Patent ID: 7226449

Claim:
An external ring fixator apparatus for stabilizing bone fractures, comprising: at least one pair of rings, of which one is proximal and another is distal; and at least one tie rod interconnecting the rings to each other, wherein said at least one rod is split into two rod sections connected together by a joint, wherein said joint comprises a pivot mount having a predetermined axis for the angular displacement of the rod sections and comprises a sleeve, wherein the axis of the pivot mount lies perpendicularly to said rod sections, wherein an offset between the rod sections is obtained by means of a slide mount having a predetermined sliding direction for offsetting the rod sections, and comprising a slider slidably mounted on a slide way extending along the pivot mount axis, the sliding direction of the slide mount being coincident with the pivot mount axis, and wherein one end of one rod section is fixed to the slide way, and one end of the other rod section is fixed to the sleeve that is rotatably mounted on the slide way.