Patent ID: 9492208
Filing Date: 2016-11-15
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A guide assembly for introducing a bone anchor to an operative target site, the bone anchor including a housing having a pair of opposed arms defined by first and second opposed slots formed in the housing, comprising: an outer sleeve having a distal end, a proximal end, a central passage extending from the distal end to the proximal end, the outer sleeve being divided into a first outer arm and a second outer arm, the first outer arm and second outer arm being separated by a third slot open at the distal end and a fourth slot opposite the third slot and open at the distal end, wherein the first outer arm includes a first projection at the distal end extending into the central passage and the second outer arm includes a second projection at the distal end extending into the central passage, the first and second projections configured to engage first and second recesses formed in the housing arms, a first inner arm slidably coupled to the first outer arm such that the first inner arm translates longitudinally relative to the first outer arm, and a second inner arm slidably coupled to the second outer arm such that the second inner arm translates longitudinally relative to the second outer arm, the first inner arm and second inner arm being separated by a fifth slot and a sixth slot, the fifth slot being aligned with the third slot of the outer sleeve and the sixth slot being aligned with the fourth slot of the outer sleeve, the third and fifth slot together being aligned with the first slot of the housing and the fourth and sixth slot together being aligned with the second slot of the housing when the first and second projections are engaged in the first and second recesses of the housing, the first inner arm and second inner arm moveable between an open position and a closed position for temporarily fixing the housing to the guide assembly, the first inner arm having a first distal extension with a first longitudinally extending engagement feature configured to slideably engage a complementary first longitudinally extending engagement feature on the housing when the first inner arm moves from the open position, the second inner arm having a second distal extension with a second longitudinally extending engagement feature configured to slideably engage a complementary second longitudinally extending engagement feature on the housing when the second inner arm moves from the open position, a proximal body threadedly engaged with internal threading of the outer sleeve and rotatable to translate the first inner arm and second inner arm between the open and closed positions.