Patent ID: 8771358

Claim:
A push-in orthopedic implant having a length for at least in part linear insertion at least in part between two adjacent bone masses, said implant comprising: an upper member having a portion being at least in part arcuate adapted for placement toward and into contact with one of the adjacent bone masses, said upper member having at least one opening adapted to communicate with one of the adjacent bone masses, 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 into contact with the other of the adjacent bone masses, said lower member having at least one opening adapted to communicate with the other of the adjacent bone masses, 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 bone mass to adjacent bone mass 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, said upper and lower members adapted to rotatably articulate about a pivot axis adjacent one of said proximal ends and said distal ends of said upper and lower members, the articulation of said upper and lower members allowing for expansion of a height of said implant, the pivot axis being transverse to a mid-longitudinal axis of said implant, said upper and lower members having a first position relative to one another allowing for a collapsed implant height and a second position relative to one another allowing for an increased height; 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 collapse of said implant to the collapsed implant height when said implant is in a final deployed position, said at least one blocker being configured to rotate about an axis of rotation generally parallel to the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant in a plane generally perpendicular to the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant and to remain in said plane while transitioning said upper and lower members from said first position to said second position, said at least one blocker having an upper surface, a lower surface, and side surfaces as defined when said at least one blocker is positioned to increase the height of said implant, said side surfaces intersecting said upper and said lower surfaces at two pairs of diametrically opposed junctions, said two pairs of diametrically opposed junctions being a pair of diametrically opposed corners and a pair of diametrically opposed arcs; and a hollow defined between said upper and lower member, the pivot axis of said upper and lower members extending through said hollow.