Patent 8187309 was granted and assigned to DePuy on May, 2012 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Bone screws have heads which are provided with a hex socket as well as a threaded portion. A screw driver system includes a hex driver and a threaded driver. The screw driver system permits driving the screw through a plate system into a bone until desired compression is obtained. Then the screw is locked to the plate while maintaining the imparted compression.