Patent ID: 8137387

Claim:
A bone stabilizer assembly, comprising: a fixation element adapted to engage a bone and having a head portion and a shank portion; a coupling element having an internal bore with a conically shaped seat sized for supporting the head portion of the fixation element, the coupling element adapted to receive a stabilizer rod; and a compression nut engagable with the coupling element, the compression nut adapted to rotatingly move distally into the coupling element to translate a force to the head portion through the rod such that the head portion is forced against the seat of the coupling element, thereby forming a friction fit between the head portion and the coupling element to restrict relative movement between the fixation element and the coupling element; wherein the conical seat has a first conically shaped surface and a second conically shaped surface; and the first conically shaped surface has a pitch angle from horizontal less than the pitch angle of the second conically shaped surface, and wherein the head portion contacts the conically shaped seat at a first annular contact region along the first conically shaped surface and at a second annular contact region along the second conically shaped surface when the head portion is forced against the conically shaped seat.