IP Library › Granted Patent US 12708418
Granted Patent B2
US 12708418 · App. 18/475,657 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Orthopedic bone screw

Inventors: Christopher G. Sidebotham (Mendham, NJ); Gregory T. Van Der Meulen (Ketchum, ID)
Assignee: BioMedtrix, LLC
A61B17/8635A61B17/863A61B2017/564
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12708418
App. No.
18/475,657
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An orthopedic bone screw includes a head, and a shaft extending from the head and comprising threads. The threads have a major diameter and a minor diameter. The shaft includes a threadless atraumatic tip opposite the head, the threadless atraumatic tip having a cylindrical portion that is distal of the threads and a round end portion that is distal of the cylindrical portion and forms a tip of the orthopedic bone screw. A length of the cylindrical portion of the atraumatic tip is 25% to 150% of the major diameter of the threads.

Claims (56)

1 . An orthopedic bone screw, comprising:

a head; and

a shaft extending from the head and comprising threads, the threads comprising a major diameter and a minor diameter;

the shaft comprising a threadless atraumatic tip opposite the head, the threadless atraumatic tip comprising a cylindrical portion that is distal of the threads, and a round end portion that is distal of the cylindrical portion and forms a tip of the orthopedic bone screw;

the shaft further comprising a thread runout region proximal of the threadless atraumatic tip in which a thread height of the threads gradually increases moving in a proximal direction from the threadless atraumatic tip;

wherein a length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 25% to 150% of the major diameter of the threads, and the major diameter of the threads is measured proximally of the thread runout region;

wherein the threads comprise a thread pitch, and the length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 100% to 500% of the thread pitch; and

wherein a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 90% to 100% of the minor diameter of the threads.

2 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein an overall length of the threadless atraumatic tip is 50% to 100% of a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip.

3 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein:

the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is less than the minor diameter of the threads; and

the minor diameter of the threads increases in the thread runout region from the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip to a specified minor diameter.

4 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein the threadless atraumatic tip further comprises a fillet surface portion between the cylindrical portion and the round end portion.

5 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 4 , wherein the round end portion of the threadless atraumatic tip comprises a spherical end surface.

6 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 5 , wherein the fillet surface portion comprises a first radius, and the spherical end surface comprises a second radius that is greater than the first radius.

7 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein:

the threads of the shaft are first threads comprising a first thread pitch;

the head further comprises second threads having a second thread pitch; and

the second thread pitch is greater than the first thread pitch.

8 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein the orthopedic bone screw is configured as a self-tapping bone screw and comprises cutting flutes formed in the threadless atraumatic tip and in the threads of the shaft.

9 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 8 , wherein the cutting flutes extend into the thread runout region.

10 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 9 , wherein:

the cutting flutes comprise a first radially extending surface and a second radially extending surface;

the first radially extending surface comprises a flat surface portion in the threadless atraumatic tip and a curved surface portion in the thread runout region; and

the second radially extending surface is flat in the threadless atraumatic tip and in the thread runout region, and is parallel or substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the orthopedic bone screw.

11 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein the length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 25% to 100% of a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip.

12 . A method, comprising driving the orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 into a bone.

13 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein an overall length of the threadless atraumatic tip is 200% to 600% of the thread pitch.

14 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 1 , wherein the threads on the shaft are single lead threads, and the thread runout region comprises two threads to five threads.

15 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 10 , wherein the second radially extending surface extends straight through the threadless atraumatic tip to the tip of the orthopedic bone screw, and forms an angle of 1° to 5° to the longitudinal axis of the orthopedic bone screw.

16 . An orthopedic bone screw, comprising:

a head; and

a shaft extending from the head and comprising threads, the threads comprising a major diameter and a minor diameter;

the shaft comprising a threadless atraumatic tip opposite the head, the threadless atraumatic tip comprising a cylindrical portion that is distal of the threads, and a round end portion that is distal of the cylindrical portion and forms a tip of the orthopedic bone screw;

wherein at least the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip comprises a plurality of cutting flutes;

wherein the threads comprise a thread pitch, and a length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 100% to 500% of the thread pitch; and

wherein a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 90% to 100% of the minor diameter of the threads.

17 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 16 , further comprising a thread runout region proximal of the threadless atraumatic tip, and wherein the cutting flutes extend into the thread runout region.

18 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 17 , wherein the major diameter of the threads is measured proximally of the thread runout region, and the length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 25% to 150% of the major diameter of the threads.

19 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 16 , wherein an overall length of the threadless atraumatic tip is 50% to 100% of the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip.

20 . The orthopedic bone screw of claim 16 , wherein the length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 100% to 500% 300% of the thread pitch.

21 . An orthopedic bone screw, comprising:

a head;

a shaft extending from the head, the shaft comprising threads, the threads comprising a major diameter;

the shaft comprising a threadless atraumatic tip opposite the head, the threadless atraumatic tip comprising a cylindrical portion and a round end portion distal of the cylindrical portion;

the shaft further comprising a thread runout region proximal of the threadless atraumatic tip in which a thread height of the threads gradually increases moving in a proximal direction from the threadless atraumatic tip;

wherein the threadless atraumatic tip has a length that is 50% to 100% of a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip;

wherein a length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 25% to 150% of the major diameter of the threads, and the major diameter of the threads is measured proximally of the thread runout region; and

wherein the threads comprise a thread pitch, and the length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 100% to 500% of the thread pitch.

22 . An orthopedic bone screw, comprising:

a head; and

a shaft extending from the head and comprising threads, the threads comprising a major diameter and a minor diameter;

the shaft comprising a threadless atraumatic tip opposite the head, the threadless atraumatic tip comprising a cylindrical portion that is distal of the threads, and a round end portion that is distal of the cylindrical portion and forms a tip of the orthopedic bone screw;

the shaft further comprising a thread runout region proximal of the threadless atraumatic tip in which a thread height of the threads gradually increases moving in a proximal direction from the threadless atraumatic tip;

wherein a length of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 25% to 150% of the major diameter of the threads, a diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is less than the minor diameter of the threads, and the minor diameter of the threads increases in the thread runout region from the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip to a specified minor diameter; and

wherein the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the threadless atraumatic tip is 90% to 100% of the minor diameter of the threads.