Patent ID: 8882843

Claim:
An interbody spinal implant for insertion at least in part between two vertebral bodies adjacent a disc space to be fused, said implant comprising: a maximum width that is greater than one-half of the width of the adjacent vertebral bodies into which said implant is adapted to be inserted; opposed upper and lower surfaces adapted to contact each of the adjacent vertebral bodies, respectively, from within the disc space, each of said upper and lower surfaces including an opening having a maximum width greater than one-half the maximum width of said implant; a leading end for insertion between the adjacent vertebral bodies, a trailing end opposite said leading end and a mid-longitudinal axis through said leading and trailing ends, said trailing end including an upper stabilization element and a lower stabilization element, said upper stabilization element forming the upper-most portion of said trailing end, said lower stabilization element forming the lower-most portion of said trailing end; opposite sides between said trailing and leading ends, each of said opposite sides including an exterior surface having a non-curved portion in a plane parallel to the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant; two bone screw receiving holes extending through said trailing end, each of said bone screw receiving holes being adapted to receive a bone screw for engaging said implant to one of the adjacent vertebral bodies; and a locking element configured to lock two of the bone screws, each of the bone screws being adapted to be inserted in a respective one of said two bone screw receiving holes, each of said bone screw receiving holes being adapted to receive one of the two bone screws, said locking element being configured to be coupled to said implant prior to the insertion of the two bone screws into one each of said two bone screw receiving holes, said locking element being moveable from an initial position that permits the insertion of at least one of the two bone screws into a respective one of said bone screw receiving holes to a final position that is adapted to retain the two bone screws to said implant.