Patent Document ID: 8105368
Application ID: 11888612

Base Claim:
1. In a medical implant assembly having at least two bone attachment structures, including a first and a second bone attachment structure, the first and second bone attachment structures cooperating with a longitudinal connecting member, the improvement wherein the longitudinal connecting member comprises: a) an inner core having a periphery and a slit formed into a portion of the periphery, the core being integral along an entire length of the connecting member and secured to the first and second bone attachment structures; and b) an elastically compressible outer sleeve including opposed flat end surfaces adapted for flush engagement with a side surface of each of the first and second bone attachment structures, and covering the slit of the inner core, the sleeve disposed outside of the periphery, allowing respective freedom of movement between the inner core and the outer sleeve, the sleeve positioned entirely between the first and second bone attachment structures so as to be axially compressed by the first and second bone attachment structures, so as to provide a dynamic tension-compression relationship between the axially compressed sleeve and the inner core slitted portion.

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Claim 6:
6. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the sleeve has an external surface with at least one groove formed in the surface.