Patents Assigned to Align Technology, Inc.
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Patent number: 11521732Abstract: In various implementations, computer-implemented method, such as one executed on a computer system or on instructions stored on computer-readable media may include: receiving from a user device associated with a user, a request to access one or more treatment plans for patient; identifying a treatment template for user, the treatment template representing treatment preferences of the user, the treatment template being expressed according to treatment domain-specific protocols; processing the treatment template with the treatment domain-specific protocols to convert one or more parts of the treatment template into one or more runtime elements that interactively display customized user interface elements related to the treatment plan, the customized user interface elements configured to provide one or more customized user interactions with the treatment plan in accordance with the treatment preferences of the user; and providing instructions to display the one or more runtime elements on the user device.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2019Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Adi Levin, Anton Lapshin, Behnam J. Foroodian, Eric P. Meyer, Konstantin Tenzin, Andrey Chekhonin, Pavel Sokolov, René M. Sterental, Jason Ramos, Evgeniy Malashkin, Anna Sivakova, Michael Flanagan
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Patent number: 11511485Abstract: A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional (3D) object may include fabricating a support structure and fabricating the 3D object on the support structure, wherein the support structure contacts the 3D object at a support region of the 3D object. The method further includes overcuring the 3D object at an overcure region of the 3D object, wherein the overcure region is distinct from the support region, and removing the support structure from the 3D object. After removal of the support structure, a support mark remains on the 3D printed object where the support structure had contacted the 3D object, wherein the overcure region of the 3D object projects past the support mark.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2020Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Mehdi Mojdeh, Brett E. Kelly, Shiva P. Sambu
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Patent number: 11504214Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, devices, systems, and computer-implemented methods for forming and placing attachments for use with dental appliances, and more particularly to the design, manufacture, and use of three-dimensionally printed attachment templates for use with orthodontic devices. Dental attachment templates include a cavity with one or more openings for injecting and bonding attachment material directly on a patient's tooth, which allow accurate placement of the attachments while providing the dental practitioner flexibility during the attachment forming process. Digital dental attachment template model techniques can be used to accurately place the cavity and opening.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2019Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Fuming Wu, Jihua Cheng, Chunhua Li, Yan Chen, Norman C. Su
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Patent number: 11497586Abstract: In one aspect an appliance includes a plurality of discrete shell segments, each including one or more cavities shaped to receive at least portions of teeth. The discrete shell segments are joined by an elastic material to form a single appliance shell.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2015Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventor: Avi Kopelman
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Patent number: 11497584Abstract: Orthodontic systems and related methods are disclosed for designing and providing improved or more effective tooth moving systems for eliciting a desired tooth movement and/or repositioning teeth into a desired arrangement. Methods and orthodontic systems include the generation of an overcorrection in the tooth-receiving cavities of an appliance worn in the dentition. The overcorrection may provide an improved and more accurately applied force or moment applied to a tooth. The overcorrected force or moment can move a tooth closer to a desired position than if not overcorrected as sufficient force can still applied to the tooth as it gets closer to the desired position. The overcorrected force or moment may also better target the root of the tooth where the biological response to tooth movement occurs. The overcorrection may be calculated in various ways as described herein.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vadim Matov, Fuming Wu, Jihua Cheng, Jennifer Chen, Chunhua Li, Bastien Pesenti, Igor Kvasov
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Patent number: 11490819Abstract: A method for distinguishing between types of intraoral areas of interest (AOIs) includes receiving or generating a first 3D model comprising teeth; receiving or generating a second 3D model comprising the teeth; comparing the first 3D model to the second 3D model; determining a difference between the first 3D model and the second 3D model at a dental site comprising a tooth; determining an intraoral AOI that is associated with the difference; determining whether the difference comprises a first type of change indicative of a first type of intraoral AOI or a second type of change indicative of a second type of intraoral AOI; and responsive to determining that the difference comprises the first type of change, determining that the intraoral AOI is the first type of intraoral AOI and generating an indicator of the first type of intraoral AOI for the tooth.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2020Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Adi Levin, Mikhail Minchenkov, Maria Anufrienko
