Patent ID: 9549824
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. An expandable spinal implant comprising: upper and lower plates expandable away from each other, wherein the upper plate has an upper surface for engaging a first vertebra and a side surface having a first groove, the lower plate has a lower surface for engaging a second vertebra and a side surface having a second groove adjacent to the first groove, the first and second grooves configured to be engaged by a grip tooth on a driver; an expansion mechanism structured and arranged to move the upper and lower plates away from each other; and a flexible connector releasably engageable with the expansion mechanism, wherein the flexible connector has a proximal end configured to connect to the driver and a distal end connected to the expansion mechanism, the distal end being a straight portion between the upper and lower plates and, when the spinal implant is in a first position, a straight portion extends between the proximal end and distal end, and, when the spinal implant is in a second position, a curved portion extends between the proximal end and the distal end outside of a space between the upper and lower plates wherein the expansion mechanism comprises a rotatable expansion rod and at least one wedge axially movable on the expansion rod, wherein at least one of the upper and lower plates comprises at least one inner ramp surface in contact with the at least one wedge, and wherein rotation of the expansion rod causes the at least one wedge to move axially along the expansion rod and to engage the ramp surface to thereby expand the upper and lower plates away from each other.