Patent ID: 8187329

Claim:
A stabilizing bone plate useful in an interbody fusion system for stabilizing a biomechanical spinal implant comprising: a bone plate having a left side surface and a right side surface, a top surface and a bottom surface, a first upper surface and a second lower surface, with a distance between said first upper surface and said second lower surface defining a thickness of said plate, a horizontal middle plane between the first upper surface and the second lower surface and a plurality of boreholes suitable for accommodating longitudinal fixation elements extending through said thickness of said plate; wherein each of said boreholes has an elongated slot located at or near said horizontal middle plane, and surrounded by arcuate and dished curvilinear sidewalls which form an engagement seat extending from said elongated slot to said first upper surface for receiving at least two bone fixation elements therein, each of said bone fixation elements having a screw head that enters into locking engagement with at least one adjacent screw head to minimize movement of said bone fixation elements, and a diverging outlet portion extending from said elongated slot toward said second lower surface, said divergent outlet being adapted to provide a range of angulation of each said fixation elements; whereby each of said fixation elements is individually positionable within both an inferior and superior vertebral body associated with said interbody fusion system.