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:
Oct. 11, 2011
Filed:
Sep. 19, 2008
Steve Vander Meulen, Leander, TX (US);
Jerome J. Klawitter, Austin, TX (US);
Steve Vander Meulen, Leander, TX (US);
Jerome J. Klawitter, Austin, TX (US);
Ascension Orthopedics, Inc., Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
An orthopedic prosthetic implant comprises a metal alloy stem element (), which has one end portion () constructed to reside in the medullary cavity of a bone and an integral connector () at the opposite end to which crystalline brittle head (), preferably made of pyrocarbon-coated graphite, is joined. The head interfaces with human bone, and its effective joinder to the stem element is achieved through a polymeric insert () of proportional shape and design which has selected elastic properties. The design and material of the polymeric insert allow it to be securely received within an interior cavity () of the pyrocarbon-coated graphite head and mated to the stem connector in an either rigidly or bi-polar arrangement. The method of joinder allows the construction of composite implants that utilize the most desirable properties of metallic and brittle crystalline materials.