公开(公告)号：US12082986B2

公开(公告)日：2024-09-10

申请号：US18178380

申请日：2023-03-03

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Avi Kopelman ,  Allen Boronkay ,  Peter Webber ,  Vadim Matov ,  Srinivas Kaza ,  Ryan Kimura ,  Yaser Shanjani

IPC: B33Y10/00 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/14 ,  A61C7/36 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00 ,  G05B15/02 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/4097 ,  B29L31/00

CPC classification number: A61C7/002 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/14 ,  A61C7/146 ,  A61C7/36 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00 ,  G05B15/02 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/4097 ,  B29L2031/753 ,  B29L2031/7532 ,  G05B2219/2647 ,  G05B2219/35134 ,  G05B2219/49007

Abstract: Methods and systems for digitally designing a plurality of aligners are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an intraoral scan of the patient's teeth, and generating 3D dental model of the patient's teeth using the intraoral scan. The method can include identifying a movement path to move the patient's teeth from an initial arrangement toward a target arrangement through a plurality of intermediate arrangements in accordance with a treatment plan. The method can also include identifying one or more appliance features of at least one aligner, the one or more appliance features including one or more feature regions having one or more feature thicknesses. The method can further include instructing an additive manufacturing machine to directly fabricate the at least one aligner in a layer-by-layer fashion.

公开(公告)号：US11974898B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-07

申请号：US18175497

申请日：2023-02-27

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Yaser Shanjani ,  Jeremy Riley ,  Ryan Kimura ,  Jun Sato ,  Norman Su ,  Jihua Cheng ,  Fuming Wu

IPC: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C7/02 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C9/00 ,  B29C64/393 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00

CPC classification number: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/002 ,  A61C7/023 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C9/00 ,  B29C64/393 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00

Abstract: Palatal expander apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”) and methods of using and making them. The palatal expanders may include tooth engagement regions connected by a palatal region that is configured to apply force between the tooth engagement regions. At least a portion of the palatal region may be configured to have a clearance from the patient's mid-palatal region when the palatal expander is worn by the patient. The clearance between the palatal region and the patient's palate may decrease from the patient's mid-palatal region laterally toward the tooth engagement regions.

公开(公告)号：US11974897B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-07

申请号：US17679858

申请日：2022-02-24

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Yaser Shanjani ,  Jeremy Riley ,  Ryan Kimura ,  Jun Sato ,  Norman Su ,  Jihua Cheng ,  Fuming Wu

IPC: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C7/02 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C9/00 ,  B29C64/393 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00

CPC classification number: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/002 ,  A61C7/023 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C9/00 ,  B29C64/393 ,  B33Y10/00 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00

Abstract: Palatal expander apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”) and methods of making them. The apparatuses may include a pair of tooth engagement regions connected by a palatal region. A detachment region on at least one of the tooth engagement regions may be defined by one or more first vertical cut-out regions extending from a bottom of a buccal side toward an occlusal side of the tooth engagement region. The buccal side may be more flexible than the occlusal side so that the detachment region flexes when a removal force to release the palatal expander apparatus from the patient's palate is applied to the detachment region.

公开(公告)号：US11944514B2

公开(公告)日：2024-04-02

申请号：US18146153

申请日：2022-12-23

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Avi Kopelman ,  Allen Boronkay ,  Peter Webber ,  Vadim Matov ,  Srinivas Kaza ,  Ryan Kimura ,  Yaser Shanjani

IPC: A61C7/00 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/14 ,  A61C7/36 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00 ,  G05B15/02 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/4097 ,  B29L31/00

CPC classification number: A61C7/002 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/14 ,  A61C7/146 ,  A61C7/36 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y80/00 ,  G05B15/02 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/4097 ,  B29L2031/753 ,  B29L2031/7532 ,  G05B2219/2647 ,  G05B2219/35134 ,  G05B2219/49007

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for improved orthodontic treatment of a patient's teeth are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method includes determining an appliance geometry for a dental appliance. The appliance geometry can include a first region representing a shell comprising a plurality of teeth receiving cavities, and a second region representing at least one integrally formed component to be integrally joined to the shell. The method can also include generating instructions including a first digital representation of the shell based on the first region, and a second digital representation of the at least one integrally formed component based on the second region. The method can further include transmitting the instructions to a fabrication system configured to additively manufacture the dental appliance by fabricating the shell based on the first digital representation, concurrently with fabricating the at least one integrally formed component based on the second digital representation.

公开(公告)号：US11602414B2

公开(公告)日：2023-03-14

申请号：US16899281

申请日：2020-06-11

Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Inventor： Jun Sato ,  Bruce Cam ,  Yaser Shanjani

IPC: A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C19/02

Abstract: Embedded sensors and onboard or off-board processing in an aligner case can detect aligner material and/or quality. Material detection can be used for counterfeit detection, or to trigger material specific events. Quality detection can include detection of common aligner failures or defects. A case for a dental appliance may include a tray for supporting the dental appliance, a cover coupled to the tray, and at least one sensor to detect a deformation of the dental appliance. A case for a dental appliance may include a tray for housing the dental appliance, a cover coupled to the tray, and at least one sensor configured to detect a change in material of the dental appliance.

