Patents by Inventor Nir Makmel
Nir Makmel 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).
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Patent number: 11950880Abstract: An intraoral scanner comprises a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, and a light-guiding part having an entrance and an exit. The light source, the optics system and the light-guiding part are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, enters the light-guiding part via the entrance, and exits the light-guiding part via the exit. The optics system is configured such that, upon entering the light-guiding part, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2023Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel
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Patent number: 11930154Abstract: An intraoral scanning system comprises and intraoral scanner and a processor. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more cameras and one or more structured light projectors, the intraoral scanner to generate a series of images using the one or more cameras, each image including at least a portion of a pattern projected by the one or more structured light projectors onto an intraoral three-dimensional surface. The processor runs a correspondence algorithm to compute respective three-dimensional positions of a plurality of features of the pattern on the intraoral three-dimensional surface, as captured in the series of images. The processor identifies the computed three-dimensional position of a detected feature of the pattern as corresponding to a particular projector ray r, in at least a subset of the series of images. The processor tracks the particular projector ray r across one or more additional images of the series of images.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2023Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Tal Levy, Gal Peleg, Eliran Dafna, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel, Yossef Atiya
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Publication number: 20240074006Abstract: An intraoral scanning device comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis and comprising a head configured for insertion into an oral cavity of a patient, the head comprising an aperture for transmission of optical signals, a transparent element positioned within the aperture, wherein the transparent element is non-orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and a defogging unit comprising a heating unit. A protective sleeve is configured to cover at least a part of the head and comprises an additional aperture that aligns with the aperture and an additional transparent element in the additional aperture. A gap separates the additional transparent element from the transparent element when the protective sleeve is coupled to the housing. The housing and the protective sleeve are configured such that heat generated by the heating unit is transferred from the heating unit to the additional transparent element despite the gap that separates the additional transparent element from the transparent element.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventor: Nir Makmel
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Patent number: 11896461Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral scanning includes an elongate handheld wand that has a probe. One or more light projectors and two or more cameras are disposed within the probe. The light projectors each has a pattern generating optical element, which may use diffraction or refraction to form a light pattern. Each camera may be configured to focus between 1 mm and 30 mm from a lens that is farthest from the camera sensor. Other applications are also described.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2019Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy
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Publication number: 20240033029Abstract: Removable barrier devices (e.g., sleeves) for covering medical scanning devices to reduce the chance of cross-contamination between patients and/or to protect the scanning devices from physical damage. The barrier device can include a cover that has an integrated window for passing optical signals between the scanning device and an external environment. The cover can include a sleeve that covers a handle portion of the scanning device to prevent contamination of the handle from a user's hand or glove. The cover and sleeve may both be formed of the same flexible material, or the cover may be rigid to maintain the window in a fixed position and the sleeve may be flexible to allow a user to activate a button or touchpad on the handle. An interface region between the cover and sleeve may provide a hermetic seal. The window may include a nanostructured antireflective material to limit internal reflections.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2023Publication date: February 1, 2024Inventors: Ariel SHALEV, Eran GREEN, Zakhar GINZBURG, Matthew DURBAN, Roee GORFINKEL, Ofer SAPHIER, Tal VERKER, Nir MAKMEL, Eran ISHAY, Raphael LEVY
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Publication number: 20240023789Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Inventors: Avi KOPELMAN, Michael SABINA, Nir MAKMEL, Adi LEVIN, Arad ZULTI, Arthur HSIEH
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Patent number: 11844153Abstract: An intraoral scanning device comprises housing comprising a head configured for insertion into a patient oral cavity, the head comprising a sloped surface and an aperture for transmission of optical signals, a transparent element positioned within the aperture, wherein the transparent element is at an acute angle with respect to the sloped surface, and a defogging unit comprising a heating unit. The intraoral scanning device further comprises a protective sleeve configured to cover at least a part of the head when the protective sleeve is coupled to the housing. The protective sleeve comprises an additional aperture that aligns with the aperture and an additional transparent element in the additional aperture.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2021Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventor: Nir Makmel
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Patent number: 11826225Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral scanning comprises an elongate handheld wand comprising a probe at a distal end, one or more light projectors, and two or more cameras. Each light projector comprises at least one light source configured to generate light and a pattern generating optical element configured to generate a pattern of light when the light is transmitted through the pattern generating optical element. Each camera comprises a camera sensor and one or more lenses and is configured to capture a plurality of images that depict at least a portion of the projected pattern of light on an intraoral surface, wherein each camera is configured to focus at an object focal plane that is located between about 1 mm and about 30 mm from a lens of the one or more lenses that is farthest from the camera sensor.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy
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Patent number: 11759277Abstract: Removable barrier devices (e.g., sleeves) for covering medical scanning devices to reduce the chance of cross-contamination between patients and/or to protect the scanning devices from physical damage. The barrier device can include a cover that has an integrated window for passing optical signals between the scanning device and an external environment. The cover can include a sleeve that covers a handle portion of the scanning device to prevent contamination of the handle from a user's hand or glove. The cover and sleeve may both be formed of the same flexible material, or the cover may be rigid to maintain the window in a fixed position and the sleeve may be flexible to allow a user to activate a button or touchpad on the handle. An interface region between the cover and sleeve may provide a hermetic seal. The window may include a nanostructured antireflective material to limit internal reflections.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2020Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ariel Shalev, Eran Green, Zakhar Ginzburg, Matthew Durban, Roee Gorfinkel, Ofer Saphier, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel, Eran Ishay, Raphael Levy
