Patents by Inventor Huafeng Wen

Huafeng Wen 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: 20210369417
    Abstract: A bracket attachment system is described herein. One variation of an orthodontic bracket assembly generally comprises a main body having a contact surface for placement against a surface and defining a wire slot therethrough. A covering having a retention member configured to be inserted at least partially into the wire slot when the covering is positioned upon the main body may be included such that when a wire is positioned within the wire slot, the wire may be retained via the retention member in a secured position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Huafeng WEN, Amir A. ABOLFATHI
  • Publication number: 20210282899
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for cutting and trimming dental molds and oral appliances by receiving a digital model of teeth, determining a cutting loop path and applying a drape wall to the cutting loop to generate a simplified tooth base in a dental mold having an inner arch curve and an outer arch curve. The oral appliance may be formed on the dental mold and a cutter may be applied using a sweeping motion across the inner and outer arch curves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Patent number: 11086490
    Abstract: A method for treating a subject's teeth. A target configuration for the subject's teeth is determined. Receiving features are produced on a dental base in response to the target configuration, the receiving features being configured to receive physical tooth models. The physical tooth models are assembled on the dental base to form a physical arch model. A dental aligner is produced using the physical arch model to move the subject's teeth to the target configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Huafeng Wen, Frank Zhenhuan Liu
  • Patent number: 11051913
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for cutting and trimming dental molds and oral appliances by receiving a digital model of teeth, determining a cutting loop path and applying a drape wall to the cutting loop to generate a simplified tooth base in a dental mold having an inner arch curve and an outer arch curve. The oral appliance may be formed on the dental mold and a cutter may be applied using a sweeping motion across the inner and outer arch curves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: uLab Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Publication number: 20210106404
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for fabricating an oral appliance are described for correcting malocclusions on a dentition of a subject. A three-dimensional representation of the dentition may be captured and a free-form structure having a lattice structure which matches at least part of a surface of the dentition is generated. The lattice structure defines a plurality of open spaces such that the free-form structure is at least partially transparent. The lattice structure may then be manufactured by impregnating or covering a coating into or upon the lattice structure such that the oral appliance is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Patent number: 10881486
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for fabricating an oral appliance are described for correcting malocclusions on a dentition of a subject. A three-dimensional representation of the dentition may be captured and a free-form structure having a lattice structure which matches at least part of a surface of the dentition is generated. The lattice structure defines a plurality of open spaces such that the free-form structure is at least partially transparent. The lattice structure may then be manufactured by impregnating or covering a coating into or upon the lattice structure such that the oral appliance is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: uLab Systems, inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10874487
    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: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Loc X. Phan, Peter G. Knopp, Eric E. Kuo, Amir Abolfathi, Huafeng Wen
  • Publication number: 20200345459
    Abstract: Indirect bonding tray systems are disclosed where the tray may generally comprise one or more individual modules each defining a receiving channel and configured for placement upon a dentition of a subject. A removal tab having a length may extend transversely relative to the individual module and a pivoting portion may be located away from the removal tab such that the removal tab is rotatable about the pivoting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis SCHUELLER, Huafeng WEN, Henry CAO, Surya SARVA, Eric WU
  • Publication number: 20200253693
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for treating teeth to correct for malocclusions. This may be accomplished by applying a series of labels to a digital dental model and applying a rolling ball process to identify tooth boundaries separating one tooth from a neighboring tooth and to also determine the crown/gum margin. The user may further assign regions to the dental model to indicate hard regions and soft regions. With the dental model labeled and defined, the user may then generate a treatment plan for moving the labeled and defined tooth or teeth relative to one another to correct for any malocclusions. Upon approval of the treatment plan, a series of 3D printed dental appliances or aligners to be worn in series by the patient may be fabricated to ultimately move the tooth or teeth to a desired position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Applicant: uLab Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Publication number: 20200205936
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for fabricating a dental or oral appliance utilizing support structures. A three dimensional representation of the dentition of a patient may be captured and reconfigured for correcting one or more malocclusions. The oral appliance may be printed upon an inner structure which supports the oral appliance during fabrication. The inner structure may be subsequently removed once the oral appliance is completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: uLab Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Publication number: 20200146775
