Acetabular cup installation tool and method of installing an acetabular cup

Claim 2

A tool for installing an acetabular cup having an anterior opening and a posterior opening, said tool comprising: a cup holder body adapted for extending through the posterior opening of the cup and for engaging the acetabular cup at an interior surface of the cup; and an elongated member mounting said cup holder body adjacent an end of said member with said end projecting from said cup holder body and being insertable into the anterior opening formed at the interior surface of and extending at least partially through said cup, said end of said elongated member being expandable for engaging the cup at the anterior opening to prevent movement of the cup relative to said elongated member end and hold the cup in engagement against the cup holder body in order to move the cup with movement of said elongated member and thereby place the cup for implanting at a desired position, said end of said elongated member being contractable for releasing the cup after implanting at the desired position.

Claim 3

An acetabular cup installation tool, comprising: a holder body for receiving and engaging an acetabular cup at an interior surface of the cup; and an elongated member mounting said body adjacent an end of said member with said end projecting from said body and insertable into an opening of the cup, said end of said member being expandable for engaging the cup at the opening to prevent movement of the cup relative to said member end and hold the cup in engagement against the body in order to move the cup with movement of said member end to place the cup for implanting at a desired position, said end of said member being contractable for releasing the cup after implanting at the desired position; said elongated member including an elongated tubular shaft having a longitudinal passage therethrough; and said end of said member having a split collet defined on one end of said shaft.

Claim 4

An acetabular cup installation tool, comprising: a holder body for receiving and engaging an acetabular cup at an interior surface of the cup; and an elongated member mounting said body adjacent an end of said member with said end projecting from said body and insertable into an opening of the cup, said end of said member being expandable for engaging the cup at the opening to prevent movement of the cup relative to said member end and hold the cup in engagement against the body in order to move the cup with movement of said member end to place the cup for implanting at a desired position, said end of said member being contractable for releasing the cup after implanting at the desired position; said elongated member including an elongated tubular shaft having a longitudinal passage therethrough; and said end of said member having a split collet defined on one end of said shaft.

Claim 5

The tool of claim 2, wherein said shaft has an abutment surface defined adjacent the other end thereof.

Claim 6

The tool of claim 2, wherein said split collet includes expandable and contractable jaws formed on said one end of said shaft.

Claim 7

The tool of claim 4, wherein said holder body is a head having a curved end surface for engaging the interior surface of the cup and a central bore therethrough receiving said shaft with at least respective tips of said collet jaws projecting from said bore of said head and into the interior opening of the cup when the cup is engaged against said head end surface.

Claim 8

The tool of claim 4, wherein said elongated member further includes an elongated rod disposed through said passage of said shaft for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto, said rod having an outwardly flared cam element formed on one end and extending between and disposable beyond said collet jaw tips, said rod having external threads on the other end.

Claim 9

The tool of claim 6, further comprising: a knob movably mounted on said other end of said shaft and having internal threads complementary to and interfitted with said external threads on said other end of said rod such that manual rotation of said knob in one or the other opposite directions causes longitudinal sliding movement of said rod relative to said shaft and of said cam element relative to said collet jaws to correspondingly expand or contract said jaw tips into or out of engagement with the cup at the opening thereof.

Claim 10

An acetabular cup installation tool, comprising: an elongated tubular shaft having a longitudinal passage therethrough and including a split collet defining expandable and contractable jaws on one end of said shaft, and an abutment surface defined adjacent the other end of said shaft; a holder body having a curved end surface for engaging an interior surface of an acetabulum cup and a central bore therethrough receiving said shaft with at least respective tips of said collet jaws projecting from said bore of said body and insertable into a central opening and beyond an exterior surface of the cup when the cup is engaged against said body end surface; an elongated rod disposed through said passage of said shaft for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto and including an outwardly flared cam element formed on one end of said rod and extending between and disposable beyond said collet jaw tips, said rod having external threads on the other end; and a knob movable mounted on the other end of the shaft adjacent and in engagement with said abutment surface thereof and having internal threads complementary to and interfitted with said external threads on said other end of said rod such that manual rotation of said knob in one or the other opposite directions causes longitudinal sliding movement of said rod relative to said shaft and of said cam element relative to said collet jaws to correspondingly expand or contract said jaw tips into or out of engagement with the cup at the central opening thereof.

Claim 11

An acetabular cup installation tool, comprising: an elongated tubular shaft having a longitudinal passage therethrough and including a split collet defining expandable and contractable jaws on one end of said shaft, and an abutment surface defined adjacent the other end of said shaft; a holder body having a curved end surface for engaging an interior surface of an acetabulum cup and a central bore therethrough receiving said shaft with at least respective tips of said collet jaws projecting from said bore of said body and insertable into a central opening and beyond an exterior surface of the cup when the cup is engaged against said body end surface; an elongated rod disposed through said passage of said shaft for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto and including an outwardly flared cam element formed on one end of said rod and extending between and disposable beyond said collet jaw tips, said rod having external threads on the other end; and a knob movable mounted on the other end of the shaft adjacent and in engagement with said abutment surface thereof and having internal threads complementary to and interfitted with said external threads on said other end of said rod such that manual rotation of said knob in one or the other opposite directions causes longitudinal sliding movement of said rod relative to said shaft and of said cam element relative to said collet jaws to correspondingly expand or contract said jaw tips into or out of engagement with the cup at the central opening thereof.

Claim 12

The tool of claim 8, further comprising: a collar rotatably mounted on said shaft rearwardly of said holder head and adjustable relative to said shaft and head for causing retraction of said shaft relative to said head to withdraw said collet jaw tips from projecting beyond the exterior surface of the cup.

Claim 15

The system of claim 10, wherein said opening of said cup has a non-circular configuration.

Claim 16

The system of claim 10 wherein said tool end comprises a split collet having expandable and contractable jaws.

Claim 19

The system of claim 13, wherein said shaft has an abutment surface defined adjacent the other end thereof.

Claim 20

The system of claim 13, wherein said split collet includes expandable and contractable jaws formed on said one end of said shaft.

Claim 21

The system of claim 15, wherein said tool also includes a holder body having a curved end surface for engaging said interior surface of said cup and a central bore therethrough receiving said shaft with at least respective tips of said collet jaws projecting from said bore of said body and into the opening of the cup when the cup is engaged with said body end surface.

Claim 22

The system of claim 16, wherein said tool further includes a rod disposed through said passage of said shaft for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto, said rod having an outwardly flared cam element formed on one end and extending between and disposable beyond said collet jaw tips, said rod also having external threads on the other end.

Claim 23

The system of claim 17, wherein said tool further includes a knob rotatably mounted on said other end of said shaft and having internal threads complementary to and interfitted with said external threads on said other end of said rod such that manual rotation of said knob in one or the other opposite directions causes longitudinal sliding movement of said rod relative to said shaft and of said cam element relative to said collet jaws to correspondingly expand or contract said jaw tips into or out of engagement with the cup at the opening thereof.

Claim 26

The method of claim 19, further comprising: seating the cup in the desired position in the socket in which it was previously placed by pounding against a rearward end of the tool.