Patent ID: 8016864

Claim:
An implant for the spine, comprising: a plate for engaging the spine, the plate having front and back surfaces and a plurality of fixation openings extending between the front and back surfaces, wherein the back surface is adapted to contact the spine; a plurality of bone anchorage screws, each operable to extend through a corresponding fixation opening of the plate; a plurality of cavities formed in the front surface of the plate, each of which is in communication with a corresponding fixation opening; and a plurality of locking slides, each configured to be positioned in a corresponding one of the cavities, wherein the locking slides are slidable between unlocked positions, in which the bone anchorage screws may be positioned through corresponding fixation openings, and locked positions, in which the bone anchorage screws are locked within the corresponding fixation openings, wherein each locking slide slides between the unlocked and locked positions along a path oriented in a longitudinal direction with respect to the plate, and wherein the plate further comprises a pair of retaining flanges for each cavity, each pair of retaining flanges retaining a corresponding locking slide in the cavity as the locking slide slides along the path.