Patents Assigned to Align Technology
  • Patent number: 10148066
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for measuring objects comprise a plurality of light sources to generate a plurality of light beams directed toward a spot generator array comprising a plurality of spot generating lenses. The plurality of light sources is separated from the spot generator array with a separation distance sufficient to overlap the plurality of light beams at each of the spot generating lenses. The overlap of each of the beams at each of the spot generating lenses provides smoothing of the energy profile of the light energy incident on the spot generating lenses. The spot generator array generates focused spots comprising overlapping focused beams. The overlapping beams may comprise overlapping beams of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array, and the overlapping focused beams can decrease optical artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker
  • Patent number: 10136972
    Abstract: During an intraoral scan session, a processing device receives a plurality of intraoral images of a dental site. The processing device determines that a historical template of the dental site is existent and registers a first intraoral image of the plurality of intraoral images to the historical template at a first region of the dental site depicted in the historical template. The processing device may register one or more remaining intraoral images of the plurality of intraoral images to the historical template at a second region of the dental site depicted in the historical template. The first region may be separated from the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sabina, Leon Rasovsky
  • Patent number: 10136964
    Abstract: An orthodontic positioning device and methods for making an orthodontic positioning device including a first patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth provided in one of an upper jaw and a lower jaw. The first appliance includes a hook configured to receive an orthodontic elastic band. The orthodontic positioning device also includes a second patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth provided in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. The second appliance includes a cutout operable to expose an orthodontic elastic band receiving member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Artem Borovinskih, Anton Terekhov, Rene Sterental, Mikhail Minchenkov, Ivan Pavlov
  • Patent number: 10130445
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides method, systems, and devices for expanding arch of teeth. A device for expanding an arch of teeth of a patient can include a removable shell formed of a first material having a number of cavities formed therein. The number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient. A device for expanding an arch of teeth of a patient can include an arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and across an arch width of the removable shell. The arch element can be formed of the first material and a second material that is a different material than the first material, can be designed to expand an arch of the teeth of the patient, and can have a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Shiva Sambu, Rene M. Sterental, Eric Kuo, Mauricio de Alencar Casa
  • Patent number: 10123853
    Abstract: Embodiments include dental appliances, dental appliance systems, and methods of making and using such appliances. In one embodiment, a dental appliance includes a number of tooth apertures for the placement of teeth therein and a tab representing a position of a tooth that has not fully erupted and oriented to be received over the position of the tooth that has not fully erupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon F. Moss, Rene M. Sterental
  • Patent number: 10123852
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides computing device implemented methods, computing device readable medium, and molds for filling undercut areas of teeth relative to an axis of placement. Filling undercut areas of teeth relative to an axis of placement can include calculating an undercut area of a tooth relative to an axis of placement of part of a dental appliance over a number of teeth and a height of contour that is defined based on the axis of placement. Filling undercut areas of teeth relative to an axis of placement can also include filling in a part of the undercut area of the tooth with a virtual filler wherein the undercut is filled to within a threshold distance from the tooth that is defined relative to the axis of placement and the height of contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Patent number: 10123706
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for generating 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) including both surface features and internal features. These methods and apparatuses may be used for identifying and evaluating lesions, caries and cracks in the teeth. Any of these methods and apparatuses may use minimum scattering coefficients and/or segmentation to form a volumetric model of the teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilad Elbaz, Erez Lampert, Yossef Atiya, Avi Kopelman, Ofer Saphier, Maayan Moshe, Shai Ayal
  • Patent number: 10117581
    Abstract: During an intraoral scan session, a processing device receives a first intraoral image of a dental site and identifies a candidate intraoral area of interest from the first intraoral image. The processing device receives a second intraoral image of the dental site and verifies the first candidate intraoral area of interest as an intraoral area of interest based on comparison of the second intraoral image to the first intraoral image. The processing device then provides an indication of the intraoral area of interest during the intraoral scan session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Adi Levin, Mikhail Minchenkov, Maria Anufrienko
  • Patent number: 10111714
    Abstract: An adhesive object for placement in a patients mouth includes a body with an upper surface and a lower surface, the body having a shape. A lower surface of the body includes an adhesive. An upper surface of the body includes a feature that may be detectable by an intraoral scanner, wherein at least one of the shape of the body or the feature on the upper surface provides a geometrical reference point for image registration of images generated by the intraoral scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Adi Levin, Ran Katz, Eric Kuo
  • Patent number: 10111730
    Abstract: A segmented orthodontic aligner includes at least a first segment and a second segment. Each segment is shaped to fit over a set of teeth of a patient. The segmented aligner further includes a connector that joins the first segment to the second segment. The connector isolates the transmission of force between the first segment and the second segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Webber, Jennifer C. Chen, Yan Chen
  • Patent number: 10111581
