Patent ID: 8747443

Claim:
A spinal plate system, the system comprising: a screw including a head and a threaded body, the head including a portion of a first sphere that has a first center and a portion of a second sphere that has a second center approximately concentric with the first center, the body extending from the portion of the first sphere; a spinal plate including an opening through the spinal plate and an associated recess in the spinal plate that is eccentric with the opening; and a cap including an alignment opening, the cap configured to be rotationally engaged in the recess between a first rotational configuration and a second rotational configuration, the first rotational configuration enabling the threaded body to be threaded into a vertebra in a selected trajectory through the alignment opening and the opening in the spinal plate and the head to engage at least a portion of the opening in the selected trajectory, the second rotational configuration enabling the cap to compress the portion of the second sphere into the portion of the first sphere approximately through its center such that the head is compressed into the engaged portion of the opening.