Patents by Inventor Chunhua Li

Chunhua Li has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250143845
    Abstract: A method for fabricating an oral appliance may include forming, using a 3D additive manufacturing process, a polymeric shell having a plurality of teeth engaging structures shaped to engage the teeth of the patient and forming, using the 3D additive manufacturing process, a force generating component coupled to the plurality of teeth engaging structures, the force generating component may be configured to generate a force in response to a stimulus in order to reposition one or more teeth of the patient. The polymeric shell, the plurality of teeth engaging structures, and the force generating component may include a sequentially polymerized plurality of layers directly fabricated together using the 3D additive manufacturing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2025
    Publication date: May 8, 2025
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Avi KOPELMAN, Chunhua LI, Michael Christopher COLE, Blaine CARTER, Matthew DURBAN
  • Publication number: 20250134627
    Abstract: A dental appliance for positioning a patient's teeth includes a removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to directly receive at least some of the patient's teeth and apply a resilient positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hard polymer layer having a hard polymer layer elastic modulus disposed between a first soft polymer layer having a first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and a second soft polymer layer having a second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. The hard polymer layer elastic modulus is greater than each of the first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and the second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. At least one of the first soft polymer layer and the second soft polymer layer has a flexural modulus of greater than about 35,000 psi.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2024
    Publication date: May 1, 2025
    Inventors: Chunhua LI, Yan CHEN, Heinz PUDLEINER, Klaus MEYER, Joerg NICKEL, Craig PEHLERT
  • Patent number: 12285311
    Abstract: A dental appliance for positioning a patient's teeth includes a removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to directly receive at least some of the patient's teeth and apply a resilient positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hard polymer layer having a hard polymer layer elastic modulus disposed between a first soft polymer layer having a first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and a second soft polymer layer having a second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. The hard polymer layer elastic modulus is greater than each of the first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and the second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. At least one of the first soft polymer layer and the second soft polymer layer has a flexural modulus of greater than about 35,000 psi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Chunhua Li, Yan Chen, Heinz Pudleiner, Klaus Meyer, Joerg Nickel, Craig Pehlert
  • 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: 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
  • Publication number: 20250107869
    Abstract: Dental attachment system and methods. A template body may be configured to fit over a patient's dentition and include a dental attachment. The attachment may include an attachment body including an affixing surface configured to interface with a light curable adhesive coating for bonding the dental attachment to a tooth. The attachment body may include an engagement surface configured to engage with a dental appliance. A release layer may cover the engagement surface. The system may include one or more radiation sources configured to emit a first range of wavelengths of radiation for curing the light curable adhesive coating of the dental attachment. The one or more radiation sources may be configured to emit a second range of wavelengths of radiation for degrading the release layer such that the release layer can be removed from the dental attachment to expose the engagement surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2024
    Publication date: April 3, 2025
    Inventors: Avi KOPELMAN, Chunhua LI
  • Publication number: 20250107868
    Abstract: Systems and methods including expandable dental appliances. The expandable dental appliances may include left and right portions that are distinct and separate parts, and that may be coupled by a sliding expansion feature configured to laterally translate the left and right portions toward or away from each other. Each of the left and right portions may include a palatal region and a tooth engagement region that are customized to respective left and right sides of a patient's upper dental arch. Systems may include multiple non-expandable dental appliances that are configured to be worn sequentially over the patient's upper dental arch to expand the patient's palate over corresponding stages of a treatment plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2024
    Publication date: April 3, 2025
    Inventors: Jeremy RILEY, Eric KUO, Chunhua LI
  • Patent number: 12240176
    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 receiving sensor data indicative of a cleaning status of the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The method can further include adjusting, based on the sensor data, an operational parameter that enhances removal of the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 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: 12232928
    Abstract: Systems for determining patient compliance with an orthodontic treatment or retention plan may include a polymeric shell appliance for receiving the patient's teeth, a sensor module on the polymeric shell appliance having a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, a power source, and a communication antenna for communicating with an external case, and a processor configured to determine that the polymeric shell is being worn by the patient based on temperature data from the temperature sensor and proximity data from the proximity sensor, by determining that a measured temperature is within a body temperature range and that a measured proximity value is within a threshold proximity to an intraoral target. Methods of manufacturing these dental appliances are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Yaser Shanjani, Bruce Cam, Jun Sato, John Y. Morton, Victor Chen, Chunhua Li, Allen R. Boronkay, Srinivas Kaza
  • Patent number: 12232929
    Abstract: A method may include identifying a jaw position of a misaligned jaw of a patient from the virtual image of the patient's jaw and providing a treatment plan. The treatment plan may include tooth repositioning forces and jaw repositioning forces. The method may also include virtually modeling application of jaw repositioning forces between a first repositioning jaw element and a second repositioning jaw element to obtain a virtual model of the application of the jaw repositioning forces on the virtual model of the patient's jaw, identifying one or more constraints limiting the application of the jaw repositioning forces to the misaligned jaw, and adjusting the first repositioning jaw element and the second repositioning jaw element to accommodate the one or more constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Ken Wu, Eric E. Kuo, Mitra Derakhshan, Crystal Tjhia, Eric Yau, Allen R. Boronkay, Chunhua Li, Gleb Krivovyaz
  • Patent number: 12226280