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Patent number: 11484395Abstract: A system and method for post-processing of polymeric items having a liquid component and a predetermined heat deflection temperature is provided. The system includes a washing station to spray water at elevated temperature and pressure on the items while maintaining the temperature of the item below the heat deflection temperature. Then using a water distillation system to separate the water from the water mixed with the liquid polymer component by evaporating the water using heating coils with surface that is not conducive to adhesion of the liquid polymer component and then condense the water vapor into liquid water. The system may further include a spin station to separate the liquid polymer component by spinning the item. The system may further include one or more processing stations to rinse the item, dry the item, cure the item, remove the item from a tray to which the item may be attached and clean trays after removing the item.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2020Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas Kaza, Shiva P. Sambu, Kamesh Tata, Michael J. Doung, Long Phan
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Patent number: 11484389Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for manufacturing an appliance for correcting malocclusions of a patient's teeth. The method may include measuring the positions of a patient's teeth and receiving tooth movement constraints. The method may also include generating an initial treatment plan based on the measured tooth positions and the tooth movement constraints and measuring the malocclusions of the patient's teeth for one or more types of dental malocclusions. The method may also include generating a plurality of treatment plans from the initial treatment plan based on the measured malocclusion and generating a model of an appliance for each stage of the treatment plan. The method may also include generating instructions for fabricating the appliance for each stage of the treatment plan based on the model of the appliance for each stage of the treatment plan.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2018Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Rene M. Sterental, Samuel Blanco, Anton Lapshin, Alexander Kulinich, Valery Prokoshev, Boris Vasilevskiy, Evgeniy Morozov, Jason Ramos
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Patent number: 11478132Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 6, 2020Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Align Technology. Inc.Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Nir Makmel, Adi Levin, Arad Zulti, Arthur Hsieh
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Patent number: 11478334Abstract: Systems and methods of generating an orthodontic model are disclosed. The method may include: generating an initial model of a patient dentition; generating a target model of the patient dentition; defining a plurality of caps and a plurality of links, wherein each link connects two of the plurality of caps; generating a relaxed model of a dental appliance from the plurality of caps and the plurality of links; generating a deformed model of a dental appliance from the plurality of caps and plurality of links; and determining a plurality of movements, wherein the plurality of moments transform the relaxed model to the deformed model and wherein the moments are configured to direct the patient dentition from the initial model to the target model.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2019Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Vadim Matov, Sergei Brodsky, Bastien Pesenti, Yuri Syrov, Ping Tang, Manlio Fabio Valdivieso Casique, Olga Matusevich, Igor Kvasov
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Patent number: 11478333Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods of managing planning and delivery of an orthodontic treatment using planning tools, treatment guidelines, instructions and appointment planning tools customized to the individual patient being treated, as well as tools and methods for tracking delivery and patient progression through an orthodontic treatment plan.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2019Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ian Kitching, Rene Sterental, Eric Kuo, Lou Shuman
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Patent number: 11471252Abstract: Embodiments are provided for utilizing metallic portions in dental positioning appliances. One embodiment includes a removable dental positioning appliance having a shell having one or more cavities shaped to receive and reposition one or more teeth from a first orientation to a successive orientation and where at least a portion of the shell is formed from a mesh material.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2017Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
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Patent number: 11471250Abstract: Orthodontic positioning devices, and related methods and systems, are disclosed for use with one or more orthodontic elastic members. The disclosed devices are configured to couple with an orthodontic elastic member so as to react a force from the elastic member into the appliance to, for example, generate traction forces on the patient's teeth to produce a desired occlusion. A positioning device includes a patient removable tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hook configured to interface with an orthodontic elastic member. The hook can be configured to be offset from a surface of a tooth when the appliance is coupled with the patient's teeth and no elastic member is coupled with the tooth. The hook can be curved so that the hook is more retentive on the aligner. The hook can be reinforced so that the reinforcement resists deformation when the elastic is in place.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2021Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Eric Kuo, Artem Borovinskih, Shiva Sambu
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Patent number: 11464604Abstract: Systems and methods for rapidly and reliably determining an arch with of a patient's dental arch. A patient's dentition may be scanned and/or segmented. Arch width may be determined between points of intersection on the occlusal surface and a long axis of each tooth between one or more of: canine, first bicuspid, first primary molar, second bicuspid, second primary molar, and permanent first molar. Arch widths of different modified versions of the patient's dentition may be dynamically compared the patient's starting dentition, or to each other, and may be dynamically updated as the user modifies or switches between one or more 3D models of the patient's dentition.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2019Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Svetlana Makarenkova, Ilya Agafonov, Boris Likhtman, Pavel Sokolov, Vladimir Fedorov
