1. An implantable orthopedic device comprising:
a) a supporting structure comprising:
1) an upper face;
2) a lower face; and
3) at least one housing defined in the supporting structure, each said housing being partially defined by an upper spherical ring and partially closed by a lower holding element, each said upper spherical ring, housing, and lower holding element defining an orifice centered about an axis;
b) at least one nut, made in one piece, comprising a female thread and a spherical contact surface, each said nut being shaped so as to be held within a respective one of the housings, between said upper spherical ring and said lower holding element;
c) at least one fastening screw, each comprising:
1) a threaded body sized so that the threaded body can pass through the orifice, the threaded body comprising a body thread proportioned to be able to cooperate with bone material; and
2) a head sized to prevent the head from passing through the orifice, the head comprising:
A) a collar having a peripheral contour in the form of a spherical contact surface; and
B) head thread that is sized to engage the female thread of the nut, an outer diameter of the head thread being greater than or equal to an outer diameter of the body thread, the head thread being disposed between the collar and the body thread; and
d) at least one relief and an adapted notch, one of which is disposed on the housing, another of which is disposed on the nut, the nut being, in the absence of engagement of the fastening screw, free to move within a predetermined tilting range to allow an axis of the female thread to be tilted with the respect to the axis of the upper spherical ring;
wherein each said upper spherical ring comprises upper and lower spherical contact surfaces, having a same center, the upper and lower spherical contact surfaces being arranged to cooperate with said spherical contact surfaces of said screw head and said nut, respectively; and
wherein each said spherical ring, nut, and fastening screw are designed so that each said fastening screw can be passed through a respective one of the orifices and threaded through a corresponding said nut so as to clamp the spherical ring between the nut and the screw head at a selected angle within the tilting range and while keeping contact between said corresponding spherical contact surfaces; and
wherein the notch and relief are positioned and sized so that, even when the fastening screw is not engaged with the nut, the nut is locked in the housing to prevent rotation about an axis of the female thread.
2. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the holding element comprises a clip that partially closes the housing.
3. The implantable device of claim 2, wherein the clip is an open circular loop that comprises a snapon groove cooperating with a throat in the housing.
4. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical contact surfaces between the screw head and the supporting structure, and the cylindrical contact surfaces between the supporting structure and the nut have a same orientation axis.
5. The implantable device of claim 4, wherein the cylindrical contact surfaces are arranged so that the orientation axis is situated in a vicinity of an upper plane of the supporting structure.
6. The implantable orthopedic device of claim 1, wherein the upper spherical ring extends inward from the upper face of the supporting structure.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A gasket comprising:
a metal substrate disposed along an outer perimeter of the gasket;
an elastomeric bead disposed along at least a part of an interior perimeter of the metal substrate;
an elastomeric ring disposed around an opening of the metal substrate, wherein the elastomeric ring has an inner diameter, wherein the opening has an opening diameter, and wherein the inner diameter of the elastomeric ring is smaller than the opening diameter of the opening;
wherein the inner diameter is smaller than an outer diameter of a fastener that is disposable in the opening, such that the fastener is retained with the gasket when the fastener is inserted in the elastomeric ring by radially compressing the elastomeric ring between the fastener and the opening.
2. The gasket of claim 1, wherein a plurality of teeth disposed along an outer perimeter of the elastomeric bead correspond with a plurality of grooves disposed along at least a section of the interior perimeter of the metal substrate.
3. The gasket of claim 1, wherein a plurality of teeth disposed along an outer perimeter of the elastomeric ring correspond with a plurality of grooves disposed along at least a segment of the interior perimeter of the metal substrate.
4. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric bead and the elastomeric ring are formed of a continuous rubber material that is formed on the metal substrate.
5. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the elastomeric ring is smaller than an inner diameter of an opening formed the metal substrate into which opening the elastomeric ring extends.
6. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric ring extends radially inwardly of the opening in the metal substrate.
7. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the elastomeric ring forms an interference fit with the fastener.
8. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the gasket is capable of fitting to a flange having a fastener hole, such that when the fastener is inserted through the fastener hole and the elastomeric ring, the gasket and fastener are sufficiently attached to the flange to permit installation of the fastener without the gasket and fastener falling off the flange.
9. The gasket of claim 8, wherein the gasket is disposable between an engine cover and an oil pick-up tube attached to the flange.
10. A gasket comprising:
a metal substrate disposed along an outer perimeter of the gasket, wherein the metal substrate has a plurality of grooves disposed along an interior perimeter of the metal substrate and an inner diameter of a fastener opening; wherein the fastener opening is arranged and constructed to accommodate a fastener having an outer shaft diameter, wherein the outer shaft diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the fastener opening;
an elastomer comprising a bead disposed along an interior perimeter of the elastomer and a ring disposed along the inner diameter of the fastener opening, wherein a plurality of teeth are formed along an outer perimeter of the elastomer, wherein the plurality of teeth are formed in the plurality of grooves, and wherein the ring has an inner diameter that is smaller than both the inner diameter of the fastener opening and the outer shaft diameter of the fastener, such that the fastener is retained with the gasket when the fastener is inserted in the elastomeric ring.
11. The gasket of claim 10, further comprising a depression formed in the metal substrate.
12. The gasket of claim 10, wherein the gasket is capable of fitting to a flange having a fastener hole, such that when the fastener is inserted through the fastener hole and the ring, the gasket and fastener are sufficiently attached to the flange to permit installation of the fastener without the gasket and fastener falling off the flange.
13. The gasket of claim 10, wherein the gasket is disposable between an engine cover and an oil pick-up tube attached to the flange.
14. The gasket of claim 10, wherein the inner diameter of the ring forms an interference fit with the fastener.
15. A gasket comprising:
a metal substrate disposed along an outer perimeter of the gasket, wherein the metal substrate has a plurality of grooves disposed along an interior perimeter of the metal substrate and along an inner diameter of a fastener opening, wherein the fastener opening is sized to cooperate with a specific fastener, such that the specific fastener has an outer shaft diameter, and the inner diameter of the fastener opening is larger than the outer shaft diameter;
an elastomeric bead comprising a plurality of teeth disposed along an outer perimeter of the elastomeric bead, wherein the elastomeric bead is disposed along the interior perimeter of the metal substrate, and wherein the plurality of teeth are disposed in same of the plurality of grooves;
a first elastomeric ring comprising at least two teeth disposed along an outer perimeter of the first elastomeric ring, wherein the first elastomeric ring is disposed in the fastener opening and near a first end of the metal substrate, wherein the at least two teeth are disposed in at least two of the plurality of grooves, and wherein the first elastomeric ring has an inner ring diameter that is smaller than the outer shaft diameter;
a second elastomeric ring comprising two or more teeth disposed along an outer perimeter of the second elastomeric ring, wherein the second elastomeric ring is disposed in an additional fastener opening that is near a second end of the metal substrate, wherein the two or more teeth are disposed in two or more of the plurality of grooves, and wherein the second elastomeric ring has an additional inner ring diameter that is smaller than an additional outer shaft diameter of an additional fastener.
16. The gasket of claim 15, wherein the elastomeric bead, the first elastomeric ring, and the second elastomeric ring, are formed of a continuous rubber material that is formed on the metal substrate.
17. The gasket of claim 15, further comprising a depression formed in the metal substrate.
18. The gasket of claim 15, wherein the gasket is capable of fitting to a flange having a first fastener hole and a second fastener hole, such that when the fastener is inserted through the first fastener hole and the first elastomeric ring and the additional fastener is inserted through the second fastener hole and the second elastomeric ring, the gasket, the first fastener, and the additional fastener are sufficiently attached to the flange to permit installation of the first fastener and the additional fastener without the gasket and first fastener and the additional fastener falling off the flange.
19. The gasket of claim 18, wherein the gasket is disposable between an engine cover and an oil pick-up tube attached to the flange.