Patent ID: 11890034
Assignee: SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a screw, comprising a shaft and a screw head fixedly attached with the shaft, wherein the screw head further comprises a portion of a sphere;
a movable head comprising a top portion and a bottom portion, a concave interior larger than the screw head, and being movable with respect to the screw head;
a connecting rod;
a locking element, capable of engaging the movable head and creating an axial compression force on the connecting rod; and
a collet having a central opening with a longitudinal axis, wherein the collet is interposed between the screw head and the concave interior of the movable head,
wherein the collet comprises a top portion capable of contacting said connecting rod, and at least one flexible hinge, wherein the at least one flexible hinge extends from the top portion of the collet and for a distance spaced from the bottom portion of the collet and includes a concave interior intersecting the central opening and extending radially outward away from the central opening and the longitudinal axis whereby the concave interior of the at least one flexible hinge faces towards the longitudinal axis, and wherein the collet includes one or more open slots extending in a direction between the top portion of the collet and the bottom portion of the collet.