contracted configuration of the first and second wedge members into a second separated configuration of the first and second wedge members; and
an actuation member coupled to the first wedge member and the second wedge member, the actuation member defining a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end spaced from the proximal end along the longitudinal direction, the shaft defining a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion proximal to the first threaded portion, the actuation member defining a flange extending toward the first and second plates, the flange disposed between the first and second threaded portions, the actuation member configured to translate the first and second wedge members from the first contracted configuration into the second separated configuration so as to separate the first plate from the second plate along the vertical direction [ ,
wherein the implant is configured to expand from a collapsed configuration into an expanded configuration, the expanded configuration is defined as when the first plate is spaced apart from the second plate along the vertical direction, and when the implant is in the collapsed configuration, the inner ends of each wedge member abut the flange] .