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Patent number: 11737657Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2022Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Nir Makmel, Adi Levin, Arad Zulti, Arthur Hsieh
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Publication number: 20230233087Abstract: An intraoral scanner comprises a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, and a light-guiding part having an entrance and an exit. The light source, the optics system and the light-guiding part are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, enters the light-guiding part via the entrance, and exits the light-guiding part via the exit. The optics system is configured such that, upon entering the light-guiding part, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent to the optical axis and an outermost marginal ray of the light with respect to the optical axis is parallel or divergent to the optical axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2023Publication date: July 27, 2023Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel
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Publication number: 20230156173Abstract: An intraoral scanning system comprises and intraoral scanner and a processor. The intraoral scanner comprises one or more cameras and one or more structured light projectors, the intraoral scanner to generate a series of images using the one or more cameras, each image including at least a portion of a pattern projected by the one or more structured light projectors onto an intraoral three-dimensional surface. The processor runs a correspondence algorithm to compute respective three-dimensional positions of a plurality of features of the pattern on the intraoral three-dimensional surface, as captured in the series of images. The processor identifies the computed three-dimensional position of a detected feature of the pattern as corresponding to a particular projector ray r, in at least a subset of the series of images. The processor tracks the particular projector ray r across one or more additional images of the series of images.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2023Publication date: May 18, 2023Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Tal Levy, Gal Peleg, Eliran Dafna, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel, Yossef Atiya
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Patent number: 11638525Abstract: An apparatus for dental imaging comprises a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, and a probe head. The light source, the optics system and the probe head are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, passes through the probe head, and exits the probe head. The optics system is configured such that chief rays of the light before entering the probe head are divergent to each other, wherein an angle defined by a marginal ray of an outermost beam of the light is complementary to an angle defined by an extreme off-axis chief ray of the light with respect to the optical axis.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2022Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Yossef Atiya, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel
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Publication number: 20230040445Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Inventors: Avi KOPELMAN, Michael SABINA, Nir MAKMEL, Adi LEVIN, Arad ZULTI, Arthur HSIEH
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Patent number: 11563929Abstract: A method for generating a 3D image includes driving structured light projector(s) to project a pattern of light on an intraoral 3D surface, and driving camera(s) to capture images, each image including at least a portion of the projected pattern, each one of the camera(s) comprising an array of pixels. A processor compares a series of images captured by each camera and determines which of the portions of the projected pattern can be tracked across the images. The processor constructs a three-dimensional model of the intraoral three-dimensional surface based at least in part on the comparison of the series of images. Other embodiments are also described.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2020Date of Patent: January 24, 2023Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Tal Levy, Gal Peleg, Eliran Dafna, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Nir Makmel, Yossef Atiya
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Patent number: 11534273Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral scanning includes an elongate handheld wand that has a probe. One or more light projectors and two or more cameras are disposed within the probe. The light projectors each has a pattern generating optical element, which may use diffraction or refraction to form a light pattern. Each camera may be configured to focus between 1 mm and 30 mm from a lens that is farthest from the camera sensor. Other applications are also described.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2019Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy
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Publication number: 20220369910Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2022Publication date: November 24, 2022Inventors: Roee GORFINKEL, Eran ISHAY, Benny GORDON, Avi KOPELMAN, Nir MAKMEL
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Patent number: 11478132Abstract: Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2020Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Align Technology. Inc.Inventors: Avi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Nir Makmel, Adi Levin, Arad Zulti, Arthur Hsieh
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Publication number: 20220331075Abstract: A dental articulator includes a first arm hingedly joined to a second arm about a pivot axis, where each one of the first arm and the second arm are configured to mount a dental model comprising at least one measurement element, and an inspection tool capable of checking the at least one measurable element against allowable tolerances. Each arm includes a mounting bracket having a distal portion adapted to mount the respective dental model and having a proximal portion. Each arm further has a base member having a distal portion adapted to hingedly join the first arm and the second arm about the pivot axis. The inspection tool comprises a first measurement device and a second measurement device. The first measurement device is coupled to the first arm or second arm and the second measurement device is coupled to the first arm or second arm.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2022Publication date: October 20, 2022Inventors: Leon Rasovsky, Avi Kopelman, Nir Makmel
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Publication number: 20220280269Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral scanning comprises an elongate handheld wand comprising a probe at a distal end, one or more light projectors, and two or more cameras. Each light projector comprises at least one light source configured to generate light and a pattern generating optical element configured to generate a pattern of light when the light is transmitted through the pattern generating optical element. Each camera comprises a camera sensor and one or more lenses and is configured to capture a plurality of images that depict at least a portion of the projected pattern of light on an intraoral surface, wherein each camera is configured to focus at an object focal plane that is located between about 1 mm and about 30 mm from a lens of the one or more lenses that is farthest from the camera sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Ofer Saphier, Yossef Atiya, Arkady Rudnitsky, Nir Makmel, Sergei Ozerov, Tal Verker, Tal Levy