Patent EP0709070A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0709070A2
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EP
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Interlocking structural elements and method for bone repair, augmentation and replacement
Assignee: Osteonics Corp
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Filing: 1995-10-17
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-10-17
Abstract
Abstract Structural elements of biocompatible material are interlocked with one another in an array to repair, augment or replace natural bone, the structural elements each including a hub having a center, and a plurality of posts projecting from the hub and spaced from one another to establish inter-post spaces between adjacent posts, each post having a root at the hub, an opposite tip, a length, and a transverse cross-sectional configuration, the number of posts and the relative length, cross-sectional configuration, and location of adjacent posts in each structural element being such that the inter-post spaces of one structural element will receive the posts of adjacent structural elements in the array to promote interlocking of adjacent structural elements in a relatively tightly meshed relationship for resisting shear stress in essentially all directions within the array.
Inventors
- 👤 Jonathan Black
- 👤 Michael T. Manley
- 👤 Paul Serekian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:27
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61L; A61L27/00; A61L27/36; A61L27/3604; A61L27/3608; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/28; A61L27/02; A61L27/10; A61L27/3641; A61L27/3645; A61L27/365; A61L27/50; A61L27/54; A61F2/30; A61F2/30767; A61F2/32; A61F2/36; A61F2/3662; A61F2/367; A61F2002/2835; A61F2002/30001; A61F2002/30108; A61F2002/30199; A61F2002/30303; A61F2002/30667; A61F2002/30677; A61F2/30721; A61F2/30734; A61F2002/30736; A61F2/3609; A61F2002/3625; A61F2002/3631; A61F2230/00; A61F2230/0063; A61F2310/00; A61F2310/00005; A61F2310/00179; A61F2310/00293; A61L2300/00; A61L2300/40; A61L2300/404; A61L2300/406; A61L2300/412; A61L2300/414; A61L2430/00; A61L2430/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A structural element for use in an array of such structural elements interlocked with one another to augment or replace natural bone, the structural element comprising: a hub having a center; and a plurality of posts projecting from the hub and spaced from one another to establish inter-post spaces between adjacent posts, each post having a root at the hub, an opposite tip, a length, and a transverse cross-sectional configuration; the number of posts and the relative length, cross-sectional configuration, and location of adjacent posts in the structural element being such that the inter-post spaces of one structural element will receive the posts of adjacent structural elements in the array to promote interlocking of adjacent structural elements in a relatively tightly meshed relationship for resisting shear stress in essentially all directions within the array.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
36 words
The invention of claim 1 wherein the posts project radially from the hub, the length of each post extends longitudinally from the hub along the post, and the transverse cross-sectional configuration extends laterally across the post.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The invention of claim 2 wherein the structural element has a caltrop-like overall configuration including four posts spaced apart from one another at equal angles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The invention of any preceding claim wherein each post is tapered along the length thereof from a larger cross-sectional area adjacent the root of the post to a smaller cross-sectional area adjacent the tip of the post.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The invention of any preceding claim wherein the transverse cross-sectional configuration is an oval.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The invention of any preceding claim wherein the length of each post extends from the center of the hub to the tip of the post and is within the range of about 80 to 400 microns.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The invention of one of claims 1-5 wherein the length of each post extends from the center of the hub to the tip of the post and is within the range of about 0.8 to 4.0 millimeters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The invention of one of claims 1-5 wherein the length of each post extends from the center of the hub to the tip of the post and is up to about 4.0 millimeters.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention of any preceding claim wherein the structural element is constructed of a biocompatible ceramic material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
The invention of claim 9 wherein the structural element is constructed of a biocompatible microporous ceramic material and a selected agent is carried within the microporous ceramic material for dispersion at the site of the array.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The invention of one of claims 1-9 wherein the structural element is constructed of a biocompatible material and a selected agent is carried in a coating on the biocompatible material for dispersion at the site of the array.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The invention of one of claims 1-9 wherein the structural element is constructed of a biocompatible material and a selected agent is carried in a diffused coating along the biocompatible microporous material for dispersion at the site of the array.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
53 words
The invention of claim 1 wherein the array has a surface area and a space volume, and the relative dimensions of the hub and the posts are such that the ratio of surface area to space volume of the array is within the range of surface-to-volume ratios encountered in human natural cancellous bone.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
64 words
An array comprising structural elements as claimed in any preceding claim interlocked with one another to augment or replace natural bone in which the inter-post spaces of one structural element receive the posts of adjacent structural elements in the array to attain interlocking of adjacent structural elements in a relatively tightly meshed relationship for resisting shear stress in essentially all directions within the array.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
135 words
The method of repairing, augmenting or replacing natural bone by establishing an array of structural elements in a void in the natural bone, each structural element including: a hub having a center; and a plurality of posts projecting from the hub and spaced from one another to establish inter-post spaces between adjacent posts, each post having a root at the hub, an opposite tip, a length, and a transverse cross-sectional configuration; the number of posts and the relative length, cross-sectional configuration, and location of adjacent posts in the structural element being such that the inter-post spaces of one structural element will receive the posts of adjacent structural elements in the array to promote interlocking of adjacent structural elements in a relatively tightly meshed relationship for resisting shear stress in essentially all directions within the array.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention of claim 15 wherein the void is a cavity between a prosthetic implant and the natural bone, and the array is established by placing the structural elements in the cavity.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
The invention of one of claims 15 or 16 including mixing the structural elements with autologous bone to form a mixture, and filling the cavity with the mixture of structural elements and autologous bone.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The invention of claim 15 wherein the void is a defect in the natural bone, and the array is established by placing the structural elements in the defect.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention of claim 15 or 18 including mixing the structural elements with autologous blood to form a mixture, and filling the defect with the mixture of structural elements and autologous blood.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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