Patent ID: 9414934
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: A61F

Claim Text:
1. An expandable intervertebral implant that is insertable into an intervertebral disc space and expandable from an initial position to an expanded position, the expandable intervertebral implant comprising: a first outer portion defining opposed ends spaced from each other along a longitudinal direction, the first outer portion further defining a first bone contacting surface, wherein the longitudinal direction includes a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction; a second outer portion defining opposed ends spaced from each other along the longitudinal direction, the second outer portion further defining a second bone contacting surface spaced from the first bone contacting surface along a transverse direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, wherein at least one of the first and second outer portions further defines first and second engagement surfaces that are spaced from each other along the longitudinal direction, and the second bone contacting surface defines an orientation relative to the first bone contacting surface; and an inner core disposed between the first and second outer portions, the inner core defining third and fourth engagement surfaces that are spaced from each other and aligned with each other along the longitudinal direction, wherein (i) translation of the inner core in the first direction relative to the at least one of the first and second outer portions causes the third and fourth engagement surfaces to translate with each other and in the first direction ride along the first and second engagement surfaces, respectively, thereby causing the at least one of the first and second outer portions to deflect away from the other of the first and second outer portions along the transverse direction from the initial position to the expanded position, (ii) the relative orientation of the second bone contacting surface with respect to the first bone contacting surface remains constant before, during, and after deflection of the at least one of the first and second outer portions away from the other of the first and second outer portions along the transverse direction, (iii) the implant defines a height from the first bone contacting surface to the second bone contacting surface along the transverse direction, and the expandable intervertebral implant is designed such that when the expandable intervertebral implant is in the initial position, the height is a minimum height such that the implant is unable to achieve a height less than the minimum height via movement of the inner core relative to each of the first and second outer portions along the longitudinal direction, and (iv) when the expandable intervertebral implant is in the expanded position, the first and second outer portions are prevented from moving toward each other in a direction from the expanded position to the initial position while (a) the first engagement surface is in abutment with the third engagement surface and (b) the second engagement surface is in abutment with the fourth engagement surface.