Patent ID: 7763050

Claim:
A facet joint implant that addresses spinal stenosis and other ailments of the spine while maintaining mobility of the facet joint, the implant comprising: an inter-facet joint spacer sized to fit between adjacent superior and inferior facets, the inter-facet joint spacer having an upper surface adapted to support the inferior facet and a lower surface adapted to support the superior facet; an anchoring plate having a connecting portion pivotably attached to the spacer, the connecting portion configured to freely pivot the anchoring plate relative to the spacer, the inter-facet joint spacer being sized with a first overall width measured laterally across the inter-facet joint spacer, the connecting portion having a second overall width measured laterally across the connecting portion in a direction substantially parallel to the lateral direction of the first width, the second overall width being less than the first overall width such that the connecting portion is narrower than the inter-facet joint spacer; a bone screw; a locking screw; the anchoring plate receives the bone screw and the locking screw; and wherein the locking screw is adapted to self-cut into a vertebra and to block the bone screw, the locking screw and the bone screw adapted to anchor the anchoring plate to the vertebra, wherein the locking screw is positioned medially, relative to the bone screw in the patient.