Patent ID: 7399301

Claim:
A plate system, comprising: a plate adapted to be applied to the anterior human cervical spine for contacting the anterior aspects of at least two cervical vertebral bodies to be fused, said plate comprising: at least a first plate segment adapted to be attached to one of the adjacent vertebral bodies to be fused and at least a second plate segment adapted to be attached to another one of the adjacent vertebral bodies to be fused, said at least first and second plate segments adapted to be connected to one another and at least in part overlapped to form said plate, said at least first and second plate segments being in a moveable relationship to one another along a longitudinal axis of said plate, each of said at least first and second plate segments including: a lower surface adapted to contact at least one of the cervical vertebral bodies and an upper surface opposite said lower surface, said lower surface being concave at least in part along at least a portion of the longitudinal axis of said plate; at least one bone screw receiving hole extending from said upper surface through said lower surface, each of said bone screw receiving holes adapted to overlie one of the cervical vertebral bodies and being adapted to receive at least one bone screw for engaging the cervical vertebral body to attach said plate to the cervical spine; at least one fastener adapted to couple together said first and second plate segments, said fastener being non-detachably attached to at least one of said first and second plate segments so as to prevent complete uncoupling of said first and second plate segments from one another, said fastener having a first position adapted to permit said first and second plate segments to move relative to one another along the longitudinal axis of said plate; and at least one bone screw lock adapted to lock to said plate only a single bone screw inserted in one of said bone screw receiving holes; and an instrument configured to cooperatively engage said fastener and at least a portion of at least one of said first and second plate segments so as upon movement of said fastener with said instrument said first and second plate segments move relative to one another along the longitudinal axis of said plate.