Patent ID: 9492211
Filing Date: 2016-11-15
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A bone plate system comprising: a plurality of components that are distinct from one another; the plurality of components including a bone plate, an elongate bone anchor having a longitudinal axis, a resilient locking cap, and a locking member that are each distinct from one another; the bone plate having a plurality of throughbores with one of the throughbores having an annular surface extending thereabout; the elongate bone anchor having an upper rigid head portion that includes an uppermost end of the bone anchor and a shank portion that includes a lower end of the bone anchor; the resilient locking cap being preassembled to the elongate bone anchor to extend around the upper rigid head portion thereof prior to driving of the bone anchor into the one throughbore, the resilient locking cap being directly engaged with the bone anchor; an annular wall of the resilient locking cap extending around the bone anchor upper rigid head portion and having an upper end disposed axially upwardly beyond the uppermost end of the bone anchor, the annular wall extending axially from the annular wall upper end down past the bone anchor uppermost end and toward the shank portion of the bone anchor; the locking member being preassembled to the elongate bone anchor and connected directly thereto prior to driving of the bone anchor into the one throughbore; a retention surface of the locking member extending orthogonal to the bone anchor longitudinal axis; a retention surface of the resilient locking cap extending orthogonal to the bone anchor longitudinal axis above the retention surface of the locking member when the locking member is directly connected to the bone anchor in the preassembled configuration, the retention surfaces of the locking member and resilient locking cap being in interfering relation to maintain the direct connection of the locking member to the bone anchor; the preassembled bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member being sized and configured to permit the preassembled bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member to be advanced together into the one throughbore of the bone plate with the locking member connected directly to the bone anchor being configured to be shifted axially along the bone anchor in direct engagement therewith after the preassembled bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member are advanced together into the one throughbore for expanding the resilient locking cap into engagement with the annular surface of the one throughbore; the bone plate, the bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member having a first configuration wherein the resilient locking cap and the locking member are preassembled to the bone anchor and the bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member are all outside of the bone plate; and the bone plate, the bone anchor, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member having a second configuration wherein the resilient locking cap and the locking member are preassembled to the bone anchor and the bone anchor upper rigid head portion, the resilient locking cap, and the locking member are received in the one throughbore of the bone plate, the locking cap being directly engaged with the bone anchor in the second configuration.