Patent ID: 11937801
Assignee: CROSSROADS EXTREMITY SYSTEMS, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 8:
9. A knotless locking system for locking a flexible synthetic strand relative to a bone tunnel bored through a first bone portion, the bone tunnel having a first end adjacent to a first surface of the first bone portion and a second end near a second surface of the first bone portion, the locking system comprising a locking anchor and a set screw,
the locking anchor including:
a head;
a longitudinal shank protruding distally from the head, the shank having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and an axial hole extending therethrough, the shank defining a longitudinal axis and configured for insertion into the bone tunnel from the first end of the bone tunnel toward the second end of the bone tunnel; and
a receiver formed in the proximal portion of the shank, the receiver having internal threads extending over a proximal portion oriented at a proximal taper angle, a mid portion oriented at a mid taper angle, and a distal portion oriented at a distal taper angle; and
the set screw including:
external threads extending over a proximal portion oriented at an opposing proximal taper angle, a mid portion oriented at an opposing mid taper angle, and a distal portion oriented at an opposing distal taper angle, wherein:
the proximal, the mid, and the distal taper angles of the receiver and the opposing proximal, the opposing mid, and the opposing distal taper angles of the set screw are configured such that when the set screw is rotationally inserted into the receiver, 1) the receiver and the set screw define a progressively decreasing clearance between them along the proximal portion of the receiver in a direction toward the mid portion of the receiver, and 2) the receiver and the set screw define a progressively increasing clearance between them along the distal portion of the receiver away from the mid portion of the receiver, such that the set screw and the receiver are configured to provide a) a gradual increase in a proximal compression force applied to a length of the flexible synthetic strand extending between the proximal and the mid portions of the receiver and the set screw and b) a gradual decrease in a distal compression force applied to a length of the flexible synthetic strand extending between the mid and the distal portions of the receiver and the set screw.