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Patent number: 11468568Abstract: In a method of generating a virtual 3D model of a dental site, scan data comprising an intraoral image is received during an intraoral scan of a dental site. A representation of a foreign object is identified in the intraoral image based on a color analysis of the scan data. The intraoral image is modified by removing the representation of the foreign object from the intraoral image. Additional scan data comprising a plurality of additional intraoral images of the dental site is received during the intraoral scan. A 3D surface of the dental site is then generated using the modified intraoral image and the plurality of additional intraoral images.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2022Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina
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Patent number: 11452577Abstract: A method includes determining, from a first image of a mouth, a first region of the first image comprising a representation of teeth; generating one or more parametric functions associated with tooth color based on color data from the first region; receiving image data comprising new contours of the mouth, wherein one or more of the teeth have a different position in the image data than in the first image; determining a second region comprising the teeth in the image data; and generating a new image based on the image data and the one or more parametric functions, wherein a shape of the teeth is based on the image data and a color of the teeth is based on applying the one or more parametric functions to the second region of the image data.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2020Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Christopher E. Cramer, Chad Clayton Brown
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Patent number: 11453156Abstract: A system includes a heating section configured to heat a sheet of plastic to generate a heated sheet of plastic. The system includes a plate configured to secure a mold associated with a dental arch of a patient. The plate includes a locking mechanism. The mold includes feature configured to interface with the locking mechanism. The system further includes a thermoforming chamber configured to thermoform the heated sheet of plastic to the mold that is secured to the plate via an interface of the locking mechanism with the feature to generate a thermoformed sheet of plastic. The locking mechanism is configured to extend through the mold and overlap an upper surface of the mold to lock the mold in a z-direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the plate. The system further includes a cutting tool configured to trim an aligner from the thermoformed sheet of plastic.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2021Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: David Aguilar Mendez, Luis Carlos Martínez González, Mario Alfonso Rito Martinez
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Patent number: 11455727Abstract: A method includes determining the following for each point in a second intraoral scan based on a comparison of a first intraoral scan to the second intraoral scan: whether a surface normal at the point is co-directional with a viewing direction associated with the first intraoral scan, wherein points in the second intraoral scan that have a surface normal that is co-directional with the first viewing direction are back-face points; and whether the point is behind a corresponding point in the first intraoral scan, wherein points in the second intraoral scan that are not behind corresponding points in the first intraoral scan are uncovered points. The method further includes determining a region comprising a plurality of points in the second intraoral scan that are uncovered back-face points, determining that the region satisfies one or more removal criteria, and removing the region from the second intraoral.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2020Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Mikhail Minchenkov, Pavel Agniashvili, Konstantin Kryzhanovskiy, Evgeniy Chelishchev, Tatiana Kurilova
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Patent number: 11449191Abstract: Orthodontic devices such as aligners, palatal expanders, retainers, and dental implants can be used to adjust the position of teeth and to treat various dental irregularities. To help the clinician or doctor (i.e., orthodontist) design and plan the subject's treatment plan, a 3D digital model of the subject's teeth, dentition, and gingiva can be constructed from a 3D scan of the subject's mouth, teeth, dentition, and gingiva. The 3D model of the subject's teeth and dentition can be displayed graphically to the doctor on a display using a computing system with memory and software.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2021Date of Patent: September 20, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Svetlana Makarenkova, Artem Kuanbekov, Aleksandr Zhulin, Boris Likhtman, Vladimir Grenaderov
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Patent number: 11439483Abstract: A system comprises alight source to provide light, an optical system comprises focusing optics to focus the light onto a focal surface, a detector to measure returning light that is reflected off of a three dimensional object, a translation mechanism to displace the focal surface along an imaging axis defined by the optical path, and one or more processor. The one or more processor is to generate measurement data comprising coordinates of a plurality of surface points of the three dimensional object based on the measured returning light; adjust the coordinates of the subset of the plurality of surface points along up to three axes to correct the measurement data so as to remove inaccuracies caused by changes in magnification at the focal surface; and generate a three dimensional model of the three dimensional object using corrected measurement data.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Tal Verker, Adi Levin, Ofer Saphier, Maayan Moshe