Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090197217 | Robot and method for bending orthodontic archwires and other medical devices - A robotic bending apparatus for bending archwires and other types of elongate, bendable medical devices into a desired configuration includes a first gripping tool and a moveable gripping tool. The first gripping tool can be either fixed with respect to a base or table for the robot or positioned at the end of robot am. The moveable gripping tool is mounted to the end of a moveable robot arm having a proximal portion also mounted to the base. The robot preferably comprises a six axis bending robot, in which the distal end of the moveable arm can move relative to the fixed gripping tool about three translational axes and three rotational axes. The gripping tools preferably incorporate force sensors which are used to determine overbends needed to get the desired final shape of the archwire. The robot may also include a resistive heating system in which current flows through the wire while the wire is held in a bent condition to heat the wire and thereby retain the bent shape of the wire. A magazine for holding a plurality of straight archwires needing to be bent and a conveyor system for receiving the wires after the bending process is complete are also described. The robot bending system is able to form archwires with any required second and third order bends quickly and with high precision. As such, it is highly suitable for use in a precision appliance-manufacturing center manufacturing a large number of archwires (or other medical devices or appliances) for a distributed base of clinics. | 08-06-2009 |
20090199609 | Robot and method for bending orthodontic archwires and other medical devices - A robotic bending apparatus for bending archwires and other types of elongate, bendable medical devices into a desired configuration includes a first gripping tool and a moveable gripping tool. The first gripping tool can be either fixed with respect to a base or table for the robot or positioned at the end of robot am. The moveable gripping tool is mounted to the end of a moveable robot arm having a proximal portion also mounted to the base. The robot preferably comprises a six axis bending robot, in which the distal end of the moveable arm can move relative to the fixed gripping tool about three translational axes and three rotational axes. The gripping tools preferably incorporate force sensors which are used to determine overbends needed to get the desired final shape of the archwire. The robot may also include a resistive heating system in which current flows through the wire while the wire is held in a bent condition to heat the wire and thereby retain the bent shape of the wire. A magazine for holding a plurality of straight archwires needing to be bent and a conveyor system for receiving the wires after the bending process is complete are also described. The robot bending system is able to form archwires with any required second and third order bends quickly and with high precision. As such, it is highly suitable for use in a precision appliance-manufacturing center manufacturing a large number of archwires (or other medical devices or appliances) for a distributed base of clinics. | 08-13-2009 |
20090291417 | INTERACTIVE ORTHODONTIC CARE SYSTEM BASED ON INTRA-ORAL SCANNING OF TEETH - Interactive, computer based orthodontist treatment planning, appliance design and appliance manufacturing is described. A scanner is described which acquires images of the dentition which are converted to three-dimensional frames of data. The data from the several frames are registered to each other to provide a complete three-dimensional virtual model of the dentition. Individual tooth objects are obtained from the virtual model. A computer-interactive software program provides for treatment planning, diagnosis and appliance from the virtual tooth models. A desired occlusion for the patient is obtained from the treatment planning software. The virtual model of the desired occlusion and the virtual model of the original dentition provide a base of information for custom manufacture of an orthodontic appliance. A variety of possible appliance and appliance manufacturing systems are contemplated, including customized archwires and customized devices for placement of off-the shelf brackets on the archwires, and removable orthodontic appliances. | 11-26-2009 |
20140363782 | CUSTOMIZED ORTHODONTIC BRACKET SYSTEM - A customized orthodontic bracket system is provided. The system can include a bracket having a customized bracket bonding pad for bonding the bracket to a tooth of a patient and a bracket slot adapted to receive a customized archwire. The customized archwire is adapted to be positioned in the bracket slot to form a precise bracket slot-archwire interface. The bracket slot and the archwire when positioned in the bracket slot can be positioned substantially adjacent the tooth surface to reduce induced vertical error in tooth positioning. The bracket slot can be configured to have a bracket slot width substantially matching a cross-section of the archwire to reduce torque rotation around an axis of the archwire when positioned therein to further enhance end-of-treatment tooth positioning and reduce overall treatment time. | 12-11-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100050131 | Interface And Method For Exploring A Collection of Data - An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. Embodiments of the interface allow visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. Embodiments of the interface also allow the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced. Electronic documents can be assigned to each node, and embodiments of the interface allow these documents to be displayed either directly in a reserved display region of the interface, or by launching a matching application on the user's computer. | 02-25-2010 |
20100203478 | Customized Dental Prosthesis for Periodontal or Osseointegration and Related Systems and Methods - Dental prosthesis, systems, and methods of forming and using a dental prosthesis, are provided. An example of a dental prosthesis includes a first manufactured portion shaped to substantially conform to the three-dimensional surface of a root of a tooth to be replaced and a second manufactured portion shaped to substantially conform to the three-dimensional surface of a crown of the tooth. Furthermore, customized manufactured splints to position and fixate a tooth-shaped prosthesis, are provided. Furthermore, a CAD/CAM based methods of and a systems for manufacturing a customized dental prosthesis are provided. The tooth can be scanned to determine its three-dimensional shape and substantially copied using an imaging system in-vitro like a 3D scanner or in-vivo like a cone beam CT system and CNC machinery. Biocompatible material that is suitable to be integrated into the extraction socket and adopted by existing tissue forming the socket can be manufactured or engineered. | 08-12-2010 |
