where possible , identical or similar elements or parts are designated by the same reference labels . the term “ proximal ” and “ distal ” used throughout the present description correspond , respectively , to that end of the bone transport frame nearest the patient &# 39 ; s heart and the end of the bone transport frame farthest from the patient &# 39 ; s heart . referring to fig1 - 3 , a first embodiment of a bone transport frame 100 is shown . the bone transport frame 100 generally comprises a plurality of bone transport assemblies 150 , a plurality of bone transport rings 200 , a plurality of strut assemblies 300 , a plurality of top click mechanisms 400 , and a plurality of devices that interact with different segments or portions of a bone . each of the bone transport rings 200 has a lower ring surface 280 and an upper ring surface 285 as well as an outer ring surface 290 and an inner ring surface 295 . upper 285 , lower 280 , inner 295 , and outer 290 ring surfaces are substantially flat such that each ring has a vertical cross section that is substantially rectangular . in other embodiments , ring surfaces 280 , 285 , 290 and 295 need not be flat , but rather can take on various shapes to accommodate other devices such as clamps , for example . along the circumference of each of the bone transport rings 200 resides a plurality of through - holes 210 that extend through both the upper 285 and lower 280 ring surfaces . the through - holes 210 facilitate mechanical connections between the strut assemblies 300 and numerous other devices the surgeon may deem necessary during use of bone transport frame 100 . such devices , for example , include bone - pin retaining devices 920 and bone - wire retaining devices 960 . due to the substantially flat contours of the ring surfaces and the plurality of through - holes 210 , a user is provided significant flexibility in appropriately placing the bone - pin retaining devices 920 and bone - wire retaining devices 960 at desired locations . thus , a user can couple any of these devices at numerous locations around the circumference of each of the bone transport rings 200 as well as coupling the devices at the upper 285 or lower 280 ring surfaces of the bone transport rings 200 . devices that can be used to facilitate interaction between the bone transport frame 100 and portions of a bone include , for example , a series of bone - wires 980 and bone - pins 940 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , bone transport frame 100 includes a proximal ring 220 , a medial ring 240 , and a distal ring 260 wherein the proximal ring 220 is affixed to a first bone segment 820 , the medial ring 240 is affixed to a second bone segment 840 , and the distal ring 260 is affixed to a third bone segment 860 . the first bone segment 820 and second bone segment 840 are typically separated by an osteotomy created in the bone to allow for osteogenesis as the second bone segment is incrementally transported toward the third bone segment 840 . the second bone segment 820 and third bone segment 860 are typically separated by a deformity , such as a fracture or the like . strut assemblies 300 act to stabilize the bone segments and to provide for transportation thereof . fig1 - 3 show bone transport frame 100 including three strut assemblies 300 , but in other embodiments more than three strut assemblies 300 may be utilized , such as four , five , six or more strut assemblies 300 , for example . referring to fig4 - 8 , the proximal end of each strut assembly 300 includes a top click mechanism 400 . the top - click mechanism 400 includes a square head 410 , a clamping nut 420 , a clicking body 430 , a driver body 440 , a spring and ball system 460 , and a series of retaining balls 450 . the square head 410 provides an interface to mate with a screw driver 480 as shown in fig6 . the clamping nut 420 clamps a flange 700 to the top - click mechanism 400 . the driver body 440 is rigidly coupled to the strut 310 via a coupling member 415 and pin 417 so that rotation of the driver body 440 causes the strut 310 to rotate in unison with the driver body 440 . further , the driver body 440 has an elongated portion 445 which terminates at the proximal end thereof as at square head 410 . a clicking body 430 fits over the elongated portion 445 of the driver body 440 like a sleeve , for example . the clicking body 430 is axially retained by a series of retaining balls 450 that allow the clicking body 430 to rotate with respect to the driver body 440 without translating with respect to the driver body . a cylindrical notch 470 is formed within the elongated portion of the driver body 440 . within this cylindrical notch 470 resides a detent means in the form of a spring and ball system 460 , for example , which communicates with a series of recesses 490 on the internal portion of the clicking body 430 as shown in fig8 . the recesses or profile cuts 490 are created so that a portion of the ball of the spring and ball system 460 sits in and partially conforms to each of the profile cuts 490 . further , the profile cuts 490 are such that as the driver body 440 is rotated , the ball of the ball and spring system 460 is capable of translating to an adjacent profile cut 490 creating a clicking sound and feel . each profile cut 490 should be spaced and each strut 310 should be threaded so that each click corresponds with the strut 310 rotating a sufficient amount to cause the medial ring 240 to axially translate along the strut 310 a clinically optimal length . in one embodiment , the clinically optimal length is approximately 0 . 