PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16020623
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-06
Publication Date: 2020-01
Patent Classification: ["606", "057000"]

Abstract:
A connecting rod for an external fixation device may include a telescopic housing having an axial bore, an inner sleeve slidably disposed within the axial bore of the telescopic housing, a fastener operable to releasably couple the inner sleeve and the telescopic housing, an elongated member coupled to the inner sleeve, and two joints. One joint may be coupled to a proximal end of the telescopic housing, and include a rotatable member and a connecting member coupled to the rotatable member, such that the connecting member is operable to receive a connecting element from an external fixation ring. The other joint may be coupled to a distal end of the elongated member, and include a rotatable member and a connecting member coupled to the rotatable member. Each joint may also include a rotatable member housing with one or more sidewall grooves that limit rotation of the respective rotatable members.

Claim (Index 18):
A method of maintaining the orientation of first and second rings for immobilizing bone segments, comprising:\n providing a connecting rod comprising:\n a telescopic housing comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a first axial bore at least partially extending from the distal end to the proximal end, the first axial bore defining a first lengthwise axis; \n an inner sleeve slidably disposed within the first axial bore of the telescopic housing; \n a fastener operable to releasably couple the inner sleeve and the telescopic housing; \n an elongated member coupled to the inner sleeve; \n a first joint comprising:\n a first rotatable member housing coupled to the proximal end of the telescopic housing; \n a first rotatable member disposed within the first rotatable member housing; and \n a first connecting member comprising a first connecting member insert coupled with the first rotatable member; \n wherein the first connecting member insert comprises a second axial bore defining a second lengthwise axis; and \n wherein the second axial bore is operable to receive a first connecting element from the first ring; and \n \n a second joint comprising:\n a second rotatable member housing coupled to the elongated member; \n a second rotatable member disposed within the second rotatable member housing; and \n a second connecting member coupled with the second rotatable member, wherein the second connecting member is operable to couple with the second ring; and \n \n wherein at least one of the first and second joints comprises one or more grooves defined in the wall of the respective rotatable member housing, and the respective connecting member is disposed through one or more grooves, thereby limiting the rotation of the respective rotatable member in a first direction about the joint while allowing a greater range of motion in a second direction about the joint; and \n wherein the rotational movement of the first and second rotatable members is limited upon fixation of the respective connecting member to the respective ring; \n adjusting the longitudinal position of the inner sleeve relative to the telescopic housing about the first lengthwise axis; releasably coupling the inner sleeve to the telescopic housing using the fastener; releasably coupling the first connecting member to the first ring via the first connecting element disposed through the first ring, thereby limiting the rotational movement of the first rotatable member; and releasably coupling the second connection member to the second ring via a second connecting element, thereby limiting the rotational movement of the second rotatable member.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 3.0
- Percentile: 94.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.5
- Patent Class: 606.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12865057', '13675961', '14071333', '13732853', '14798334']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7618609705454737
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4869845150419806
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7343733249951244
- Mean Citation Score: 299.805386
- Max Citation Score: 303.60052
- Similarity Product: 288.69654487831593

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test