Patents by Inventor Josh Long

Josh Long 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: 20210045855
    Abstract: A fixture plate includes a base having a contact face configured to support a dental model having a model identifier on a bottom surface. A bore extends through the base to one or more channels formed in the contact face and that extend from the bore. A viewing port extends through the base and has a transparent material inserted therein to seal the viewing port at the contact face. The viewing port and the transparent material enable the model identifier to be accessed from underneath the contact face when the dental model is on the contact face. A protrusion extends from the contact face and is configured to interface with an aperture of the dental model to retain the dental model in a specific orientation. The channels are configured to provide a suction force applied through the bore to hold the dental model against the contact face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventors: Josh Long, Christopher Yancey, Roland Harris, Chris Sorrells
  • Patent number: 10861250
    Abstract: A computing device for dental impression scan merging includes a processor configured to generate a first model and a second model including a first and second plurality of geometric faces indicative of a first and second dental arch of a user. The processor generates a first point cloud of the first model and a second point cloud of the second model. The processor aligns the first point cloud and the second point cloud. The processor merges the first and second model to generate a merged model where merging the first and second model is based on the alignment of the first point cloud and the second point cloud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: SDC U.S. SmilePay SPV
    Inventors: Josh Long, Andrew Wright, Christopher Yancey
  • Publication number: 20200281689
    Abstract: A method of cutting a dental aligner includes identifying a gingival line in a model representative of a user's dentition where the gingival line is an interface of a teeth portion and a gingival portion of the model, generating a plurality of points in the gingival portion of the model where each point of the plurality of points is generated at a threshold distance from the gingival line, generating a cut line that intersects at least some of the points of the plurality of points, and controlling a cutting system to cut the dental aligner along the cut line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher Yancey, Josh Long, Tony Solarek, Ian Kitching
  • Publication number: 20200257766
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for marking a dental aligner. A method for marking a dental aligner includes receiving a digital model corresponding to a dental aligner. The digital model includes a dental arch comprising a plurality of teeth. The method further includes determining whether a section of teeth on a right side or a left side of the dental arch includes flatter occlusal surfaces and selecting the section with the flatter occlusal surfaces, identifying surfaces on the teeth of the selected section that are flat relative to other surfaces on the teeth of the selected section, determining a line of best fit between the flat surfaces, and marking the dental aligner with a marking based on the line of best fit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Applicant: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: Josh Long, Christopher Yancey, Tony Solarek, Clete Culp
  • Publication number: 20200246119
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for marking models for dental aligner fabrication. A method for producing a physical model of teeth including a three-dimensional marking includes receiving a first digital model of teeth in an alignment position and selecting a location for marking a physical model of the teeth in the alignment position with a three-dimensional marking, the physical model to be fabricated based on the first digital model. The method also includes generating a second digital model of the teeth in the alignment position based on the first digital model, the second digital model representing the physical model and including the three-dimensional marking at the marking location, and using a three-dimensional fabrication method to fabricate the physical model including the three-dimensional marking from the second digital model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Josh Long, Christopher Yancey, Tony Solarek, Daniel Pfeffer, Clete Culp
  • Patent number: 10687916
    Abstract: A method for analyzing a quality of a dental aligner includes receiving, by a processor, a digital dental aligner generated based on a fabricated dental aligner, analyzing, by the processor, the digital dental aligner to identify a quality characteristic of the fabricated dental aligner, determining, by the processor, that the quality characteristic is anomalous, and flagging, by the processor, the fabricated dental aligner indicating that the fabricated dental aligner is rejected in response to determining that the quality characteristic is anomalous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: John Dargis, Josh Long
  • Publication number: 20190378344
    Abstract: A computing device for dental impression scan merging includes a processor configured to generate a first model and a second model including a first and second plurality of geometric faces indicative of a first and second dental arch of a user. The processor generates a first point cloud of the first model and a second point cloud of the second model. The processor aligns the first point cloud and the second point cloud. The processor merges the first and second model to generate a merged model where merging the first and second model is based on the alignment of the first point cloud and the second point cloud.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Josh Long, Andrew Wright, Christopher Yancey
  • Patent number: 10482192
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for marking a dental aligner. A method for marking a dental aligner includes receiving a digital model corresponding to a dental aligner. The digital model includes a dental arch comprising a plurality of teeth. The method further includes determining whether a section of teeth on a right side or a left side of the dental arch includes flatter occlusal surfaces and selecting the section with the flatter occlusal surfaces, identifying surfaces on the teeth of the selected section that are flat relative to other surfaces on the teeth of the selected section, determining a line of best fit between the flat surfaces, and marking the dental aligner with a marking based on the line of best fit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: Josh Long, Christopher Yancey, Tony Solarek, Clete Culp
  • Patent number: 10410435
    Abstract: A computing device for dental impression scan merging includes a model manager configured to generate a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, and a merge manager configured to merge the first model and the second model. Each model includes a respective plurality of geometric faces indicative of a respective dental impression of a dental arch of a user. Merging the first model and the second model includes aligning the first model and the second model, removing a geometric face of the first model, selecting a geometry of the second model corresponding with the removed geometric face of the first model, and generating a merged model that includes the selected geometry and the geometric faces corresponding to the selected geometry. The merged model is used to manufacture a dental aligner specific to the dental arch of the user and configured to reposition one or more teeth of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Yancey, Josh Long
  • Publication number: 20190164353
    Abstract: A computing device for dental impression scan merging includes a model manager configured to generate a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, and a merge manager configured to merge the first model and the second model. Each model includes a respective plurality of geometric faces indicative of a respective dental impression of a dental arch of a user. Merging the first model and the second model includes aligning the first model and the second model, removing a geometric face of the first model, selecting a geometry of the second model corresponding with the removed geometric face of the first model, and generating a merged model that includes the selected geometry and the geometric faces corresponding to the selected geometry. The merged model is used to manufacture a dental aligner specific to the dental arch of the user and configured to reposition one or more teeth of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Christopher Yancey, Josh Long
  • Publication number: 20190164352
    Abstract: Technologies for merging three-dimensional models of dental impressions include a computing device that generates multiple three-dimensional models that are each indicative of a dental impression of a user's dental arch. The models may be generated by scanning the dental impressions. The computing device determines whether a model is indicative of the complete anatomy of the user's arch and, if not, merges multiple models with a merge strategy to generate a merged model. The models may be merged by aligning geometry of the models, selecting geometry from one of the models using the merge strategy, and generating the merged model that includes the selected geometry. The merge strategy may include selecting from the model associated with the dental impression that includes the most detail of the user's anatomy or selecting from the model with the greatest depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Applicant: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Yancey, Josh Long
  • Patent number: 10109114
    Abstract: Technologies for merging three-dimensional models of dental impressions include a computing device that generates multiple three-dimensional models that are each indicative of a dental impression of a user's dental arch. The models may be generated by scanning the dental impressions. The computing device determines whether a model is indicative of the complete anatomy of the user's arch and, if not, merges multiple models with a merge strategy to generate a merged model. The models may be merged by aligning geometry of the models, selecting geometry from one of the models using the merge strategy, and generating the merged model that includes the selected geometry. The merge strategy may include selecting from the model associated with the dental impression that includes the most detail of the user's anatomy or selecting from the model with the greatest depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: SmileDirectClub LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Yancey, Josh Long