Patent Analysis: Apifix "Ratcheted Spinal Device"

This write-up examines US Patent 11,937,855 B2, "Ratcheted Spinal Device" (Apifix Ltd), a spinal rod with a ratcheting mechanism intended as an alternative to pedicle screws and rods in scoliosis correction. It was originally submitted as a discussion assignment requiring analysis of an FDA-regulated product.

Patent at a glance

Claims

Claims are what you look at first. This patent has six claims. Claims #1 and #5 are independent; the remaining four are dependent claims.

• Claim #1 discusses the structure of the ratcheting device itself.
• Claim #5 dives deeper into the ratcheting mechanism of the device.

Background of the invention

The invention relates to spinal implants, specifically, spinal rods attached to a ratcheting mechanism. This mechanism has both a release position and a locked position. These spinal implants are used in patients with scoliosis, a spinal deformity. The rod and mechanism in the patent are intended to be an alternative to the pedicle screws and rods conventionally used on patients with scoliosis.

People involved

The inventor is Uri Arnin. The primary examiner is Julianna N. Harvey. The agents filing the patent are Gerald W. Roberts and John V. Daniluck of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum.

Notable facts about the personnel

• Uri Arnin holds over 68 published and pending patents in the spine-device industry.
• Per PatentBots, examiner Julianna Harvey has a 3-year grant rate of 84% over 451 cases in her art unit of surgery.
• Gerald Roberts advised OrthoPediatrics (owner of Apifix) in its 2022 acquisition of Pega Medical, indicating a close, ongoing relationship with OrthoPediatrics.

Supporting background of the claims

Toward the end of the patent, figures of the device are shown with arrows, and numbers are associated with those arrows. These figures are followed by a background of the invention, a summary of the invention, and a brief description of the individual figures. The "Detailed Description of Embodiment" section follows the figure descriptions; it refers to the numbers associated with the figures to explain how the device specifically works. All of this exists to inform the reader of ordinary skill so that the claims can be well understood.

Other prosecution information

The full patent was filed October 10, 2020, under application number 16/949,114. The term of the patent was extended by 268 days under 35 U.S.C. 154(b). Aside from the full application, provisional applications were filed in March 2011 and September 2010. Beyond the application dates, the primary examiner reviewed 8 U.S. patents in "References Cited" to ensure the claims and figures are novel. There was no government sponsorship of the product.