Patents Assigned to Align Technology, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12127906
    Abstract: A method for digital treatment planning may include defining a set of contact points on a tooth of a patient's dentition and a plurality of connections between pairs of the plurality of contact points. The plurality of connections may include Hookian stiffness parameters of a dental appliance between the plurality of contact points. The method may also include generating a relaxed model of a dental appliance using the plurality of contact points and the plurality of connections. The method may also include generating a deformed model of the dental appliance using the plurality of contact points and plurality of connections. The method may also include transforming the relaxed model to the deformed model to direct the patient dentition towards a target tooth arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Vadim Matov, Sergei Brodsky, Bastien Pesenti, Yuri Syrov, Ping Tang, Manlio Fabio Valdivieso Casique, Olga Matusevich, Igor Kvasov
  • Patent number: 12127814
    Abstract: A method includes receiving intraoral scan data of an intraoral cavity of a patient; processing the intraoral scan data to determine, for each dental condition of a plurality of dental conditions, whether the dental condition is detected for the patient and a severity of the dental condition; and presenting indications of the plurality of dental conditions together in a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the indications show, for each dental condition of the plurality of dental conditions, whether the dental condition was detected for the patient and the severity of the dental condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilad Elbaz, Michael Sabina, Ran Katz, Avi Kopelman, Eric Kuo, Leon Rasovsky
  • Publication number: 20240350017
    Abstract: A system for accounting for changes in surface topology may include an intraoral scanner and a computer system comprising instructions that, when executed, causes the computer system to: receive initial scan data of a first surface portion of tissue and a second surface portion of tissue, the scan data of the first surface portion of tissue having a first surface topology, generate a demarcation between the first surface portion and the second surface portion, receive rescan data of an intraoral cavity of the patient that includes surface data of the first surface portion of tissue having a second surface topology, update the data of the first surface portion of tissue by modifying only at least a portion of the data according to the demarcation using at least a portion of the rescan data, and output a 3D model of the patient's teeth based on the updated data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Avi KOPELMAN
  • Publication number: 20240350230
    Abstract: A method of treating a patient's dentition may include generating, from a first 3D model of a first physical impression of a first arch of a patient and a second 3D model of a second physical impression of a first arch of the patient, a reconstructed 3D model of the first arch of the patient by incorporating one or more portions of the first 3D model with one or more portions of the second 3D model and creating a treatment plan for the patient's dentition using the first 3D model. The method may also include fabricating a set of dental alignment devices configured to implement the treatment plan when the dental alignment devices in the set of dental alignment devices are sequentially worn on the patient's dentition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Srinivas KAZA, Bob GROVE
  • Patent number: 12121412
    Abstract: Systems for orthodontic treatments are provided. In some embodiments, a system includes an attachment configured to be coupled to a tooth of a patient, the attachment having a first elasticity. The system can also include an orthodontic appliance having a shell with a plurality of teeth-receiving cavities shaped to reposition the patient's teeth from a first arrangement toward a second arrangement. The shell can have a second elasticity less than the first elasticity. The orthodontic appliance can include an attachment-receiving well formed in the shell. When the orthodontic appliance is worn on the patient's teeth, the attachment-receiving well can engage the attachment to effect a movement of at least one tooth of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Chunhua Li, Jennifer Chen, John Morton, Jon Moss, Clark Kaufhardt, Heng Cao
  • Patent number: 12125581
    Abstract: Apparatuses and computer-implemented methods for compression and extraction of three-dimensional (3D) volumetric imaging data, including in particular medical and dental imaging data, that may receive the 3D volumetric image data and preparing compressed 3D volumetric image data for compression by analyzing a relevant region of the 3D volumetric image data. The method may further include compressing, into compressed 3D volumetric image data, the pre-processed static 3D volumetric image data using a video compression scheme. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yury Slynko, Vitaliy Vladimirovich Chernov, Ilya Baryshnikov
  • Publication number: 20240341931
    Abstract: A support is coupled to an appliance to decrease warpage. The support may comprise a plurality of extensions coupled to the appliance to decrease warpage. The extensions can be coupled to the appliance at one or more of many locations, such as on an occlusal surface, a wall, an edge or an interior of the appliance. In some embodiments, the extensions are coupled to walls of the appliance such as a buccal wall and a lingual wall, and the extensions can be coupled to the walls of the appliance near edges of the walls, such as a gingivally facing edges of the walls that are oriented toward the gingiva when the appliance is worn.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Jennifer CHAVEZ, Peter WEBBER, Zhou (Jonelle) YU, Tzishing Jesse LIM, Luyao CAI, Eric YAU
