Patent ID: 8460348

Claim:
A bone screw, comprising: an elongate member having a threaded shank, and a head at a proximal end thereof, the head being radially deformable and being defined by an outer wall defining an inner hollow region; a mating feature formed in an inner surface of the outer wall of the head; and a screw locking mechanism configured to engage the mating feature, wherein when the screw locking mechanism is engaging the mating feature, the screw locking mechanism is configured to rotate in a single plane between a locked condition and an unlocked condition, the single plane being transverse to a longitudinal axis of the threaded shank, when in the locked condition, the screw locking mechanism prevents deformation of the head, when in the unlocked condition, the screw locking mechanism permits deformation of the head, and the screw locking mechanism is configured to engage the mating feature when the threaded shank is being threaded into bone.