Patent ID: 7204837

Claim:
Spinal plate structure, comprising: (a) a spinal plate having a bottom side generally adapted to face a plurality of vertebrae and a top side generally facing opposite the bottom side; (b) a plurality of bores defined by said spinal plate and passing through said spinal plate from the top side of said spinal plate to the bottom side of said spinal plate; (c) at least two bone anchors, each having a shank and a head, said head of each said bone anchor having a top surface, said at least two bone anchors being insertable into respective ones of the bores thereby to secure said spinal plate to such vertebrae; and (d) a retainer band adapted and configured to prevent bone anchor back-out, said retainer band being positioned within at least one of the bores and being confined between the top side and the bottom side of said spinal the plate, said the retainer band having (i) an initial position where at least a first portion of the length of said retainer band extends across a first portion of the respective bore, (ii) a passage position wherein the head of a said bone anchor which is being inserted into the respective bore has deflected said retainer band transversely relative to the respective bore up to a sufficient distance to accommodate passage of said head of the respective said bone anchor past said retainer band as said bone anchor is being driven to secure said plate to a respective such vertebra, and (iii) a retention position where such at least a first portion of the length of said retainer band again generally extends across such first portion of the respective bore and thereby is located proximal, and over, the respective bone anchor wherein said retainer band has a closed end portion which is stabilized relative to the top side and the bottom side of said spinal plate and has generally straight portions extending from the closed end portion and across at least a portion of the respective said bore.