Locking bone plate

Abstract

A bone plate with a longitudinal axis has a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side. Sets of overlapping holes communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side. The overlapping holes have multifaceted surfaces such as a threaded surface or a coaxial series of annular grooves. The sets of overlapping holes are adapted to receive a bone screw with a head and a bone-engaging thread.

1 . A bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side with at least one set of overlapping holes which communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side, wherein the at least one set of overlapping holes defines a threaded aperture having multifaceted surfaces.  
   
   
       2 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       3 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       4 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       5 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the multi-faceted surface is a coaxial series of annular grooves.  
   
   
       6 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the threaded aperture further comprises multiple sets of overlapping holes.  
   
   
       7 . The bone plate of  claim 6 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       8 . The bone plate of  claim 6 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       9 . The bone plate of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       10 . The bone plate of  claim 6 , wherein the multiple sets of overlapping holes are aligned on the axis.  
   
   
       11 . The bone plate of  claim 6 , wherein the multiple sets of overlapping holes are positioned in a staggered arrangement from the longitudinal axis.  
   
   
       12 . The bone plate of  claim 11 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       13 . The bone plate of  claim 11 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       14 . The bone plate of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       15 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the multi-faceted surface is a threaded surface.  
   
   
       16 . The bone plate of  claim 15 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       17 . The bone plate of  claim 15 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       18 . The bone plate of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       19 . The bone plate of  claim 1  wherein the set of overlapping holes is adapted to receive a bone screw with a head and a bone-engaging thread.  
   
   
       20 . The bone plate of  claim 19 , wherein tie head of the bone screw has a plate engaging thread.  
   
   
       21 . The bone plate of  claim 19 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       22 . The bone plate of  claim 19 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       23 . The bone plate of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       24 . The bone plate of  claim 1  wherein the set is comprised of two overlapping holes.  
   
   
       25 . The bone plate of  claim 24 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       26 . The bone plate of  claim 24 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       27 . The bone plate of  claim 24 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       28 . The bone plate of  claim 1 , wherein the set is comprised of three overlapping holes.  
   
   
       29 . The bone plate of  claim 28 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed normal to the top side or the plate.  
   
   
       30 . The bone plate of  claim 28 , wherein the overlapping holes are formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       31 . The bone plate of  claim 28 , wherein at least one of the overlapping holes is formed normal to the top side of the plate and at least a second of the overlapping holes is formed at an angle offset from normal to the top side of the plate.  
   
   
       32 . An orthopaedic kit including: 
 a. a bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side with at least one set of overlapping holes which communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side, the overlapping holes defining a threaded aperture having multifaceted surfaces; and    b. at least one bone screw engageable with the bone plate.    
   
   
       33 . The kit of  claim 32 , further comprising a drill guide having a main drill guide surface and opposite end portions, one end portion of which is securely engageable with the multi-faceted surface of a hole in the bone plate so as to securely hold the drill guide in a desired orientation with respect to the bone plate for stabilizing a drill used in an orthopaedic procedure.  
   
   
       34 . A bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side with a plurality of sets of overlapping holes each set comprised of at least two overlapping holes which communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side, wherein each of the at least two over lapping holes of each set of overlapping holes have threads adapted to receive a bone screw with a threaded head and a bone engaging threaded shank.  
   
   
       35 . A bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side with a plurality of sets of overlapping holes each set comprised of at least two overlapping holes which communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side, each of the at least two overlapping holes of each set of the overlapping holes having threaded surfaces adapted to receive bone screws with a threaded head and a bone engaging threaded shank, wherein the overlapping holes have centers substantially aligned along the longitudinal axis of the plate.  
   
   
       36 . A bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side and a top side with a plurality of sets of overlapping holes which communicate through the plate from the top to the bottom side, the overlapping holes having a threaded surface adapted to receive a bone screw with a head and a bone engaging thread, the overlapping holes further having centers staggered about the longitudinal axis of the plate.  
   
   
       37 . A bone plate with a longitudinal axis, a bone-contacting bottom side having a total area and a top side with a plurality of threaded holes which communicate through the plate from the top side to the bottom side, at least one of which is a set of overlapping holes, wherein the overlapping holes have multifaceted surfaces and wherein the bottom side includes recesses located between adjacent threaded holes and which are substantially located exclusively on the bottom side, the recesses being sized so as to define a cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis and across the recesses that ensures that a yield strength in bending across the recesses is less than across a threaded hole.  
   
   
       38 . The bone plate of  claim 37 , wherein the recesses are substantially rectangular in form.  
   
   
       39 . The bone plate of clam  37 , wherein the recesses are equally spaced along the longitudinal axis.  
   
   
       40 . The bone plate of  claim 37 , wherein the total area removed from the bottom side due to the recesses is less than or equal to 50% of the total surface area of the bottom side.  
   
   
       41 . The bone plate of  claim 37 , wherein the recesses are transverse and extend across the width of the bone plate.  
   
   
       42 . The bone plate of  claim 37 , wherein the recesses extend from a side of the bone plate transversely toward the longitudinal axis but do not cross the axis.