Patent ID: 9662222
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61F

Claim:
1. A medical device comprising: (a) an implant body including a backbone and including a plurality of segments interconnected at least by virtue of being commonly attached to the backbone, so that the implant body assumes a straightened state and a flexed deployed state, a segment of said plurality of segments having an engagement element; and (b) an elongated locking element anchored at one segment of said implant body, the locking element having a projection corresponding to the engagement element, wherein said implant body and said locking element are configured to lock, such that when said locking element is deflected to reach said flexed deployed state of the implant body, the projection of the locking element engages and locks with the engagement element of the implant body to lock said locking element relative to said implant body, thereby retaining said medical device in said flexed deployed state, wherein at least one additional segment of said implant body has an additional engagement element and said elongated locking element has at least one additional projection that engages and locks with the additional engagement element when said at least one additional segment of said implant body flexes, said implant body and said locking element being configured such that, when said implant body is deflected, each successive segment of said implant body flexes, and projections engage said engagement elements only for those segments that have already flexed.