Patent ID: 8920471

Claim:
A transverse connector system comprising: a first spinal rod; a second spinal rod; a cross member including a first end and a second end that opposes the first end, the cross member including a first ball joint disposed at the first end and a second ball joint disposed at the second end, the cross member defining a longitudinal axis extending through the first and second ends; and first and second spinal rod connecting members, the first spinal rod connecting member secured to the first ball joint and the second spinal rod connecting member secured to the second ball joint, each of the spinal rod connecting members defining a spinal rod connecting passage therethrough for reception of one of the spinal rods, each spinal rod connecting member adapted to receive a locking screw, the locking screw extending to a mating surface at a leading end thereof, the mating surface being receivable within a complementary mating surface of a respective one of the ball joints such that rotation of the locking screw advances the mating surface of the locking screw into the complementary mating surface of the respective one of the ball joints to retain a respective one of the spinal rod connecting members in a fixed relationship with the cross member, wherein the first spinal rod is positionable within the spinal rod connecting passage of the first spinal rod connecting member, the first spinal rod connecting member receives the locking screw such that the locking screw shares a common axis with the first ball joint and with the first spinal rod, the common axis being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cross member, wherein the first spinal rod connecting member includes a first spinal rod retention lip and a second spinal rod retention lip positioned adjacent to an opening defined in a bottom most surface of the first spinal rod connecting member, the first and second spinal rod retention lips projecting toward one another to facilitate retention of the first spinal rod in the spinal rod connecting passage of the first spinal rod connecting member.