  • Patent number: 12115719
    Abstract: Strategies that reduce shrinkage and ultimately warping of parts that are directly fabricated from photopolymer resins. This increases the accuracy of directly fabricated parts, which is essential for patient specific applications. Implementing these strategies can reduce the need for directly fabricated parts to have supporting structures, which can reduce pre-processing and post-processing steps and facilitate an easier route for production level scale of additive manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Siobhan O'Leary, Peter Webber, Michael Christopher Cole
  • Patent number: 12109090
    Abstract: Series of apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”), including rapid palatal expanders, wherein a left tooth engagement region and a right tooth engagement region are configured to add anti-tipping torque to at least one tooth. Left and right tooth engagement regions may include lingual surfaces with at least one lingual protrusion. Left and right tooth engagement regions may have buccally rotated cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Fuming Wu, Ryan Kimura, Jeremy Riley, Yaser Shanjani, Norman Su, Jun Sato, Bastien Pesenti, John Y. Morton, Jihua Cheng
  • Patent number: 12109089
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computing device readable media for determining an individualized orthodontic treatment index. One embodiment includes generating a target dental model by modifying an initial dental model, graphically marking dental references on the target dental model including assigning contact points between adjacent first and second teeth of the target dental model, generating a treatment outcome dental model representing the patient's dentition after at least a portion of the orthodontic treatment has been completed, mapping the dental references marked on the target dental model to the treatment outcome dental model, and calculating an individualized treatment index score for the treatment outcome dental model according to one or more differences between the target dental model and the treatment outcome dental model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric E. Kuo, Vadim Matov, Larry Lai, Fuming Wu, Jihua Cheng
  • Patent number: 12109091
    Abstract: A method of cryptographically secured digital dental treatment planning comprises: receiving, at an intraoral scanning system, an intraoral scan of a patient's dentition, wherein the intraoral scan comprises a three-dimensional (3D) surface representing the patient's dentition at a first arrangement; encrypting, at the intraoral scanning system, the intraoral scan to create a cryptographically secured dental record of the patient's dentition; decrypting, at a treatment planning system, the cryptographically secured dental record; determining a target arrangement for the patient's dentition; determining a digital treatment plan for the patient's dentition, wherein the digital treatment plan comprises a series of intermediate arrangements for a series of aligners to move the patient's dentition from the first arrangement toward the target arrangement; adding the digital treatment plan to the cryptographically secured dental record of the patient's dentition; and sending the cryptographically secured dental reco
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sreelakshmi Kolli, Leon Rasovsky
  • Patent number: 12106845
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for anonymizing clinical data may include receiving representation data corresponding to a body part. The representation data may include a clinically relevant region and an anonymization region. The method may include extracting, from the representation data, clinical representation data corresponding to the clinically relevant region of the representation data and generating artificial representation data corresponding to the anonymization region of the representation data. The method may further include creating, based at least on the clinical representation data and the artificial representation data, anonymized representation data that substantially preserves the clinically relevant region. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric P. Meyer, Christopher E. Cramer
  • Patent number: 12097009
    Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral three-dimensional (3D) scanning comprises a light source, a spatial pattern, a beam splitter, an optical system comprising fewer than 10 lenses, a mirror, an image sensor, and a depth scanning module. The depth scanning module is configured to axially translate one or more lenses of the optical system in the optical axis to change a focus setting of the optical system, wherein the depth scanning module is configured to axially translate the one or more lenses by 0.1-5 mm to achieve a depth scanning range of 5-40 mm at a scan speed of about 5-50 scans per second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker
  • Patent number: 12097655
    Abstract: A method of 3D printing comprises extruding one or more photo-curable materials from a nozzle to form a first layer that has a first shape specified by the one or more digital files, wherein the first shape corresponds to a first minimum line width that is based on, and narrower than, a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the first layer to create a first cured layer, wherein the first cured layer corresponds to a second shape of a first layer of a 3D printed orthodontic aligner, wherein the light beam has a beam diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle, and wherein the second shape has a second minimum line width that is smaller than the first minimum line width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehdi Mojdeh, Michael Christopher Cole, Peter Dorfinger, Shiva P. Sambu
