Patent ID: 7744633

Claim:
A connecting assembly for interconnecting spinal rods secured to spinal vertebrae, the spinal rods each having a cylindrical outer surface, the connecting assembly comprising: a pair of spinal rod connecting devices; an arcuate contact surface of at least one of the connecting devices for seating on one of the spinal rods; a locking member having an arcuate surface, the arcuate surfaces of the one connecting device and the locking member each having opposite free ends and the locking member being shifted relative to the arcuate contact surface of the one connecting device between a clamped position with the the spinal rod clamped between and against the arcuate contact surfaces of both the one connecting device and the locking member so that the arcuate surfaces seat flush tightly against the one spinal rod cylindrical outer surface with adjacent ones of the opposite free ends of the arcuate surfaces shifted into close proximity with one another and an unclamped position where the opposite free ends of the arcuate surfaces are all completely spaced from each other with the spinal rod released; a non-threaded rotatable actuator operable so that rotation thereof in opposite rotary directions causes the locking member arcuate surface to shift toward and away from the arcuate contact surface of the one connecting device between the clamped and unclamped positions, the non-threaded actuator being configured to be rotatable in a clamping rotary direction by a predetermined rotary amount less than one full turn thereof to a predetermined locked position thereof corresponding to the clamped position of the locking member on the spinal rod; and an enlarged head portion of the actuator having an upper, central drive recess therein, and a shank portion integral with and depending from the head portion to be rotated therewith the locking member being mounted to the shank portion for relative rotation therebetween.