Patents Assigned to American Orthodontics Corporation
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Patent number: 8932053Abstract: An orthodontic assembly includes a self-ligating attachment having a groove for receiving an orthodontic arch. An elastic clip can be reversibly moved between an open position and a closed position sealing the groove. A base including an external surface and an occlusal surface, said external surface of the base supporting the attachment and said occlusal surface of the base being intended to rest on one of the patient's teeth. The aforementioned clip can be moved in an at least partially rotational manner between the open position and the closed position. Moreover, the area of the above-mentioned base that supports the attachment comprises a depression at least partially in the form of a cup and the clip is inserted into the depression when in the closed position.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2011Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Patrick Curiel, Philippe Salah, William Ayache
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Publication number: 20140272753Abstract: A self-ligating bracket includes a bracket body with a mesial and a distal channel. A spring clip includes a distal arm with a distal arm body and a distal finger and a mesial arm with a mesial arm body and a mesial finger. The spring clip is slidably secured within the bracket body by a sliding engagement of the distal arm with the distal channel and the mesial arm with the mesial channel. The spring clip is movable between an open position and a closed position wherein in the open position, the arch wire slot is unobstructed and in the closed position the mesial finger and distal finger extend into and across the arch wire slot to occlude the arch wire slot.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2014Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Jay Stanley Sommer, Eric William Nimmer, Andrew Rudolf Pietzner
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Publication number: 20140255864Abstract: An indirect bonding tray includes a least on tooth position each tooth portion includes an occlusal surface that conforms to an occlusal surface of an associated tooth of a patient's dentition. At least one of bracket arm includes a bracket arm tip configured to engage an orthodontic bracket. The at least one bracket arm movably attached to at least one tooth portion to move between a first position and second position relative to a bonding surface of the associated tooth. In the second position, the bracket arm is in a position configured to hold an orthodontic bracket in a predetermined treatment position relative to the bonding surface of the associated tooth.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2014Publication date: September 11, 2014Applicant: AMERICAN ORTHODONTICS CORPORATIONInventors: William Charles Machata, Michael Craig Marshall
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Patent number: 7611353Abstract: An orthodontic bracket system includes a bracket and a clip. During closing, an arm of the clip rides down against an inclined rear surface of a first tie wing and a portion of the clip bends resiliently, exerting a force that locks a locking edge portion of the clip in a recess beneath second tie wings. During opening, the arm rides up against the inclined rear surface of the first tie wing as the locking edge portion of the clip is removed from the recess beneath the second tie wings. The clip is then moved to an open position to permit placement and removal of the archwire and held in that position.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2006Date of Patent: November 3, 2009Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Jay S. Sommer
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Patent number: 7381053Abstract: A packaged, pre-pasted orthodontic bracket includes a container having an open well therein and a top surface surrounding the well. A cover film with a central hole is disposed over the top opening of the well and secured to the top surface of the container with a layer of adhesive. An orthodontic bracket mounted in the central hole of the cover film has a base, a central portion extending from the base, at least two opposed tie wings extending from the central portion of the bracket, and a layer of light-curable adhesive disposed on the base of the bracket. The bracket is mounted in the central hole of the cover film such that the cover film contacts the central portion of the bracket and supports the bracket with the adhesive layer and base inside the well and the tie wings outside the well.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2005Date of Patent: June 3, 2008Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 5756174Abstract: A bond card for mounting prepasted orthodontic appliances that includes a substantially rigid planar substrate and a flexible adhesive-releasing film attached to the substrate and having a plurality of unmounted or unattached portions serving as sites for the appliances that are capable of being lifted from the surface of the substrate to facilitate removal of the appliance for mounting on a tooth.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 1996Date of Patent: May 26, 1998Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 5722826Abstract: A bonding pad for an orthodontic attachment to be bonded to a tooth, including a foil or plate having a photoetched surface, and a layer of mesh material diffusion bonded to the photoetched surface of the foil, thereby greatly increasing the bonding strength of the attachment to which the bonding pad is secured.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 1997Date of Patent: March 3, 1998Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Lee H. Tuneberg, William P. Gagin
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Patent number: 5697780Abstract: Apparatus and method for prepasting orthodontic appliances such as brackets with a light-cure adhesive and facilitating the mounting of the brackets in the mouth of a patient. The apparatus includes a kit having a storage box capable of storing a plurality of bond cards on which prepasted brackets are mounted in an organized fashion, a work box for facilitating the initial mounting of the brackets on the bond cards, a bond card cover for protecting the prepasted brackets against curing of the adhesive at the chairside of the patient, and a mouth shield for delaying the curing of the adhesive following initial placement of the prepasted brackets in the mouth of a patient.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 1995Date of Patent: December 16, 1997Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Lee H. Tuneberg, John E. Viglieltti
