Patents Assigned to Align Technology, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12290979
    Abstract: A method of three-dimensional (3D) printing includes heating a photo-curable material and extruding the photo-curable material from a nozzle to form a first layer of an object according to a digital file, wherein the first layer has a first shape specified by the digital file, and wherein the first shape has a first minimum line width based on a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the digital file or an additional digital file to cure a portion of the first layer, wherein the cured portion of the first layer has a second shape, wherein the second shape may comprise features that are smaller than the first shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehdi Mojdeh, Michael Christopher Cole, Peter Dorfinger, Shiva P. Sambu
  • Patent number: 12286493
    Abstract: Systems for fabricating orthodontic appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a system includes a build platform configured to receive a polymerizable composition, the polymerizable composition including a first polymerizable component and a second polymerizable component, the polymerizable composition characterized by an initial ratio of the first polymerizable component to the second polymerizable component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Christopher Cole
  • Patent number: 12283016
    Abstract: An intraoral scanner system includes an intraoral scanner having an imaging device and a sensing face, and a computing device, communicatively coupled to the intraoral scanner. The computing device receives a first intraoral images of a three-dimensional intraoral object of a patient generated by the intraoral scanner corresponding to an intraoral scanning of the three-dimensional intraoral object of the patient. The computing device registers a first intraoral image of the first intraoral images relative to a second intraoral image of the first intraoral images using a model of the three-dimensional intraoral object that existed prior to the intraoral scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gilad Furst
  • Patent number: 12282882
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing customer contact based on context. Specifically, a provider in a provider network associated with provisioning a specific product to a specific user can be identified. Context information related to the provider provisioning one or more products in relation to one or more workflows for provisioning the one or more products through the provider network can be accessed. A model can be applied based on the context information to identify circumstances associated with a likelihood that the provider will contact an enterprise of the provider network with respect to provisioning of the specific product to the specific user. As follows, performance of one or more remedial actions through the enterprise to address the provider contacting the enterprise can be facilitated based on the circumstances associated with the likelihood that the provider will contact the enterprise of the provider network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladislav Shcherbinin, Kirill Savin, Anna Akopova, Arev Hambardzumyan, Arseniy Korsun
  • Patent number: 12279929
    Abstract: A dental scanning system comprises an intraoral scanner and one or more processors. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more light projectors configured to project a pattern (comprising a plurality of pattern features) on a surface of a dental object, and two or more cameras configured to acquire one or more sets of images, wherein each set of images comprises at least one image from each camera, and wherein each image includes at least a portion of the projected pattern. The processors are configured to determine one or more image features within each set of images, solve a correspondence problem within each set of images such that points in 3D space are determined based on the image features, wherein said points form a solution to the correspondence problem, and wherein the correspondence problem is solved for groups of pattern features, and generate a digital 3D representation of the dental object using the solution to the correspondence problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy
  • Patent number: 12275191
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for post-processing additively manufactured objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a plurality of additively manufactured objects having excess material thereon. The method can include removing the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects by rotating the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The method can also include adjusting an environmental temperature while rotating the plurality of additively manufactured objects according to a dynamic temperature profile that facilitates removal of the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The dynamic temperature profile can include (a) a first temperature configured to decrease a viscosity of the excess material, and (b) a second temperature configured to increase a stiffness of the plurality of additively manufactured objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, Srinivas Kaza, Chunhua Li, Lance Robert Pickens, Shawn Stromenger, Jun Sato, Siobhan O'Leary, Peter Webber, Brett E. Kelly, Jennifer Chavez
  • Patent number: 12274600
    Abstract: An intraoral scanning system comprises an elongate handheld wand with a probe at a distal end, a structured light projector configured to project a uniform structured light pattern onto an object, a plurality of cameras configured to capture points of the uniform structured light pattern projected onto the object by the structured light projector, and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to determine a correspondence between projected points in the uniform structured light pattern generated by the structured light projector and captured points of the uniform structured light pattern captured by the plurality of cameras viewing the uniform structured light pattern projected onto the object, and to use triangulation and the determined correspondence to determine three-dimensional points in space associated with the captured points of the uniform structured light pattern captured by the plurality of cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy
  • Patent number: 12274597
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems for the bonding of attachments for use with dental appliances. For instance, an attachment template tray system may include a template body and a light source tray. Electronic circuitry of the light source tray may be configured to activate, based on a signal from a sensor assembly, radiation source(s) of the light source tray when the light source tray is within a threshold distance of the template body. The template body may include an orthodontic attachment with a release layer covering an engagement surface. Radiation sources of the light source tray may be configured to emit a first range of wavelengths of light for curing a light curable adhesive coating on the orthodontic attachment and a second range of wavelengths of light for degrading the release layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Chunhua Li
  • Patent number: 12268474
    Abstract: An intraoral scanner comprises a housing, a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, a detector for detecting returning light reflected off an intraoral object, and a focus shifting mechanism configured to shift a focal plane of the optics system. The optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel
  • Patent number: 12268569
