Patent ID: 8029514

Claim:
A bone screw removal system for removing bone screws from a plate that defines a plurality of transversely extending bores and a plurality of cavities and a bone screw retaining system that includes an elastically deformable spring member positioned therein each cavity such that portions of the spring member can extend into a portion of the upper region of each of the bores, wherein the spring member is configured to mount therein the cavity and is movable between a first relaxed position and a second compressed position, wherein, in the first relaxed position, at least a portion of the spring member extends outwardly substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bore and into the upper region of the bore, wherein, in the first relaxed position, portions of the spring member extend over portions of the upper region of each bore of the pair of opposing bores, which decreases the effective inner diameter of the upper region of the bore, and wherein, in the second compressed position, portions of the spring member are medially biased away from the longitudinal axis of the bore toward the outer wall of upper region of the bore, which increases the effective inner diameter of the upper region of the bore, the bone screw removal system comprising: a tubular sleeve member having at least one tongue member formed in a distal end of the sleeve member and defining a conduit extending from the distal end to a proximal end of the sleeve member, wherein the at least one tongue member is resiliently biased inward toward a center of the conduit of the sleeve member, and wherein the conduit of the sleeve member has a first diameter; and a bone screw drive member having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein at least a portion of an exterior surface of the bone screw drive member proximate the distal end of the bone screw drive member has a diameter that is substantially the same as the first diameter of the sleeve member and is configured for slideably receipt therein the conduit of the sleeve member, wherein the at least one tongue member is movable about and between a first, relaxed position, in which the tongue member is resiliently biased inward toward the center of the conduit of the sleeve member, and a second position, in which the at least a portion of the exterior surface of the bone screw drive member proximate the distal end of the bone screw drive member acts against an inner surface of the at least one tongue member to urge the at least one tongue member outwardly away from the center of the conduit of the sleeve member.