25 mm . at a rate of four “ clicks ” per day , the rate of osteogenesis between the first bone segment 820 and second bone segment 840 will be approximately 1 mm per day . however , a single “ click ” can correspond to different distances lengths , depending on the specific needs for a particular situation . the ball and spring system 460 additionally functions to constrain the driver body 440 and strut 310 from the rotation provided by the retaining balls 450 . thus , the driver body 440 and strut 310 cannot rotate until a screw driver 480 applies the proper torque to the square nut 410 to overcome the force of the spring and ball system 460 and translate the ball to the adjacent profile cut 490 . an arrow 495 as shown in fig8 that points distally is etched on the outer surface of the clicking body 430 and is lined up with a corresponding number 485 etched on the outer surface of the driver body 440 . the numbers 485 are spaced such that each click corresponds to a rotation of the arrow 495 from a first number 485 to an adjacent number 485 . preferably , the numbers 485 are placed on the flat surfaces of an octagon and numbered 1 - 4 and 4 - 1 . this numbering is done so that the patient can keep track of the preferred four adjustments per day , for example . the clicking mechanism as disclosed in u . s . patent application publication no . 2012 / 0041439 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . as best seen in fig5 , a flange 700 extends from the outer surface of a portion of the clicking body 430 and is clamped against the clicking body 430 by a clamping nut 420 . when the flange 700 is coupled to a transport ring 200 , clamping the flange 700 will not only secure the flange to the clicking body 430 but also prohibits the clicking body 430 from rotating with the driver body 440 and strut 310 . the flange 700 includes anterior through - holes 740 and a medial through - hole 760 in a triangular pattern . the anterior through - holes 740 are the primary junctions for coupling the flange 700 to the bone transport rings 200 . a single retaining pin 720 can be used to couple the flange 700 to the through - holes 210 of the transport rings 200 . alternately , both anterior through - holes 740 can be used , each in conjunction with a retaining pin 720 , to provide an anti - torque function that prevents rotation of the flange 700 with respect to the transport ring 200 . other connection mechanisms besides retaining pints 720 can be used . for example , a user may choose to use a bolt and nut system in lieu of the retaining pin to secure the flange to the transport ring as seen in fig9 - 10 . the flat surfaces of the flange 700 and the transport rings 200 allow the flange 700 to be coupled to the upper 285 or lower 280 ring surfaces of the transport rings 200 as seen in fig1 . this provides the user with the option of coupling a bone transport ring 200 to the top of flange 700 or to the bottom of flange 700 . also , the dimensions of the flange 700 allow the strut assembly 300 to be coupled to the bone transport ring 200 such that the strut 310 can lie either inside the bone transport ring 200 or outside of the bone transport ring 200 as seen in fig1 . referring to fig1 - 16 , there are shown different illustrations of a bone transport assembly 150 of the first embodiment of the invention . the bone transport assembly generally includes a ball and socket joint 500 , a quick release mechanism 600 , and a translational rod 1000 . the ball and socket joint 500 has a hyperbolic collar 595 that fits loosely over the distal end of the quick release mechanism 600 and is coupled to the quick release mechanism 600 by a locking nut 620 that substantially conforms to the shape of the hyperbolic collar 595 . when the locking nut 620 is loosened , the ball and socket joint 500 is free to swivel about a three dimensional axis until the locking nut 620 is tightened , thereby locking the ball and socket joint 500 at its latest position . this feature enables the medial ring 240 to rotate so that it is no longer parallel with the proximal 220 and distal 260 rings , thus allowing the second bone segment 840 to be more precisely aligned with the third bone segment 860 as the distraction osteogenesis process progresses . an example of a medial ring 240 being non - parallel to a proximal 220 and distal 260 ring is shown in fig3 , for example . the ball and socket joint 500 also helps in aligning second bone segment 840 with third bone segment 860 during the docking process . a user can accomplish this by unlocking locking nut 620 , marginally loosening the ball and socket joint 500 , and rotating at least one of the top click mechanism 400 and translational short rod 1000 or translation bolt 730 . the hyperbolic collar 595 terminates on two sides with a first retaining ring 575 on one side and a second retaining ring 585 on the opposing side . the first retaining ring 575 connects and retains the translational rod 1000 to the ball and socket joint 500 by way of a series of retaining pins 565 . the second retaining ring 585 provides the user the option to add an extra rod of any type , for example , to provide extra stiffness to the frame 100 , if desired . the translational rod 1000 has a structure similar to the click mechanism 400 . one end of the translational rod 1000 terminates