Patent ID: 7850715

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an orthopedic implant; a support member; a connector connecting said implant and said support member, said connector having a first hole for accommodating said support member, said hole having a longitudinal axis along or parallel to said support member, and a second hole in the form of a slot having a long dimension and a short dimension perpendicular to said long dimension, said first and second holes communicating with each other and said long dimension being parallel to said longitudinal axis of said first hole; a sleeve member slidable along the outside of said implant and inside said second hole, said sleeve member having a longitudinal axis, a threaded portion at one end, a first convex section and a second convex section having different curvatures extending along said longitudinal axis, said first convex section having a first curvature extending along said longitudinal axis, said second convex section having a second curvature extending along said longitudinal axis that curves at a different rate relative to said first curvature, said sleeve member further including a generally straight medial portion having a smaller outside diameter than said threaded portion positioned between said threaded portion and said first and second convex sections, and at least one slot substantially parallel to said sleeve axis in said generally straight medial portion and said first and second convex sections; and a locking member that connects to said sleeve member and adapted to tighten against said connector and cause said first convex section of said sleeve member to contact said support member and force said support member against a portion of said connector, said sleeve member being compressed against said implant with said second convex section of said sleeve member in contact with said connector.