  • Patent number: 12099342
    Abstract: Computer readable media for predicting a tooth shape for at least partially un-erupted teeth and dental appliances formed therefrom. In some examples, methods include generating orthoscopic views of virtual representations of an identified tooth type in different orthogonal directions, representing bounding shapes around the orthoscopic views, and applying principal component analysis on the bounding shapes to predict a tooth shape. In some examples, methods include generating a spherical harmonic signature for virtual representations of an identified tooth type, calculating a distance between spherical harmonic signatures to predict the tooth shape. The predicted tooth shape of the at least partially un-erupted tooth may be incorporated into virtual dentition model(s) of a dentition in accordance with an orthodontic treatment plan for treating the dentition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Eric Cramer, Jeeyoung Choi
  • Patent number: 12098227
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, systems, devices, and kits for creating composite materials from a single resin, the composite materials having multiple continuous phases. The disclosure includes a process to three-dimensionally print objects (e.g., orthodontic appliances) with composite properties. In some aspects, the composite properties are formed from a single formulation with components that, when processed, have hard and soft continuous phases. In some aspects, the composite properties are formed by separately processing the hard phase components and the soft phase components. In some aspects, the composite materials and devices are three-dimensionally printed using the processed material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Dorfinger, Michael Christopher Cole
  • Patent number: 12097086
    Abstract: A series of palatal expanders and methods of designing palatal expanders, including rapid palatal expanders, where outer occlusal surfaces of a palatal expander are shaped to conform to a geometry of corresponding teeth surfaces of the patient's lower jaw to provide occlusion between occlusal surfaces and the corresponding teeth surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Fuming Wu, Ryan Kimura, Jeremy Riley, Yaser Shanjani, Norman Su, Jun Sato, Bastien Pesenti, John Y. Morton, Jihua Cheng
  • Patent number: 12097085
    Abstract: Palatal expander systems and methods. A palatal expander includes a palatal region connecting tooth engagement regions, where the palatal region is configured to apply a lateral force across a patient's palate when the tooth engagement regions are worn over the patient's teeth. Attachment regions on buccal sides of the tooth engagement regions are shaped and sized to engage with dental attachments bonded to the patient's teeth. At least one breach region corresponding to a thinned region of the palatal expander extends anteriorly to posteriorly in the palatal region or an occlusal portion of one or both of the tooth engagement regions. The at least one breach region is configured to breach or bend when a pulling force is applied to one or both of the tooth engagement regions such that one or both of the attachment regions are detached from respective attachments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Ryan Kimura, Yaser Shanjani, Jeremy Riley, Jun Sato, Bob Grove, Reza Shirazi Aghjari
  • Publication number: 20240307154
    Abstract: A series of appliances including a first shell and a second shell can be designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan. The first and second shells can have cavities designed to receive teeth of a jaw. A first number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the first shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of a second jaw. The first number of bite adjustment structures can have a first shape and location specific to a first stage of the treatment plan. A second number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the second shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of the second jaw. The second number of bite adjustment structures can have a second shape and location, different than the first shape and location, specific to a second stage of the treatment plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Rohit TANUGULA, John MORTON, Chunhua LI, Bastien PESENTI, Jihua CHENG, Jeeyoung CHOI
  • Publication number: 20240307152
    Abstract: A method of forming a system of aligners may include generating a first digital model of a first mold for a first orthodontic aligner including a first geometry for forming teeth receiving cavities to receive and reposition a first set of teeth, a first digital model of a first witness object for a first integral hook portion of the aligner on at least one of the tooth receiving cavities may be generated. A first mold with the first witness object based on the first digital model of the first mold with the first digital model of the first witness object may be fabricated. The first orthodontic aligner may fabricated by thermoforming polymeric material over the first mold. A material removal operation may be performed on the first integral hook portion to form a first u-shaped aperture to receive an elastic therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Eric KUO, Artem BOROVINSKIH, Shiva SAMBU