20110041099 | Interface and Method for Exploring a Collection of Data - An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced. Electronic documents can be assigned to each node, and the interface allows these documents to be displayed either directly in a reserved display region of the interface, or by launching a matching application on the user's computer. | 02-17-2011 |
20120064489 | CUSTOMIZED DENTAL PROSTHESIS FOR PERIODONTAL OR OSSEOINTEGRATION AND RELATED SYSTEMS - Custom dental prosthesis or implants each individually designed and manufactured to replace nonfunctional natural teeth positioned in a jawbone of a specific pre-identified patient are provided. An example dental prosthesis/implant includes a dental implant body having a prosthesis interface formed therein to receive an occlusally-facing dental prosthesis component. The prosthesis interface has a custom three-dimensional surface shape positioned and formed to create a form locking fit with respect to the occlusally-facing dental prosthesis component when positioned thereon. | 03-15-2012 |
20120065756 | Methods of Designing and Manufacturing Customized Dental Prosthesis for Periodontal or Osseointegration and Related Systems - Methods of manufacturing dental prosthesis/implants each to replace a non-functional natural tooth positioned in a jawbone of a specific pre-identified patient are provided. An example method includes the steps of receiving imaging data such as x-ray image data and surface scan data of a dental anatomy and/or a physical impression of the dental anatomy of a specific preidentified patient. The steps can also include forming a three-dimensional virtual model of at least portions of a non-functional natural tooth positioned in the jawbone of the specific pre-identified patient based on the imaging and surface scan data, virtually designing a dental implant based upon the virtual model, exporting the data describing the designed dental implant to a manufacturing machine, and custom manufacturing the dental implant for the specific patient. | 03-15-2012 |
20130061182 | INTERFACE AND METHOD FOR EXPLORING A COLLECTION OF DATA - An interface is provided for permitting a user to explore a collection of data. The data collection, in embodiments, provides nodes as structural elements, and references which are assigned to nodes and hold identifiers of other nodes. Multiple references can be assigned to each node, thus guiding a user of the system to multiple other nodes, and multiple references can hold the same address, so that multiple nodes can have references pointing to the same node. The interface allows visualizing the network created by the interconnection of the nodes on a display region. The interface also allows the user to intuitively navigate along the references in both directions of the references, so that the user can explore which nodes are referenced by a certain node, and also by which nodes a certain node is referenced. Electronic documents can be assigned to each node, and the interface allows these documents to be displayed either directly in a reserved display region of the interface, or by launching a matching application on the user's computer. | 03-07-2013 |
20130158694 | Integrated Support Device For Providing Temporary Primary Stability to Dental Implants and Prosthesis, and Related Methods - Integrated support devices for providing temporary primary stability to a dental prosthesis implant, each individually designed and manufactured for a specific pre-identify patient are also provided. An integrated support device can include a prosthesis interface member configured to connect to an abutment or reduced sized portion of a dental prosthesis/implant. The integrated support device also includes one or more bonding wings for connecting to the adjacent healthy teeth. | 06-20-2013 |
20130209961 | Dental Implant Assembly, Implant, and Prosthesis to Replace a Nonfunctional Natural Tooth and Related Methods - Dental implant assemblies, custom dental implants, and custom dental prosthesis and components each individually designed and manufactured to replace nonfunctional natural teeth of a specific pre-identified patient are provided. An example dental prosthesis/assembly includes a transgingival interlock abutment having a prosthesis interface formed therein to receive an occlusally-facing dental prosthesis component, and an implant interface form to receive a dental implant body. The prosthesis interface has a custom three-dimensional surface shape formed to create a form locking fit with respect to the occlusally-facing dental prosthesis component when connected herewith. The implant interface also has a custom three-dimensional surface shape formed to create a form locking fit with respect to the dental implant component when connected therewith. | 08-15-2013 |
20130244208 | CUSTOMIZED DENTAL PROSTHESIS FOR PERIODONTAL OR OSSEOINTEGRATION, AND RELATED SYSTEMS - A dental prosthesis to be integrated into a jaw bone cavity of a pre-identified patient. An example of a dental prosthesis includes a first manufactured portion having a surface shaped to substantially dimensionally conform three dimensionally to an undersized shape of the outer three-dimensional surface shape of a root of a tooth to be replaced, and a second manufactured portion shaped to substantially conform to the three-dimensional surface of a crown of the tooth. The outer surface of the root portion can include or be coated with a biocompatible material that is suitable to be integrated into the extraction socket and adopted by existing tissue forming the socket. | 09-19-2013 |
20140065566 | LOW PROFILE SELF-LIGATING ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE WITH CLIP - An orthodontic appliance includes a body ( | 03-06-2014 |
20140080093 | Customized Dental Prosthesis For Periodontal or Osseointegration, and Related System and Methods - Dental prosthesis, systems, and methods of forming and using a dental prosthesis, are provided. An example of a dental prosthesis includes a first manufactured portion shaped to substantially conform to the three-dimensional surface of a root of a tooth to be replaced and a second manufactured portion shaped to substantially conform to the three-dimensional surface of a crown of the tooth. Furthermore, a CAD/CAM based methods of and systems for manufacturing a customized dental prosthesis are provided. | 03-20-2014 |