    Abstract: A thermal defogging system and method for an optical instrument is described. In one embodiment, the thermal defogging system for an optical instrument is comprised of: at least a primary housing, the primary housing defining an aperture for transmission of optical signals, a transparent element adapted to be aligned with the aperture for transmission of optical signals, at least one side of the transparent element facing the external environment; and a transparent conductive layer covering an area at least as large as the optical footprint of the transmitted optical signal through the transparent element, wherein responsive to the application of electrical power to the transparent conductive layer, the transparent conductive layer generates heat that is thermally communicated to the least one side of the transparent element facing the external environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Nir Makmel
  • Patent number: 10108269
    Abstract: During a medical scan session, a computing device executing a medical scan application receives a touch input from a touch sensitive medical scanning device. The computing device determines whether the touch input comprises at least one of a hold gesture or a swipe gesture. The computing device then performs a first function responsive to determining that the touch input comprises a hold gesture. The computing device then performs a second function responsive to determining that the touch input comprises a swipe gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sabina, Leon Rasovsky
  • Patent number: 10105199
    Abstract: An optical system comprises a detector to determine one or more intensities of light impinging on one or more locations of the detector and an optical element to redirect light towards the detector along a detection axis. The detector and optical element are coupled together by three or more substantially flat flexures respectively defining three or more flexure planes parallel to the detection axis. The three or more substantially flat flexures prevent rotational movement of the optical element with respect to the detector with changes in temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Rami Boltanski
  • Patent number: 10099256
    Abstract: A system and associated method is provided for sorting parts, which includes a conveyor system for receiving and circulating a plurality of randomly presented parts, a sorting buffer for accumulating selected parts from the plurality of randomly presented parts in an assigned buffer location, and a sequencing system for sequencing the accumulated selected parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Clete Culp, Stanley E. Sankaran
  • Patent number: 10085823
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems including orthodontic tooth positioning appliances. An exemplary appliance can include teeth receiving cavities shaped such that, when worn by a patient, repositioning the patient's teeth from a first arrangement toward a subsequent or target arrangement. Appliances can include a cavity having one or more shaped features or protrusions shaped and/or positioned so as to apply a desired force to a patient's tooth received in the cavity and move the tooth along a desired path or direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Heng Cao, Vadim Matov, John Y. Morton, Jon Moss, Ryan Kimura
  • Patent number: 10080627
    Abstract: The present invention provides orthodontic appliances and systems, and related methods, for applying a force to a target tooth as an appliances is worn by the patient. One positioning appliance includes a tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to apply a positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a spring-loaded tooth movement device disposed in the appliance so as to engage an attachment mounted on a surface of a patient's tooth and apply a force to the tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Parshan Namiranian, Ali Kakavand, Eric Kuo
  • Patent number: 10076389
    Abstract: A processing device receives a 3D model including a 3D crown component from a scan and a 3D root component from a template. The processing device receives a 2D x-ray image of the at least one tooth and generates a scan model representing an initial estimate of the one or more parameters of an x-ray imaging device that created the 2D x-ray image. The processing device further generates a 2D contour of the at least one tooth based on projecting the 3D model onto a plane using the scan model. The processing device overlays the 2D contour onto the 2D x-ray image. The processing device further adjusts the 2D contour to cause a first crown component of the 2D contour to approximately align to a second crown component of the 2D x-ray image. The processing then calibrates the scan model based on data obtained from adjusting the two-dimensional contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Fuming Wu, Vadim Matov, Jihua Cheng
  • Patent number: 10058404
    Abstract: A probe head for dental confocal imaging, comprises a light-guiding part for guiding a light beam towards a teeth portion, the light-guiding part having an entrance face through which the light beam enters the light-guiding part and an exit face through which the light beam exits the light-guiding part, wherein the light-guiding part is configured, in case of a linearly polarized light beam having two polarization components being perpendicular to each other, to change polarization of the linearly polarized light beam on its path through the light-guiding part in such a way that one of the two polarization components, compared to the other of the two polarization components, is retarded by an odd multiple of a quarter of a wavelength of the light beam along the path from the entrance face to the exit face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker
  • Patent number: 10059059
    Abstract: A dental prosthesis is made by externally machining successive layers of wax, each of which is formed on a previous prosthesis layer and/or on a coping. Each wax layer is used to form a mold in situ over the previous prosthesis layer/coping, and the appropriate prosthesis material is cast or otherwise molded to conform to the wax layer by the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Eldad Taub
  • Patent number: 10052174
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods of developing and tracking delivery and patient progression through an orthodontic treatment plan. One method includes identifying deviations from an orthodontic treatment plan, including receiving a digital representation of an actual arrangement of a patient's teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun for the patient and prior to completion of the orthodontic treatment plan. The method further includes comparing the actual arrangement to a pre-determined planned arrangement to determine if the actual arrangement substantially deviates from the planned arrangement, the comparing comprising matching teeth from a previously segmented model to a surface of an unsegmented representation of the actual arrangement; and calculating one or more positional differences between the actual and planned arrangements of at least some of the corresponding teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Kitching, Rene Sterental, Eric Kuo, Maia Singer