Patent ID: 8752804

Claim:
A rod clamp assembly comprising: a housing having sidewalls and endwalls, the sidewalls being arranged to define at least a first pair of sidewalls and the endwalls being arranged to define at least one pair of endwalls, the sidewalls of the first pair of sidewalls being oppositely-disposed from each other, the endwalls of the pair of endwalls being oppositely-disposed from each other, the first pair of sidewalls having a first side passage that passes entirely through the housing and is defined by side passage walls within the housing, the first side passage defining an interior cavity within the housing, the pair of endwalls having an end passage that passes entirely through the housing and through the cavity within the housing to define an intersection with the cavity, the end passage being defined by end passage walls within the housing, the end passage having a cross-sectional shape such that the end passage is larger at the intersection with the cavity within the housing than at the endwalls of the housing; a wedge member having a first longitudinal end, an oppositely-disposed second longitudinal end, and at least a first ramp feature at the second longitudinal end that defines an edge that is not parallel to a longitudinal axis of the wedge member, the wedge member having a cross-sectional shape congruous to the cross-sectional shape of the first side passage of the housing, the wedge member having a longitudinal length that is sufficient so that the first ramp feature enters the intersection between the end passage and the first side passage when the wedge member is inserted through the first side passage of the housing; and a rod accommodated within the end passage, the rod having a cross-sectional size and shape congruous with the end passage, the cross-sectional shape of the rod being smaller than the cross-sectional shape of the end passage, and the cross-sectional shapes of the rod, the end passage and the wedge member being mutually sized and shaped so that insertion of the wedge member into the first side passage causes the rod to engage one of the end passage walls of the end passage; wherein the first ramp feature of the wedge member is engaged with the rod to cause the rod to bow within the cavity of the housing, engage one of the end passage walls of the end passage, and lock the rod within the cavity.