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:
Mar. 03, 1998
Filed:
Feb. 06, 1996
Jean-Francois Jeanson, Assenay, FR;
Marc Ameil, Reims, FR;
Herve Dinville, Saint-Parres-Aux-Tertres, FR;
Jean Huppert, L'Etrat, FR;
Thierry Marnay, Nimes, FR;
Michel Gau, St. Pol Sur Ternoise, FR;
JBS S.A., Troyes, FR;
Abstract
An implant for replacing a removed vertebra includes an outer sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral inner surface. The inner surface has a series of axially adjoining, peripheral grooves lending the inner surface a sawtooth-shaped configuration when viewing the inner sleeve in axial section. The implant further includes an inner sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a peripheral outer surface. The outer surface has a series of axially adjoining, peripheral ribs lending the outer surface a sawtooth-shaped configuration when viewing the inner sleeve in axial section. The inner sleeve is telescopingly received in the outer sleeve such that the series of axially adjoining, peripheral ribs of the outer surface engage into the series of axially adjoining, peripheral grooves of the surface in an interfitting relationship. The sawtooth-shaped configurations of the inner and outer surfaces are oriented such that in normal operation the sleeves are prevented by the interengaging sawtooth configurations from being telescoped into one another, but are allowed by ratchet action to telescope outwardly from one another. The inner sleeve is radially sufficiently resilient to allow alternating radial compression and expansion during the ratchet action.