Patent ID: 8328817

Claim:
A lock indicator gauge system, comprising: a taper lock bone screw having a leading end, a trailing end, a collet, a coupling, and bone engaging shank, the collet and the coupling being supported on the bone engaging shank, the coupling being movable relative to the collet to position the taper lock bone screw between locked and unlocked states for securing a spinal rod to the collet and coupling; and a lock indicator gauge including: a housing having leading and trailing ends and including a receptacle supported on the leading end of the housing to receive the trailing end of the taper lock bone screw; a plunger being supported within a lumen defined between the leading and trailing ends of the housing, the plunger being movable relative to the housing between an extended position and a retracted position to correspond with one of the locked and unlocked states of the taper lock bone screw, the extended position being indicative of the unlocked state of the taper lock bone screw and the retracted position being indicative of the locked state of the taper lock bone screw.