Patents by Inventor Richard E. Raby

Richard E. Raby 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: 11911236
    Abstract: A dental article such as a dental tray aligner or a dental crown that includes a substrate including a polymeric material having a modulus of elasticity that reduces upon exposure to water and a water-resistant coating on the substrate, where the water-resistant coating comprises parylene. In some examples, the water-resistant coating may include one or more layers that include parylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Zeba Parkar, Richard E. Raby, James D. Hansen
  • Publication number: 20240033044
    Abstract: A method includes wire driven phase in which a plurality of attachments are bonded to teeth, the attachments including a wire-retaining region and an engagement region. The engagement region has a shoulder configured to releasably engage a corresponding indentation in an aligner tray. An archwire is inserted in to the wire-retaining regions to move a first malaccluded tooth from a first position to a second position. An aligner phase follows the wire driven phase, in which the archwire is removed, and an aligner tray is applied over the teeth of the patient. The aligner tray includes cavities shaped to receive and resiliently position the first maloccluded tooth from the second position to a third position, and further includes indentations configured to releasably engage at least a portion of the engagement regions on the attachments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Ralf M. Paehl, David K. Cinader, JR., Dietmar Blees, Ralf Schlimper, Ming-Lai Lai, Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20240008959
    Abstract: An indirect bonding device includes a first tray and a second tray. The first tray is configured to be detachably coupled to a tooth having a tooth surface. The second tray is configured to be detachably coupled to the first tray. The first tray includes a cavity at least partially extending from a first inner surface to a first outer surface along a longitudinal axis. An orthodontic appliance is at least partially and detachably received within the cavity. An adhesive layer is disposed on a base surface of the orthodontic appliance. Upon detachable coupling of the first tray to the tooth, the adhesive layer is spaced apart from the tooth surface. Furthermore, upon detachable coupling of the move the orthodontic appliance towards the tooth surface, such that the adhesive layer contacts the tooth surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Ralf M. Paehl, Richard E. Raby, Dietmar Blees, David K. Cinader, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20230390028
    Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding a plurality of teeth and an interproximal reinforcement. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to engage a first tooth and a second shell shaped to engage a second tooth. The interproximal reinforcement extends from a first gingival edge on a labial side of the appliance body along an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to a second gingival edge on a lingual side of the appliance body. The interproximal reinforcement is configured to engage at least one of a lingual surface or labial surface of the first tooth below a height of contour to enable the appliance body to cause movement of the first tooth toward a desired position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Michael K. Domroese, David K. Cinader, JR., Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20230346517
    Abstract: An example removable dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body includes a shell shaped to engage a tooth in an initial position and a gingival ridge extending from a mesial interproximal region along a gingival edge of the shell to a distal interproximal region. The gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual or labial surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Michael K. Domroese, David K. Cinader, JR., Richard E. Raby, James D. Hansen
  • Publication number: 20230311410
    Abstract: The invention relates to a 3D printing system comprising a 3D printing device for manufacturing at least two workpieces. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing at least two workpieces by means of the 3D printing system. Furthermore, the invention relates to an adapter set for attaching workpiece holders to a 3D printing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Malte Korten, Andreas G. Herrmann, Bastian P. Kirchner, Gioacchino Raia, Daniel D. Oberpertinger, Christian A. Richter, Anja Friedrich, Richard E. Raby, Dietmar Blees, Ralf M. Paehl, Thomas K. Müller
  • Patent number: 11737856
    Abstract: An example removable dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body includes a shell shaped to engage a tooth in an initial position and a gingival ridge extending from a mesial interproximal region along a gingival edge of the shell to a distal interproximal region. The gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual or labial surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael K. Domroese, David K. Cinader, Jr., Richard E. Raby, James D. Hansen
  • Patent number: 11737855
    Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding a plurality of teeth and an interproximal reinforcement. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to engage a first tooth and a second shell shaped to engage a second tooth. The interproximal reinforcement extends from a first gingival edge on a labial side of the appliance body along an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to a second gingival edge on a lingual side of the appliance body. The interproximal reinforcement is configured to engage at least one of a lingual surface or labial surface of the first tooth below a height of contour to enable the appliance body to cause movement of the first tooth toward a desired position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael K. Domroese, David K. Cinader, Jr., Richard E. Raby
  • Patent number: 11737854
    Abstract: A dental appliance includes a first polymeric shell portion having one or more cavities shaped therein to removably conform to one or more teeth. The dental positioning appliance further includes at least one spacer. At least one spacer is coupled to the first polymeric shell portion. The dental appliance can also have a first arch member coupled to the at least one spacer and configured to provide at least some of a force needed to reposition one or more teeth from a first orientation to a second orientation different from the first orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventor: Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20230109622
    Abstract: An orthodontic bracket can include a bracket body. The bracket body can include an outer body. The bracket body can also include an inner body coupled to the outer body. The orthodontic bracket can include a bracket base configured to couple to a tooth. The inner body of the outer body is disposed between the outer body and the bracket base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventor: Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20230009985
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes articles, systems, and techniques including an additive manufactured orthodontic attachment including a body defining a retaining member configured to retain the article in a recess defined by a shell of a transfer tray; a coupling portion configured to engage a tool for insertion of the attachment into the recess of the transfer tray; and a bonding surface configured to bond the attachment to a portion of an outer surface of a tooth of a patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Inventors: David K. Cinader, JR., Richard E. Raby, Joseph R. Dufour, Daniel J. Skamser, Jeremy A. Schmoll, Michael K. Domroese
  • Patent number: 11517401
    Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding two or more teeth of a patient. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to receive a first tooth; a second shell shaped to receive a second tooth; and at least one spring bellows that includes an arcuate displacement extending over and away from at least a portion of an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to join the first shell and the second shell. The spring bellows is configured to apply a force between the first shell and the second shell to cause movement of at least one of the first tooth and the second tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Richard E. Raby, Chaodi Li, Michael K. Domroese
  • Patent number: 11517272
    Abstract: A system and method for simulating orthodontic treatment using augmented reality. An electronic image of a user's face is received from a digital camera, and a region of interest in the image is identified where the region includes the user's teeth. Virtual orthodontic appliances are placed on the user's teeth in the image, and the user's image with the virtual orthodontic appliances is displayed on an electronic display device. The method occurs in real-time to provide the user with the augmented image simulating treatment when or shortly after the image of the user is received. The system and method can display a 3D representation of the user's face augmented with the virtual appliances. The user's augmented image or 3D representation can also be supplemented for display with an image or model of the user's facial anatomy such as an x-ray or a cone beam computed tomography image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Amy Unklesbay, Cody J. Olson, Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20220361996
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for determining at least one of a translational force or a rotational force applied by a dental appliance to a tooth or teeth of a patient. A system includes model teeth configured to represent a portion of a dental arch and receive a dental appliance, a post extending from a first end coupled to a respective tooth to a second end coupled to a base, at least one strain gauge integrally formed on a surface of the post between the first end and the second end, and processor communicatively coupled to the at least one strain gauge and configured to determine at least one of a translational force or a rotational force applied by the dental appliance to the respective tooth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Richard E. Raby, Eric S. Hansen, Joseph C. Fallo, Michael K. Domroese
  • Publication number: 20220346912
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method and system of determining a first force vector of a selected point in a first position on a virtual dentition of the oral cavity based on the first aggregate force characteristic of a force member, having multiple segments, in the first configuration and determining a second force vector of the selected point in a second position on the virtual dentition based on the first aggregate force characteristic of the force member in the first configuration. The method includes determining a condition of whether the second force vector (or force magnitude thereof) is within 90 percent of the first force vector (or force magnitude thereof) at 50 percent of displacement between the first position and the second position and performing an operation based on the condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Chaodi Li, David K. Cinader, Jr., Michael K. Domroese, Richard E. Raby
  • Publication number: 20220323183
    Abstract: A method of making a transfer apparatus includes providing a physical mockup having a shape that corresponds to a positive shape of a patient's dental arch and a positive shape of one or more appliance analogs including ramps extending in a generally gingival direction from the analog. A transfer tray may be formed over the physical mockup, with the transfer tray representing a negative replica of at least a portion of the mockup. One or more receptacles and related channels are accordingly formed in the ray, each receptacle approximating a least a portion of the shape of an appliance analog and each channel approximating at least a portion of the shape of a ramp. An appliance associated with an appliance analog is placed into a receptacle of the one or more receptacles, and the appliance may be bonded to a tooth surface of the patient's dental arch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Joseph R. Dufour, David K. Cinader, Jr., Sheng Thao, Jeremy A. Schmoll, Peter See, Nicholas A. Stark, Richard E. Raby
  • Patent number: 11446117
    Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth. The appliance body may include a unitary material defining a shell shaped to receive at least one tooth of the patient; a spring member integrally formed with the shell; and a positioning member integrally formed with the shell. The spring member may be configured to receive an attachment affixed to the at least one tooth. The spring member may be configured to apply a spring force to the attachment to cause movement of the at least one tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient. The positioning member may be configured to facilitate engagement of the spring member with the attachment in response to a positioning force being applied to the positioning member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Ralf M. Paehl, David K. Cinader, Jr., James D. Hansen, Richard E. Raby, Michael K. Domroese
  • Publication number: 20220257341
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a computer-implemented method and system for evaluating, modifying, and determining setups for orthodontic treatment using metrics computed during virtual articulation. The virtual articulation techniques of this disclosure may further be combined with techniques for determining dynamic collision metrics, determining a comfort measurement, determining treatment efficacy, and/or determining dental conditions, such as bruxism. The techniques of this disclosure further include user interface techniques that provide an orthodontist/dentist/technician with information regarding various treatment plans based on metrics gathered during virtual articulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Guruprasad Somasundaram, Alexandra R. Cunliffe, Benjamin D. Zimmer, Brian J. Stankiewicz, Nitsan Ben-Gal Nguyen, Richard E. Raby, Alberto Alvarez
  • Publication number: 20220246270
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining whether a tooth is correctly shaped and oriented to avoid interference with another tooth using virtual articulation. The method comprises a) receiving data indicative of a virtual dentition of an oral cavity of a patient by a computing device, the data indicative of the virtual dentition including data indicative of at least one of a virtual mandibular arch representing a mandibular arch of the patient or a virtual maxillary arch representing a maxillary arch of the patient; b) receiving data indicating a selected point on the virtual dentition of the oral cavity; and c) determining a tangent vector indicating a direction of motion of the selected point and determining whether the orientation of a tooth of the virtual dentition or the shape of the tooth is correctly shaped and oriented based on the determined tangent vector, wherein the tangent vector is based on a rotational axis of the virtual mandibular arch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Alberto Alvarez, Richard E. Raby
  • Patent number: 11395718
    Abstract: A removable dental appliance that includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body including a first and second shell shaped to receive a first and second respective tooth; and at least one jumper including an elongated structure having a first end coupled to the first shell and a second end coupled to the second shell. The at least one jumper is configured to apply a force between the first and second shells to cause a movement of at least one of the first and second teeth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Richard E. Raby, Chaodi Li, Michael K. Domroese