Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Bao Tran, Esq.
  • Patent number: 6629840
    Abstract: A system for repositioning teeth comprises a plurality of individual appliances. The appliances are configured to be placed successively on the patient's teeth and to incrementally reposition the teeth from an initial tooth arrangement, through a plurality of intermediate tooth arrangements, and to a final tooth arrangement. The system of appliances is usually configured at the outset of treatment so that the patient may progress through treatment without the need to have the treating professional perform each successive step in the procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Muhammad Chishti, Kelsey Wirth
  • Patent number: 6621491
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for integrating anatomical information from a plurality of sources of information. The system receives two or more three dimensional (3D) anatomical maps sharing a common plane specified by three or more marker points common to the two or more maps; and aligns the two or more 3D anatomical maps using the marker points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sheldon Baumrind, Sean Curry, Andrew Beers
  • Patent number: 6607382
    Abstract: The present invention provides devices, systems and methods for orthodontic treatment using elastic repositioning appliances while concurrently providing dental and periodontal therapies. Such therapies are traditionally provided with the use of a variety of accessories and devices which are applied when the repositioning appliance is removed from the patient's mouth. The present invention eliminates the need for such removal and additional devices by incorporating these therapies into the repositioning appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Kuo, Loc X. Phan
  • Patent number: 6602070
    Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods implement a dental treatment plan by specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; and generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with the specified pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ross J. Miller, Muhammad Chishti, Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 6582227
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems of repositioning teeth for use in orthodontic treatment, with particular applicability to removable elastic repositioning appliances. Such appliances may be challenged by traditional tooth movements which intrude the crown of the tooth or present tooth positions which reduce available points of purchase. These challenges may be overcome with a series of tooth movements in which a tooth is translated in a “root-first” position. The movements may take advantage of the inherent characteristics of elastic repositioning appliances in translating a tooth from a first position to a desired position along a gingival plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Loc X. Phan, Muhammad Chishti
  • Patent number: 6554611
    Abstract: A system for repositioning teeth comprises a plurality of individual appliances. The appliances are configured to be placed successively on the patient's teeth and to incrementally reposition the teeth from an initial tooth arrangement, through a plurality of intermediate tooth arrangements, and to a final tooth arrangement. The system of appliances is usually configured at the outset of treatment so that the patient may progress through treatment without the need to have the treating professional perform each successive step in the procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Muhammad Chishti, Apostolos Lerios, Brian Freyburger, Kelsey Wirth, Richard Ridgley
  • Patent number: 6514074
    Abstract: A computer obtains a digital model of a patient's dentition, including a dental model representing the patient's teeth at a set of initial positions and a gingival model representing gum tissue surrounding the teeth. The computer then derives from the digital model an expected deformation of the gum tissue as the teeth move from the initial positions to another set of positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Muhammad Chishti, Huafeng Wen, Elena Pavlovskaia, Ka Man Cheang
  • Patent number: 6488499
    Abstract: Orthodontic treatment is achieved using a series of successive, removable repositioning appliances, such as thin polymeric shell appliances referred to as aligners. A set of aligners is originally provided to the patient. If the patient's treatment goes off course using the original set of aligners, further aligners are designed and fabricated to move the deviant tooth arrangement back to a target tooth arrangement which was part of the original treatment program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Ross Miller