Patents by Inventor Eric E. Kuo

Eric E. Kuo 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).

  • Patent number: 10543064
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and series of appliances are provided for dental implant positioning. One method for positioning an implant with dental treatment includes determining an implant location based on a virtual model of an optimized dental occlusion, moving one or more teeth using a first number of a series of dental appliances, from a first orientation to a second orientation, the second orientation exposing the implant location, placing an implant at the exposed implant location using a landmark included in at least one of the series of dental appliances, repositioning one or more teeth using a second number of the series of dental appliances, from the second orientation to a successive orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Patent number: 10537406
    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: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Wu, Eric E. Kuo, Mitra Derakhshan, Crystal Tjhia, Eric Yau, Allen R. Boronkay, Chunhua Li, Gleb Krivovyaz
  • Publication number: 20190290400
    Abstract: Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at least one planned additional restorative tooth structure provided therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Michelle STONE-COLLONGE, Eric E. KUO, Rick M. MATTY, Fabio PETTINATI, Thomas MAURER, Dzmitry SANKO
  • Publication number: 20190290401
    Abstract: Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at least one planned additional restorative tooth structure provided therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Michelle STONE-COLLONGE, Eric E. KUO, Rick M. MATTY, Fabio PETTINATI, Thomas MAURER, Dzmitry SANKO
  • Publication number: 20190171618
    Abstract: Personal data file embodiments and methods for creating the same are provided. One personal data file embodiment includes personal information about a subject of the personal data file, provided by a user that controls the personal data file, in at least one of a number of personal information data fields, and an image of the subject including a privacy region, where the privacy region hides a first area of the image and leaves a second area of the image visible. The hidden first area is accessible by a pass code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Publication number: 20190076215
    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: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20180132975
    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, and 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. 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: November 14, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Ken WU, Eric E. KUO, Mitra DERAKHSHAN, Crystal TJHIA, Eric YAU, Allen R. BORONKAY, Chunhua LI
  • Publication number: 20180089391
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes methods, systems, and devices for prioritization of three dimensional dental elements. One method for prioritizing three dimensional dental elements includes receiving a virtual initial dental data set (IDDS) of teeth having spatial information regarding the positions of a number of teeth in the virtual IDDS with respect to each other for presentation of the teeth in a virtual three dimensional space to be viewed on a user interface, setting prioritization values of a number of elements of one or more of the number of teeth, and prioritizing the number of elements to be selected by a user based upon their prioritization values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Eric E. Kuo, Igor Kvasov, Anna Egorova, Sergey Gagarin
  • Publication number: 20180071055
    Abstract: 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 metallic mesh material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Patent number: 9844424
    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, and 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. 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: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Wu, Eric E. Kuo, Mitra Derakhshan, Crystal Tjhia, Eric Yau, Allen R. Boronkay, Chunhua Li
  • Patent number: 9820829
    Abstract: 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 metallic mesh material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Publication number: 20170189140
    Abstract: 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 metallic mesh material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Publication number: 20170100213
    Abstract: Method and system including receiving one or more parameters associated with an orthodontic condition, receiving a treatment goal information associated with the orthodontic condition, and providing a predefined template associated with the received treatment goal information, wherein the predefined template includes at least one orthodontic condition related information, are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Patent number: 9610141
    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: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Shiva Sambu, Rene M Sterental, Eric E Kuo, Mauricio de Alancar Casa
  • Publication number: 20170071705
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and series of appliances are provided for dental implant positioning. One method for positioning an implant with dental treatment includes determining an implant location based on a virtual model of an optimized dental occlusion, moving one or more teeth using a first number of a series of dental appliances, from a first orientation to a second orientation, the second orientation exposing the implant location, placing an implant at the exposed implant location using a landmark included in at least one of the series of dental appliances, repositioning one or more teeth using a second number of the series of dental appliances, from the second orientation to a successive orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Patent number: 9566132
    Abstract: Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at least one planned additional restorative tooth structure provided therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michelle Stone-Collonge, Eric E. Kuo, Rick M. Matty, Fabio Pettinati, Thomas Maurer, Dzmitry Sanko
  • Publication number: 20170020633
    Abstract: Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at least one planned additional restorative tooth structure provided therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Michelle Stone-Collonge, Eric E. Kuo, Rick M. Matty, Fabio Pettinati, Thomas Maurer, Dzmitry Sanko
  • Patent number: 9492243
    Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and series of appliances are provided for dental implant positioning. One method for positioning an implant with dental treatment includes determining an implant location based on a virtual model of an optimized dental occlusion, moving one or more teeth using a first number of a series of dental appliances, from a first orientation to a second orientation, the second orientation exposing the implant location, placing an implant at the exposed implant location using a landmark included in at least one of the series of dental appliances, repositioning one or more teeth using a second number of the series of dental appliances, from the second orientation to a successive orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric E. Kuo
  • Publication number: 20160324601
    Abstract: A dental template to position an object on a patient's tooth includes digitizing the patient's tooth; adding virtual objects to predetermined locations on the digitized tooth; and fabricating the dental template to locate the object on the patient's tooth. The template can be used for etching or for positioning brackets on teeth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: Loc X. Phan, Peter G. Knopp, Eric E. Kuo, Amir Abolfathi, Huafeng Wen