in a square head 1010 that can mate with a driving tool such as a screw driver . the translational rod 1000 includes a driving body 1040 with a cylindrical notch 1070 that houses a spring and ball system 1060 . a first retaining ring 575 includes recesses or profile cuts 1090 . as the driving body 1040 is rotated , the ball of the spring and ball system 1060 may move from one profile cut 1090 and into an adjacent profile cut 1090 . the driving body 1040 is threadedly mated to a connector piece 1085 . the connector piece 1085 includes an aperture 1095 . the connector piece 1085 can be fixed to a bone transport ring 200 by means of a fastener , such as a locking nut 1097 that extends through a through - hole 210 of a bone transport ring 200 and further through the aperture 1095 of the connector piece 1085 . when the square head 1010 of the translational short rod 1000 is rotated , for example by a screw driver , the driving body 1040 rotates . as the driver body 1040 rotates , the spring and ball system 1060 provides feedback to the user each time the ball moves into one of the profile cuts 1090 of the first retaining ring 575 . the rotation of the driver body 1040 forces the outer body 1080 to move axially . the axial movement of the outer body 1080 is caused by the inability of the outer body 1080 to rotate , due to the rigid connection to the connecting piece 1085 and the bone ring 200 . the axial movement of the outer body 1080 causes the connector piece 1085 to move in conjunction with the outer body 1080 . finally , the movement of the connector piece 1085 moves the bone transport ring 200 to which the connector piece 1085 is attached , allowing translation of the bone transport ring 200 towards or away from strut assembly 300 . this translation of the medial ring 240 may be useful when “ docking ” the bone . the docking phase is reached at the end of the transport phase , when the second bone segment 840 reaches the third bone segment 860 . sometimes the two bone segments do not align well and then it becomes advantageous to translate the medial ring 240 to correct the alignment between the second bone segment 840 and the third bone segment 860 . quick release mechanism 600 of bone transport assembly 150 allows for quick adjustment of the medial ring 240 compared to the finer adjustment by the top click mechanism 400 . it should be noted that the quick release mechanism 600 is only intended to be used prior to fixation of the bone transport frame 100 to the patient . because the distal ring 260 includes an anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 , which is substantially similar to the quick release mechanism 600 , the workings of the quick release mechanism 600 are omitted here and are described with reference to the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 . referring to fig1 - 21 , the distal portion of the strut assembly 300 generally includes a flange 700 , an anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 , and a tapered nut 630 . the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 has an unlocked state , a semi - locked state , and a locked state . in the unlocked state , the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 , flange 700 and attached distal ring 260 are free to move vertically up or down the strut 310 regardless of rotation of the strut 310 . this allows for quick adjustment of the distal ring 260 prior to fixing the bone transport frame 100 to the patient &# 39 ; s bone . the quick release mechanism 600 provided with the medial ring 240 has the same feature . in the semi - locked state , the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 travels vertically up or down the strut 310 with rotation of the strut 310 by the top click mechanism 400 . to switch from the unlocked state to the semi - locked state , the user rotates the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 . to accomplish this , the body of the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 is pushed proximally , compressing spring 670 . this moves locking pin 680 into a position in groove 690 which allows for rotation of the body of the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 . rotation is continued until the locking pin 680 traverses to the opposite side of the groove , allowing the spring to decompress . once rotated , the bearings 660 engage the thread of the strut 310 , disabling the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 from freely travelling vertically up or down the strut 310 . rather , it will move vertically up or down the strut 310 only with rotation of the strut 310 by virtue of rotation of the top click mechanism 400 . it should be noted , however , that this function is only desirable for the quick release mechanism 600 coupled to the bone transport assembly 150 , and not for the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 . the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 should only be configured in the unlocked state or the locked state , and not the semi - locked state . to switch from the semi - locked state to the locked state , the tapered nut 630 is threaded onto sleeve 640 . because of the taper inside tapered nut 630 , the collet 635 at the tip of sleeve 640 bends inward and creates friction with the strut 310 when the tapered nut 630 is tightened . this friction causes the tapered nut 630 , sleeve 640 and strut 310 to move as a single unit , rotating together with the strut 310 . this rotation is possible because of the retaining balls 650 , which allow these pieces to rotate inside the flange 700 . the flange 700 is connected to the distal ring 260 . because there is no thread at the interface between the flange 700 and the combination tapered nut 630 , sleeve 640 and strut 310 , the distal ring 260 is not driven vertically up or down the strut 310 when it is rotated by actuation of the top click mechanism 400 . the quick release mechanism 600 , on the other hand , has no anti - torque feature and thus can only be in the unlocked or semi - locked state . when the quick release mechanism 600 is in the semi - locked state , the medial ring 240 thus can be driven vertically up or down the strut 310 allowing for transport . the bearings 660 , in addition to enabling the switch from the unlocked to the semi - locked positions , take much of the axial load when that load moves from the strut 310 to the sleeve 640 ( e . g . when the patient is standing ). the bent collet 635 alone may not be able to take all that axial loading . a screw 695 is provided at the far distal end of the strut 310 to prevent the anti - torque quick release mechanism 605 from sliding off the strut 310 when it is in the unlocked state and the distal ring 260 is being adjusted . referring to fig2 - 23 , a second embodiment of a bone transport frame 100 ′ is shown . the bone transport frame 100 ′ generally includes a plurality of bone transport assemblies 150 ′, a plurality of bone transport rings 200 and a plurality of strut assemblies 300 . one difference between the second embodiment shown in fig2 - 23 and the first embodiment shown in fig1 - 3 is that the bone transport assembly 150 ′ coupled to the medial ring 240 includes a different structure such that the gradual translation of the medial ring 240 does not occur by way of a clicking mechanism . the second embodiment of the bone transport assembly 150 ′ comprises a quick release mechanism 600 , a ball jointed flange 705 , a series of hinge pin and bracket assemblies , a series of nuts , and a translational bolt . the ball jointed flange 705 has a hyperbolic collar 595 much like the hyperbolic collar 595 seen on the ball joint 500 of the first embodiment . this ball jointed flange 705 is also coupled to the quick release mechanism 600 by means of the same locking nut 620 . however , rather than terminating with a first retaining ring 575 and a second ring 585 , the hyperbolic collar 595 terminates with a flange like that disclosed elsewhere herein . a hinge pin 715 is coupled to the ball jointed flange 705 through the medial through - hole 760 and is axially retained by a series of nuts 725 , but is capable of rotation within the medial through - hole 760 . the hinge pin 715 terminates at the proximal end with a bracket 710 . another hinge pin 715 and bracket 710 is coupled to a through - hole 210 of the medial ring 240 . a translating bolt 730 connects both of the hinge pin 715 and bracket 710 assemblies and is retained by a series of nuts 725 . the hinged connection in combination with the translating bolt 730 allows the surgeon to translate the medial ring 240 toward or away from the struts 310 . this is accomplished by rotating the translating bolt 730 . furthermore , the ball jointed flange 705 allows for swivel about a three dimensional axis . these features combine to provide the medial ring 240 with six degrees of freedom . referring to fig2 - 28 , there is shown a third embodiment of a bone transport frame 100 ″. a difference between the bone transport frame 100 ″ shown in fig2 - 28 and previous embodiments is that medial ring 240 does not have the capability of horizontal translation . structurally speaking , the embodiment shown in fig2 - 28 is obtained by taking the embodiment of the bone transport frame 100 ′ shown in fig2 - 23 , removing the translating bolt 730 and accessories , and directly attaching the ball jointed flange 705 to the medial ring 240 . as disclosed elsewhere herein , the ball jointed flange 705 can connect to the medial ring 240 by virtue of a retaining pin 720 that extends through both a through - hole 210 of the medial ring 240 and through an anterior through - hole 740 of the ball jointed flange 705 . this permits the medial ring 240 to move such that it is no longer parallel with proximal ring 220 and distal ring 260 , but there are no mechanisms for translating medial ring 240 toward or away from the struts 310 as shown in fig2 . although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention . it is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .
disclosed herein are systems and methods for manipulating the orientation of a plurality of bone fragments with respect to one another . a bone transport frame including first and second rings , a plurality of elongate struts , and a plurality of ring transport assemblies for orienting a first bone segment with respect to a second bone segment is disclosed . a third ring may be included in the bone transport frame for orienting a third bone segment with respect to the first and second bone segments . manipulation of an adjustable member of the bone transport frame can transport a ring in either a proximal or distal direction with respect to other rings of the frame . manipulation of another adjustable member of the bone transport frame can translate a central axis of one of the rings either toward or away from the central axes of the plurality of elongate struts .