    Abstract: Methods and systems (including software) for creating a treatment plan to align a patient's teeth using a plurality of removable aligners to be worn in sequential stages. These methods and systems may generate a plurality of potential treatment plan variations. Each variation may be optimized to best address the user's treatment goals, as well as approximating as closely as possible an ideal or target final position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Akopov, Evgeniy Morozov, Alexander Belous, Alexander Kulinich, Irina Ivanova, Mikhail Nyukhtikov, Maria Shirshova, Olga Matusevich, Olga Likhacheva
  • Patent number: 12268574
    Abstract: Intraoral scanning systems configured to perform computer-implemented methods for identifying dental features. The methods may include engaging a trained machine learning network to identify one or more dental features in one or more regions of a patient's dentition. Each of the dental features may be present in at least one of multiple records. Each of the records may include multiple images of the patient's dentition and may be taken with a different imaging modality. The confidence score may be determined or adjusted using a 3D model of the patient's dentition. The confidence score may be determined or adjusted based on the region of the patient's dentition within each record. The methods may include displaying an indicator of each dental feature that has a confidence score that is above a threshold on the 3D model of the patient's dentition, and modifying the display as a user adjusts the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sabina, Avi Kopelman, Eric Kuo, Gilad Elbaz, Assaf Weiss, Doron Malka, Ofer Saphier, Eliahou Franklin Nizard, Ido Tishel, Shai Ayal, Maayan Moshe
  • Patent number: 12272067
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses (including systems and devices), including computer-implemented methods for segmenting, correcting and/or modifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of a subject's oral cavity to determine individual components such as teeth, gingiva, tongue, palate, etc., that may be selective and/or collectively digitally manipulated. In some implementations, artificial intelligence uses libraries of labeled 2D images and 3D dental models to learn how to segment a 3D dental model of a subject's oral cavity using 2D images, height map and/or other data and projection values that relate the 2D images to the 3D model. As noted herein, the dental classes can include a variety of intra-oral and extra-oral objects and can be represented as binary values, discrete values, a continuum of height map data, etc. In some implementations, several dental classes are predicted concurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Chad C. Brown, Yun Gao, Pavel Agniashvili, Avraham Zulti, Jonathan Coslovsky, Christopher E. Cramer, Roman Gudchenko, Ofer Saphier, Adi Levin, Maayan Moshe, Doron Malka
  • Patent number: 12269226
    Abstract: Methods for manufacturing objects are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a dental appliance formed using an additive manufacturing process, the dental appliance including a plurality of appliance portions. The method can include identifying, based on sensor data, a location of a subset of the appliance portions on the dental appliance. The method can further include applying energy to a subset of the appliance portions to selectively modify one or more material properties of the subset of the appliance portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Dorfinger, Michael Christopher Cole
  • Patent number: 12263632
    Abstract: A method includes identifying one or more images of a mold of a dental arch, identifying a digital model corresponding to the mold of the dental arch, providing the one or more images and the digital model as input into a trained machine learning model, receiving, from the trained machine learning model, output, and determining, based on the output, whether the mold matches the digital model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Carlos Martínez González, Rowan Fernando Garcia Saucedo, Mario Alfonso Rito Martinez, Ismael Núñez García, René David Alfaro, Shiva P. Sambu
  • Patent number: 12262869
    Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Nir Makmel, Adi Levin, Arad Zulti, Arthur Hsieh
  • Patent number: 12263620
    Abstract: Implementations describe systems and methods for manufacturing and performing quality assessment of dental appliances. In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a dental appliance comprises receiving, at a holder, a feature of the dental appliance, the feature comprising a first surface having a first shape, wherein the holder holds the feature of the dental appliance at a reference position. The method further includes automatically placing an object against the feature at the reference position using a robot arm, wherein the object comprises a second surface having a second shape that mates with the first shape. The method further includes applying pressure to press the object against the feature of the dental appliance and bonding the object to the feature of the dental appliance while applying the pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Nishimuta, Enrique Soltero Borrego, Enrique Jonathan Guzman Olivas, Jun Sato, Kevin Daniel Rodriguez Trujillo, Jose Kiyotaka Blanco Romo, Erick Enriquez de Anda, Lance Robert Pickens, Wesly Wong, Gabriela Perez Vallejo, Carlos Alberto Garcia Carmona, Omar Barraza Alvarez, Miguel Angel Hurtado Soltero
  • Patent number: 12263063
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for generating and displaying a model of a subject's teeth. Described herein are intraoral scanning methods and apparatuses for generating a three-dimensional model of a subject's intraoral region (e.g., teeth). These methods and apparatuses may be used for identifying and evaluating lesions, caries and cracks in the teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilad Elbaz, Erez Lampert, Yossef Atiya, Avi Kopelman, Ofer Saphier, Maayan Moshe, Shai Ayal, Michael Sabina, Eric Kuo, Assaf Weiss, Doron Malka, Eliahou Franklin Nizard, Ido Tishel
  • Patent number: 12263064
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for generating and displaying a model of a subject's teeth. Described herein are intraoral scanning methods and apparatuses for generating a three-dimensional model of a subject's intraoral region (e.g., teeth). These methods and apparatuses may be used for identifying and evaluating lesions, caries and cracks in the teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilad Elbaz, Erez Lampert, Yossef Atiya, Avi Kopelman, Ofer Saphier, Maayan Moshe, Shai Ayal, Michael Sabina, Eric Kuo, Assaf Weiss, Doron Malka, Eliahou Franklin Nizard, Ido Tishel
  • Patent number: 12256905
    Abstract: Methods and systems for taking images of a patient's teeth for tracking a progress of an orthodontic procedure. The methods and systems include a mobile device holder with one or more adjustable stops for providing a compressive force on a mobile device placed therein; a cheek retractor coupled to the mobile device holder; and a user interface on the mobile device indicating whether the mobile device holder is in a correct position relative to the patient's teeth as the mobile device holder is moved while the cheek retractor engages a cheek of the patient to expose the patient's teeth, while taking one or more visual images of the exposed teeth using a camera of the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric P. Meyer, Roman A. Roschin, Tzishing Jesse Lim, Palak Mittal, Stephan Albert Alexandre Dumothier, Norman C. Su, Huameng Ivan Chu
  • Patent number: D1073069
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Roee Gorfinkel, Eran Ishay, Benny Gordon, Avi Kopelman, Nir Makmel