Patent ID: 7445636

Claim:
A system for use in human spinal surgery, said system comprising: a spinal implant having an expander for expanding the height and at least a portion of the width of said implant from a collapsed position to an expanded position, said implant having upper, lower, and side portions comprising a plurality of arms separated by spaces; and a holder for holding said spinal implant, said holder including a sleeve having a leading end, a trailing end, a mid-longitudinal axis therebetween, and a passageway from said trailing end to said leading end, said passageway providing access to said implant through said sleeve, said leading end of said sleeve having spaced apart upper, lower, and side portions, said sleeve having a maximum cross-sectional dimension across the mid-longitudinal axis and through said upper, lower, and side portions of said sleeve, said maximum cross-sectional dimension through said upper and lower portions of said sleeve being substantially the same as the maximum cross-sectional dimension through said side portions of said sleeve, said maximum cross-sectional dimension through said upper, lower, and side portions of said sleeve increasing in a direction from said leading end of said sleeve toward said trailing end of said sleeve along at least a portion of the mid-longitudinal axis, said upper, lower, and side portions of said sleeve configured to fit in the spaces between said upper, lower, and side arms, respectively, of said spinal implant to cooperatively engage said sleeve to said implant.