The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 19, 1994
Filed:
Mar. 04, 1993
Robert S Howland, Seal Beach, CA (US);
Advanced Spine Fixation Systems, Inc., Cypress, CA (US);
Abstract
A branch connector is useful for connecting a pair of spine rods in a spinal fixation system. The branch connector includes an upper saddle, a lower saddle and a bolt for clamping the saddles together. The upper and lower saddles mate to define a pair of openings for receiving the spine rods. The bolt includes a threaded shaft that extends through a first aperture defined by the upper saddle and threads into a second aperture defined by the lower saddle. By tightening the bolt, the saddles are drawn together to securely grip the spine rods. The openings can be arranged in different configurations to perform different functions. A branch connector with parallel openings forms a branch clamp for connecting two spine rods in series. A pair of branch connectors arranged as transverse clamps with perpendicular openings can be combined with a transverse rod to form a cross brace assembly for bridging a pair of generally parallel spine rods.