Patent Document ID: 8092500
Application ID: 12584981

Base Claim:
1. In a medical implant assembly having at least two bone anchors cooperating with a longitudinal connecting member, the improvement wherein the longitudinal connecting member comprises: a) first and second segments, the first segment having a first bore formed in a first end surface thereof, the second segment having a second bore formed in a second end surface thereof, the first segment attached to the first bone anchor and the second segment attached to the second bone anchor; b) an inner elongate core partially disposed and slidingly received within each of the bores of the first and second segments; c) at least one spacer member disposed about the core and located between the first and second segments; and d) an elastic structure surrounding the at least one spacer member, the elastic structure gripping at least the first segment, the spacer member being slidable along the inner core with the elastic structure being in a stretched orientation when one of the first and second segments moves away from the other of the first and second segments.

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Claim 12:
12. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the elastic structure is made from a composite material comprising elongate reinforcement strands imbedded in a polymer.