Patent Document ID: 8377067
Application ID: 13374932

Base Claim:
1. A spinal bone screw implant in combination with a guide tool so that the tool attaches to the bone screw for guiding a rod into a receiver of the bone screw wherein: a) the receiver including a rod receiving channel and first attachment structure; b) the tool including a rod guide channel and a second attachment structure; the receiving channel and guide channel aligning during use to guide the rod from the tool to the receiver; c) the first attachment structure including a radiused horizontal groove extending at least partially circumferentially around the receiver, the tool having a projection that is sized and shaped to be received in the groove when the tool is secured to the receiver and to follow the groove upon rotation of the tool; and d) the tool including a cutout positioned to cooperate with the groove and sized, shaped and positioned to allow the tool, when the tool and receiver are joined, to straddle the rod when the tool is rotated so that the channels are not aligned so as to allow the projection to rotatably exit the groove and the tool to become unattached to the bone screw.

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Claim 3:
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein: a) the groove is sufficiently wide to receive the projection and hook member and thereafter the tool is pulled upwardly relative to the receiver to place the hook member in the recess so as to resist splaying of the tool relative to the receiver.