    Abstract: An appliance comprises a passive component and an active force generating component, in which the active force generating component is configured to react to a stimulus and generate tooth movement forces. In some embodiments, the passive component is configured to deflect when placed on one or more teeth and generate tooth movement forces, which are combined with tooth movement forces of the force generating component. In some embodiments, the passive component comprises a polymer which is less reactive to the stimulus than the force generating component. The force generating component can be configured to increase force to one or more teeth at an appropriate time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Chunhua Li, Michael Christopher Cole, Blaine Carter, Matthew Durban
  • Publication number: 20250041026
    Abstract: A method includes to receive, via a computing device, data representing a plurality of teeth, identify data indicating which of the plurality of teeth are unerupted or erupting, predict at least one characteristic of a tooth of the unerupted or erupting teeth after they have fully erupted using one or more tooth eruption prediction factors, generate new data representing the unerupted or erupting teeth in multiple states of eruption based upon the predicted at least one characteristic of the fully erupted teeth, and generate a series of incremental tooth arrangements with the new data to define a proposed orthodontic treatment based on the new data representing the unerupted or erupting teeth in multiple states of eruption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Inventors: Jeeyoung CHOI, Chunhua LI, John MORTON, Bastien PESENTI, Vadim MATOV, Alexander BELIAEV, Petr USHANOV, Roman A. ROSCHIN
  • Publication number: 20250043047
    Abstract: Provided herein are photopolymerizable monomers, optionally for use as reactive diluents in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing polymers using said photopolymerizable monomers, the polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the polymers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Inventors: Robert LISKA, Christian GORSCHE, Markus KURY, Yan CHEN, Chunhua LI, Srinivas KAZA
  • Publication number: 20250032216
    Abstract: Methods and systems for designing dental appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes identifying one or more intended outcomes for one or more areas of a dental appliance, where the dental appliance is shaped to receive and engage with a person's dentition in accordance with a treatment plan; identifying one or more acceptability criteria for evaluating compliance with the one or more intended outcomes; obtaining an appliance model for the dental appliance, where the appliance model represents the one or more areas with one or more first physical properties conforming to the one or more acceptability criteria, and where the one or more first physical properties are different than one or more second physical properties outside the one or more areas; providing three-dimensional (3D) printing instructions to generate the dental appliance using the appliance model; and 3D printing the dental appliance using the 3D printing instructions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Inventors: Yuxiang Wang, Andrew Jang, Bruce Cam, Rohit Tanugula, Chunhua Li, Jun Sato, Luyao Cai, Pavel Pokotilov, Kangning Su, John Y. Morton
  • Publication number: 20250017695
    Abstract: Methods for additive manufacturing of polymer and metal dental appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a digital representation of a dental appliance including a first portion to be formed from a polymeric material and a second portion to be formed from a metallic material. The method can include fabricating the dental appliance using an additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing process can include depositing a first composition including a precursor of the polymeric material at the first portion of the dental appliance, and depositing a second composition including a plurality of metal particles at the second portion of the dental appliance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: Jun Sato, Yuxiang Wang, Umesh Upendra Choudhary, Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, Chunhua Li
  • Patent number: 12193907
    Abstract: A series of a palatal expanders increasing width can be used to gradually expand a patient's palate. Each palatal expander may have a palatal region flanked by teeth regions. The palatal region can have a plurality of anchor-receiving features (e.g., anchor interfaces) that allow the palatal expander to be attached to temporary anchorage device anchors that have been implanted into the patient's maxilla.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Riley, Eric Kuo, Chunhua Li
  • Publication number: 20250009478
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides method, computing device readable medium, and devices for dental appliances with repositioning jaw elements. An example of a method can include identifying a misaligned jaw of a patient from a virtual image of the patient's jaw, providing a treatment plan for the patient including a virtual model of a dental appliance having a first shell and a second shell configured to reposition at least one tooth of the patient, and adjusting the position of the repositioning jaw elements on the first shell and the second shell to comply with a number of constraints. The virtual model of the dental appliance including repositioning jaw elements on the first shell and the second shell configured to move a position of the misaligned jaw of the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2024
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Ken WU, Eric E. KUO, Mitra DERAKHSHAN, Crystal TJHIA, Eric YAU, Allen R. BORONKAY, Chunhua LI, Gleb KRIVOVYAZ
  • Patent number: 12185743
    Abstract: A process for transglucosylation of steviol glycosides. A sweetener composition having at least 95% total glycosylated steviol glycosides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Beijing Gingko-Group Biological Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Varuzhan Abelyan, Chunhua Li, Yanmei Li, Xiangang Lyu, Yang Zhang, Chunguang Dong
  • Patent number: 12171634
    Abstract: Methods for and media with instruction to cause acquiring known dimensions of a tooth, applying a multivariant regression model using the known dimensions to calculate projected dimensions of the unerupted or erupting tooth, customizing a standard virtual geometry and/or a predefined virtual geometry using the projected dimensions of the unerupted or erupting tooth, and inserting the customized virtual geometry into a virtual model of the patient's jaw, and planning the movement of the teeth of the patient and designing a series of removable orthodontic aligners using the virtual model, the series of removable orthodontic aligners configured to be worn by the patient to incrementally align the teeth according to the planned movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeeyoung Choi, Chunhua Li, John Morton, Bastien Pesenti, Vadim Matov, Alexander Beliaev, Petr Ushanov, Roman A. Roschin
  • Patent number: 12152092
    Abstract: Provided herein are photopolymerizable monomers, optionally for use as reactive diluents in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing polymers using said photopolymerizable monomers, the polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the polymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Liska, Christian Gorsche, Markus Kury, Yan Chen, Chunhua Li, Srinivas Kaza