Patent ID: 8287550

Claim:
An implant comprising: a bone plate having a bone contacting surface and an opposite outwardly facing surface and first and second bone screw receiving openings each extending along a central axis between the outwardly facing surface and the bone contacting surface, a split-ring receiving recess open to the outwardly facing surface located intermediate the first and second bone screw receiving openings, the first and second bone screw receiving openings each having a slot spaced from the outwardly facing surface towards the bone contacting surface, a slot formed in a wall of the first and second bone screw receiving openings, each slot open to the split ring receiving recess; and a resilient split-ring having a thickness less than a height of the slots in the first and second bone screw receiving openings along the bone screw receiving opening central axis, the split-ring having a contracted position wherein its dimension is less than a maximum dimension of the split-ring receiving recess and an expanded position wherein an outer circumference of the split-ring is larger than the maximum dimension of the recess and the split-ring extends through the slot in the wall of the first and second bone screw receiving openings towards the central axis and into the first and second bone screw receiving openings.