Patent ID: 8075621

Claim:
A push-in interbody spinal fusion implant for at least in part linear insertion across the surgically corrected height of a disc space between two adjacent vertebral bodies of a spine, said implant comprising: an upper member having a portion being at least in part arcuate adapted for placement toward and at least in part within one of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said upper member having at least one opening adapted to communicate with one of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said upper member having a proximal end and a distal end; a lower member having a portion being at least in part arcuate adapted for placement toward and at least in part within the other of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said lower member having at least one opening adapted to communicate with the other of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said openings of said upper and lower members being in communication with one another and adapted for permitting for the growth of bone from adjacent vertebral body to adjacent vertebral body through said implant and being sufficiently sized and located to allow for interbody spinal fusion through said implant, said lower member having a proximal end and a distal end corresponding to said proximal end and said distal end of said upper member, respectively, and a length between said proximal and distal ends, said upper and lower members articulating therebetween adjacent one of said proximal ends and said distal ends of said upper and lower members and allowing for expansion of the height of said implant, said upper and lower members having a first position relative to one another allowing for a collapsed implant height during insertion of said implant into the spine and a second position relative to one another allowing for an increased height, said arcuate portions of said upper and lower members in the first position being angled to one another over a majority of the longitudinal length of said implant and forming at least a portion of one of a frusto-conical shape and the shape of a cylinder split along a horizontal plane through its mid-longitudinal axis with said upper member and said lower member being angled to each other along the length of said implant; at least a portion of a bone-engaging projection is adapted for linear insertion formed on the exterior of each of said opposed arcuate portions of said upper and lower members for penetrably engaging the adjacent vertebral bodies and to facilitate securing said implant into the spine; and at least one blocker adapted to cooperatively engage and hold at least a portion of said upper and lower members apart so as to maintain the increased height of said implant and resist the collapse of said implant to the collapsed implant height when said implant is in a final deployed position.