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Patent number: 5441409Abstract: An orthodontic band having a textured inner surface for enhancing the adhesive bonding to a tooth, wherein the textured surface is formed by photoetching a pattern of pockets, indentations, or raised portions.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1994Date of Patent: August 15, 1995Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 5267855Abstract: A bonding base and method of making the base for a plastic orthodontic bracket to provide a mechanical lock that inhibits both shear and tensile forces when bonded to a tooth with a mechanical bonding adhesive. The bonding base includes a coating or layer of thermoset epoxy, urethane or acrylate chemistry having partially embedded therein a layer of textured particles that define multi-directional undercuts and projections. The method of making the bonding base includes the steps of applying a substantially uniform in thickness coating of the chosen chemistry to the tooth-attaching side of the bracket, next applying a layer of textured particles to the coating while it is wet, and then curing the coating to lock the textured particles to the bracket for producing a textured mechanical lock.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 1992Date of Patent: December 7, 1993Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 5108285Abstract: A bonding base and method of making a base for a ceramic orthodontic bracket to provide mechanical retention between the bracket and the tooth so that the bracket may be debonded by the failure of the mechanical bond at the bracket/bond interface when the shear strength of the bond is exceeded. The bracket bonding base includes a glass frit fired to the tooth-attaching side of the bracket and a layer of textured aluminum oxide fired to the frit. The method of making the bonding base includes controlled preparation of a glass ceramic glaze (frit) to have a coefficient of thermal expansion slightly less than that of the bracket and application of the glaze to the bracket base. Thereafter, a proper firing sequence transforms the glaze into a sintered glass ceramic. A specially prepared textured substance is then applied to the sintered ceramic glaze and the bracket is again fired under controlled conditions in order to fuse the textured substance with the glaze.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1991Date of Patent: April 28, 1992Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 5067897Abstract: A twin tie wing orthodontic bracket having a pair of substantially parallel spaced tie wings extending from a base portion adapted to be attached to a tooth, and a horizontally opening buccolabially extending archwire slot and cutouts at the mesial and distal sides of the bracket at the archwire slot and the buccolabial face which increases the interbracket distance and thereby increases the range of the archwire and decreases the force the archwire exerts on the brackets.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 1990Date of Patent: November 26, 1991Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: 4659309Abstract: An orthodontic bracket for use with an archwire to impart corrective forces to a tooth, including a base portion attachable directly to a tooth, a bonding pad or a band and at least one tie wing extending from the base portion which includes gingival and occlusal tips and an archwire slot opening buccolingually and extending mesiodistally. The buccolingual profile of the bracket is rhomboidal, wherein the backside of the base portion and the front face are parallel and the occlusal and gingival sides are parallel, while an obtuse angle is defined between the outer face of the bracket and one of the occlusal or gingival sides depending upon the tooth on which the bracket is mounted and the torque desired.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 1985Date of Patent: April 21, 1987Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: Daniel A. Merkel
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Patent number: 4639219Abstract: Surgical ball hooks for intermaxillary fixation that are adjustably positionable on an archwire and which include a tubular base received by the archwire and an elongated bar or arm fixed at one end to the base and at right angles to the base and having its other end ball shaped. The tubular base may be seamless or split wherein the seamless version is mounted on the wire prior to placement of the wire and the split version may be mounted onto the wire subsequent to placement.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1982Date of Patent: January 27, 1987Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: William P. Gagin
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Patent number: 4604057Abstract: A cast orthodontic appliance for bonding to a tooth having an appliance portion with an archwire slot and a pad or base portion with a curved tooth-conforming bonding surface. The bonding surface is formed with a plurality of horizontal or vertical grooves or slots opening lingually. The grooves on each side of center diverge.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 1985Date of Patent: August 5, 1986Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventor: John E. Viglietti
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Patent number: 4536154Abstract: An orthodontic bracket for use with an archwire to orthodontically treat a patient by imparting corrective forces to a tooth. The bracket includes a base portion for attachment to the tooth, mesial and distal tie wings extending from the base portion, each of which includes gingival and occlusal tips defining therebetween a buccolabial opening archwire slot. The archwire slots are in mutual alignment and define a reference line for orienting the bracket in parallel relation to the occlusal plane and the tie wings are oriented such that they are obliquely angled to the reference line. The gingival tips have surfaces that are in parallel alignment with the reference line and substantially equidistant therefrom, and the outer borders of the tie wings form a trapezoidal configuration as the tie wings are of unequal size.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 1984Date of Patent: August 20, 1985Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Robert E. Garton, Jr., John E. Viglietti
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Patent number: 4193195Abstract: An orthodontic appliance to be used in a straight-wire technique setup as an auxiliary for applying closing forces between spaced teeth, wherein the appliance is mounted on a bracket attached to a band or pad. The appliance includes a base attachable to the bracket and an arm extending from the base and terminating in a hook for the attachment thereto of a force transmission member, such as an elastic. The appliance is attached to the bracket so that it is removable from the bracket after the use of the appliance has been completed and while the bracket remains mounted on a tooth.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1978Date of Patent: March 18, 1980Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Daniel A. Merkel, John E. Viglietti, William P. Gagin
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Patent number: D686325Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2009Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: American Orthodontic CorporationInventor: Lee H. Tuneberg
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Patent number: D720856Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2013Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: American Orthodontics CorporationInventors: Scott Faust, Bradley J. Brasser