Patent ID: 8029569

Claim:
An implantable spinal disk comprising: an external shell including a pair of sidewalls, a back wall, a front wall, a top surface and a bottom surface forming a compartment therebetween, the top surface including a first opening of a first dimension and the bottom surface including a second opening of a second dimension; a first endplate including a first base portion, a first top portion and a plurality of first attachment devices, the first base portion of a dimension greater than the first dimension of the first opening and disposed in the compartment, the first top portion of a dimension smaller than the dimension of the first base portion and approximately the dimension of the first dimension of the first opening and disposed in the first opening, the first top portion having a uniform first perimeter along vertical axis, and the plurality of first attachment devices extending from within the first perimeter of the first top portion and being configured to penetrate into a first vertebra, an upper surface of the first top portion forming a first contact surface continuous with the top surface of the external shell, the first contact surface configured to integrate with the first vertebra; a second endplate including a second base portion, a second top portion and a plurality of second attachment devices, the second base portion of a dimension greater than the second dimension of the second opening and disposed in the compartment, the second top portion of a dimension smaller than the dimension of the second base portion and approximately the dimension of the second dimension of the second opening and disposed in the second opening, the second top portion having a uniform second perimeter along vertical axis, and the plurality of second attachment devices extending from within the second perimeter of the second top portion and being configured to penetrate into a second vertebra, an upper surface of the second top portion forming a second contact surface continuous with the bottom surface of the external shell, the second contact surface configured to integrate with the second vertebra; and a core internal component disposed in the compartment between the first endplate and the second endplate, wherein the external shell is stiffer than the core internal component.