Patent ID: 8062340

Claim:
A spinal fixation system for fixing an elongate member in a desired position relative to a patient's spine, the spinal fixation system comprising: an anchor member for being secured to a vertebral bone of the spine; a coupling member having an internal space for securing the elongate member relative to the anchor member in the internal space, an upper opening leading to the internal space, and a central axis extending through the internal space and the upper opening; opposing side wall portions of the coupling member each extending axially upward toward top ends thereof and including slot openings therebetween with the elongate member extending through the slot openings and out from either side of the coupling member; a locking device for being received axially through the upper opening and in the internal space to be operable to fix the elongate member in the coupling member; at least one of the side wall portions including a resilient portion that cooperates with the locking device for being inserted into the internal space of the coupling member via resilient flexing of the resilient portion; substantially rigid portions on either side of the resilient portion of the at least one sidewall portion that guide the locking device for receipt in the coupling member; a pair of narrow slits extending along each side of the resilient portion and opening to the top end of the sidewall, the slits extending substantially vertically between the rigid portions and the resilient portion; and linear camming portions of the locking device and the resilient portion arranged and configured so that linear advancement of the locking device along the coupling member axis without rotation of the locking device causes camming engagement of the linear camming portions to resiliently shift the resilient portion for insertion of the locking device through the upper opening and into the internal space of the coupling member.