Patent ID: 9295560
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: A61F

Claim Text:
1. A prosthetic intervertebral disc comprising: (a) a resiliently flexible and compressible nucleus having an upper face, a lower face, and a peripheral outer surface extending between said upper and lower faces; (b) an upper end plate located proximate said upper face and having a first plurality of fingers extending radially outward and extending curvingly away from the upper face of the nucleus in the form of shallow hooks having respective tips extending axially away from the upper face of the nucleus; (c) a lower end plate located proximate said lower face and having a second plurality of fingers extending radially outward and extending curvingly away from the lower face of the nucleus in the form of shallow hooks having respective tips extending axially away from the lower face of the nucleus; (d) a strand of flexible tension-bearing material separate from the nucleus extending around one of the first plurality of fingers and to and around a respective one of the second plurality of fingers, separate from but adjacent said peripheral outer surface of said nucleus, as a winding interconnecting said upper and lower end plates with each other; and (e) a respective end cap located axially adjacent and covering each of said end plates, each said end cap including a peripheral rim, the peripheral rim extending from the end cap and in an axial direction with respect to the prosthetic intervertebral disc, toward the adjacent end plate, and being located radially outwardly adjacent to and closely surrounding said tips of said plurality of fingers of the respective end plate to which it is attached.