Patent ID: 7491221

Claim:
An orthopedic bone plate system, comprising: a bone plate for placement adjacent one or more vertebral bodies, having a first aperture extending along a longitudinal axis and an upper and lower surface; a sliding element having a top portion and a base portion, and an aperture extending along a central axis therethrough, said sliding element adapted for being placed adjacent said bone plate aperture and said base portion having a convex surface; a bone fastener having a longitudinal axis and adapted for connecting said bone plate to a vertebral body, said bone fastener having a stem and a bone engaging portion, wherein a diameter of said stem is less than a cross-section of said sliding element aperture so that said stem may be oriented within said sliding element aperture at a plurality of angles; a stopping element having a concave surface engageable with said convex surface of said sliding element base portion such that the stopping element can rotate about said convex surface of the base portion thereby allowing the bone fastener to be positioned and locked in the sliding element aperture at a plurality of different angles, the stopping element also having a bore adapted for receiving said stem portion of said bone fastener, said bore enabling said stopping element to translate along the longitudinal axis of said bone fastener such that said stopping element may be located at different positions along said bone fastener; and a locking element engageable with said top portion having a bore adapted for receiving said stem portion of said bone fastener.