Patent ID: 8353622

Claim:
A cartridge for dispensing bone cement, said cartridge including: a cylinder having first and second opposed ends with a void space between the ends in which bone cement is disposed, the cylinder first end being open, the cylinder second end being closed wherein, an outer surface extends over the cylinder second end; a boss that extends outwardly from the cylinder second end so as to extend away from the outer surface that extends over the cylinder second end, wherein said boss is formed to have: an opening that extends through said boss and the cylinder second end outer surface into the cylinder void space, the opening being the opening through which cement is discharged from said cylinder; a plurality of primary tabs that extend radially outwardly from said boss, said tabs being arcuately spaced apart from each other and being spaced away from the outer surface that extends over the second end of said cylinder; and at least one secondary tab, said secondary tab being integral with and extending downwardly from one of said primary tabs; a piston, said piston being disposed in the cylinder void space adjacent the first end of said cylinder, said piston being slidably mounted in the cylinder void space so as to move towards the second end of said cylinder so as to push bone cement out through the boss opening; and a nozzle, said nozzle having: a tubular base, said base being dimensioned to seat in the boss opening and having an open end located adjacent the second end of said cylinder, wherein, when said base is seated in the boss opening, said nozzle, including said base, is able to rotate around an axis that extends through the boss opening; a skirt that is attached to said base so as to extend circumferentially around said base and so as to be spaced radially outwardly of said base, wherein said skirt is further dimensioned so that when said nozzle base is seated in the boss opening, said skirt extends over said primary tabs of said boss; and a plurality of ribs, said ribs extending inwardly from an inner surface of said skirt towards said base, said ribs being arcuately spaced apart from each other so that, when said nozzle base is seated in the boss opening, said ribs are located between said primary tabs and said ribs being further positioned so that, upon the rotation of said nozzle base and skirt, each said rib moves into registration between one of said boss primary tabs and the outer surface that extends over the second end of said cylinder and so that the further rotation of said nozzle is inhibited by the abutment of one of said ribs against said at least one boss secondary tab.