Patent ID: 8012185

Claim:
A tulip assembly comprising: a tulip body that is monolithic, said tulip body having a central bore extending along a generally longitudinal axis and a rod-receiving channel defined by at least one tulip body wall, said rod-receiving channel being configured to receive a rod in a rod-receiving end of said tulip body, said rod having a rod axis; a pedicle screw having a threaded portion and a head portion, said head portion being polyaxial; and an inner component adapted to be received within said central bore, said inner component having an inner component rod-receiving channel and an inner component rod capture channel defined by at least one inner component wall, said inner component rod capture channel is in communication and generally transverse to said rod-receiving channel; at least one of said rod-receiving channel or said inner component rod-receiving channel being configured to receive and capture said rod and lock said rod to said tulip body via a relative rotation of said tulip body and said inner component; at least a portion of each of said rod-receiving channel and said inner component rod-receiving channel being adapted so that said rod can move along said generally longitudinal axis to be simultaneously received in both said inner component and said tulip body and, thereafter, relative rotation of said tulip body and inner component moves said rod from said inner component rod-receiving channel to said inner component rod capture channel such that said at least one inner component wall and said at least one tulip body wall cooperate to capture and lock said rod in said tulip body with at least one of said inner component or said tulip body rotating about said generally longitudinal axis during said relative rotational movement that is not coaxial with said rod axis.