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for treating teeth to correct for malocclusions. This may be accomplished in one variation by receiving a scanned dental model of a subject's dentition, determining a treatment plan having a plurality of incremental movements for repositioning one or more teeth of the subject's dentition, and fabricating one or more aligners correlating to a first subset of the plurality of incremental movements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Publication number: 20200129271
    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: December 31, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Loc X. Phan, Peter G. Knopp, Eric E. Kuo, Amir Abolfathi, Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10631953
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for fabricating a dental or oral appliance utilizing support structures. A three dimensional representation of the dentition of a patient may be captured and reconfigured for correcting one or more malocclusions. The oral appliance may be printed upon an inner structure which supports the oral appliance during fabrication. The inner structure may be subsequently removed once the oral appliance is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10624717
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for treating teeth to correct for malocclusions. This may be accomplished by applying a series of labels to a digital dental model and applying a rolling ball process to identify tooth boundaries separating one tooth from a neighboring tooth and to also determine the crown/gum margin. The user may further assign regions to the dental model to indicate hard regions and soft regions. With the dental model labeled and defined, the user may then generate a treatment plan for moving the labeled and defined tooth or teeth relative to one another to correct for any malocclusions. Upon approval of the treatment plan, a series of 3D printed dental appliances or aligners to be worn in series by the patient may be fabricated to ultimately move the tooth or teeth to a desired position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: uLab Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Publication number: 20200100867
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to prevent interference between two physical tooth models in a physical dental arch model by acquiring the coordinates of a plurality of points on the surfaces of each of the two physical tooth models and digitally representing the surfaces of each of the two physical tooth models by a mesh of points in three dimensions using the acquired coordinates. The meshes representing the surfaces of the two physical tooth models intersect at least at one point to form an overlapping portion. The method also includes calculating the depth of the overlapping portion between the two meshes to quantify the interference of the two physical tooth models.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10568717
    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: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Loc X. Phan, Peter G. Knopp, Eric E. Kuo, Amir Abolfathi, Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10548690
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for treating teeth to correct for malocclusions. This may be accomplished in one variation by receiving a scanned dental model of a subject's dentition, determining a treatment plan having a plurality of incremental movements for repositioning one or more teeth of the subject's dentition, and fabricating one or more aligners correlating to a first subset of the plurality of incremental movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Patent number: 10524880
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to prevent interference between two physical tooth models in a physical dental arch model by acquiring the coordinates of a plurality of points on the surfaces of each of the two physical tooth models and digitally representing the surfaces of each of the two physical tooth models by a mesh of points in three dimensions using the acquired coordinates. The meshes representing the surfaces of the two physical tooth models intersect at least at one point to form an overlapping portion. The method also includes calculating the depth of the overlapping portion between the two meshes to quantify the interference of the two physical tooth models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Huafeng Wen
  • Publication number: 20190343602
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for cutting and trimming dental molds and oral appliances by receiving a digital model of teeth, determining a cutting loop path and applying a drape wall to the cutting loop to generate a simplified tooth base in a dental mold having an inner arch curve and an outer arch curve. The oral appliance may be formed on the dental mold and a cutter may be applied using a sweeping motion across the inner and outer arch curves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN
  • Publication number: 20190321135
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for fabricating an oral appliance are described for correcting malocclusions on a dentition of a subject. A three-dimensional representation of the dentition may be captured and a free-form structure having a lattice structure which matches at least part of a surface of the dentition is generated. The lattice structure defines a plurality of open spaces such that the free-form structure is at least partially transparent. The lattice structure may then be manufactured by impregnating or covering a coating into or upon the lattice structure such that the oral appliance is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: uLab Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Huafeng WEN