公开(公告)号：US11564777B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-31

申请号：US16380801

申请日：2019-04-10

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Avi Kopelman ,  Ryan Kimura ,  Yaser Shanjani ,  Jeremy Riley ,  Jun Sato ,  Bob Grove ,  Reza Shirazi Aghjari

IPC: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/02

Abstract: Releasable and removable palatal expander apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”) and methods of using and making them. These releasable palatal expanders are adapted for ease in removal by the patient or caregiver, and may include a breach region configured to predictably bend or break when a pulling force is applied. The palatal expander apparatuses described herein may include one or more locks for locking the palatal expander onto the patient's teeth. The lock(s) may be unlocked to release the palatal expander from the teeth. A lock may include a control for manually unlocking the lock. Unlocking the locks may allow the palatal expander to automatically disengage from the patient's teeth.

公开(公告)号：US11376101B2

公开(公告)日：2022-07-05

申请号：US15580874

申请日：2017-12-01

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Jun Sato ,  Yaser Shanjani ,  Ryan Kimura

IPC: A61C7/10 ,  A61C7/08

Abstract: A removable arch adjustment appliance includes a removable shell having a plurality of cavities formed therein, wherein the plurality of cavities are shaped to receive at least one posterior tooth of a patient on each side of a patient's jaw. The shell can include an elastic transpalatal element that spans a palate of the patient and provides force to expand at least one of the spaces between the posterior teeth on each side of a patient's jaw or the palate of the patient. The transpalatal element can include a predetermined force characteristic, a number of force control elements to control the force provided by the transpalatal element, and/or a regulating structure to balance and direct the force provided by the transpalatal element, wherein the transpalatal element has a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan.

公开(公告)号：US11123156B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-21

申请号：US16104781

申请日：2018-08-17

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Bruce Cam ,  Yaser Shanjani ,  Edi Fridman ,  Sergey Vinnichenko ,  Jun Sato

IPC: A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C19/04 ,  A61B5/00

Abstract: The present disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods for monitoring use of an oral appliance in an oral cavity using extra-oral sensor(s). One method includes sensing one or more physical properties of an oral appliance using an extra-oral sensor, providing a compliance signal from the extra-oral sensor, the compliance signal including an electronic representation of the one or more physical properties of the oral appliance, identifying one or more patient compliance factors based on the compliance signal, the one or more patient compliance factors providing a basis to identify an extent of compliance of usage of the oral appliance with an orthodontic treatment plan, and providing one or more compliances indicators based on the one or more patient compliance factors, the one or more compliance indicators providing a basis to indicate the extent of compliance.

公开(公告)号：US10980613B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-20

申请号：US16231906

申请日：2018-12-24

Applicant: Align Technology, Inc.

Inventor： Yaser Shanjani ,  Bruce Cam

IPC: A61C7/00 ,  A61C9/00 ,  G06T19/00 ,  A61B34/00 ,  A61B90/00 ,  G06F3/01 ,  A61C7/14 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for performing orthodontic treatment planning are provided. Virtual/Augmented Reality devices can be used to virtually manipulate patient's teeth, modify virtual models of the patient's teeth, analyze the fit of a dental appliance on the patient's teeth, analyze the position of attachment sites for dental appliances, and provide overlays showing forces applied to the patient's teeth. The VR/AR devices can be used by physicians and/or the patient to provide and display treatment planning.

公开(公告)号：US10517482B2

公开(公告)日：2019-12-31

申请号：US16048054

申请日：2018-07-27

Applicant: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Inventor： Jun Sato ,  Allen Boronkay ,  Yaser Shanjani ,  Reza Shirazi Aghjari ,  Avi Kopelman ,  Andrew Jang ,  Jihua Cheng ,  Eric Kuo ,  Vladimir Shelbakh ,  Bastien Pesenti

IPC: G06T7/73 ,  A61B5/00 ,  A61C7/00 ,  A61C7/08 ,  A61C7/10 ,  A61C9/00 ,  A61C13/00 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06T15/08

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for 3D imaging (including 3D optical coherence tomography imaging) to measure the shape of orthodontic aligners, teeth, and other oral structures simultaneously, in-vivo or in-vitro. These methods and apparatuses may be used to determine contact locations of aligners with teeth and/or teeth with other teeth with very high precision, including determining the size of gaps where they are not in contact. These measurements may be used design, modify or replace an aligner and/or to verify aligner fit. 3D models of the whole aligner and teeth may be generated.