| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080213718 | LASER SHAPED GREEN METAL BODY AND ORTHODONTIC BRACKET - A green metal body is comprised of metal particles and a binder in the shape of an orthodontic bracket and/or base plate. The green metal body is fabricated by being laser-cut with a laser to shape the green metal body into the shape of an orthodontic bracket and/or or to carve recesses and/or undercuts into the bonding surface of the bracket. The green metal body is sintered to shrink its volume into a denser and less porous sintered metal body configured to be an orthodontic bracket. The resultant sintered orthodontic bracket includes recesses and/or undercuts in the bonding surface to provide a mechanical aspect when bonded to a tooth. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080241782 | TWO-PART SELF-LIGATING ORTHODONTIC BRACKET HAVING LATERAL GUIDING MECHANISM - Two-piece self-ligating orthodontic brackets including a bracket base, at least one arch wire slot formed in the bracket base adapted to receive an arch wire therein, and a ligation cover that is hingedly attachable to the bracket base. The bracket further includes means for resisting lateral movement of an occlusal front portion of the ligation cover so as to guide the occlusal front portion of the cover as the cover is closed over the bracket base. For example, the bracket base may include a pair of spaced apart guides which extend from the base in a labial-buccal direction so as to define a receiving cavity between the guides. The cover includes a corresponding occlusal front nose portion which is configured to be received within the receiving cavity when the cover is closed. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20090136889 | ORTHODONTIC BRACKET INCLUDING MECHANISM FOR REDUCING SLOT WIDTH FOR EARLY TORQUE CONTROL - Orthodontic brackets include a bracket base, at least one arch wire slot formed in the base adapted to receive and arch wire therein, and means for selectively narrowing the width of at least a portion of the arch wire slot so as to allow for engagement of an undersized arch wire having a width less than the slot width. The means for selectively narrowing the width of the arch wire slot may comprise one or more spaced apart cuts disposed in at least one side wall defining the arch wire slot so as to define a bendable portion of the sidewall. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090169841 | METHODS FOR SHAPING GREEN BODIES AND ARTICLES MADE BY SUCH METHODS - A method of shaping a green body provides a shaped green body comprised of a plurality of sinterable particles and an organic binder. Such a method includes: (1) molding a mixture of sinterable particles and organic binder into the shape of an initial green body or intermediate, wherein the sinterable particles include at least one of metal particles or ceramic particles; and (2) shaping the green body intermediate with at least one of a stream of energy or a stream of matter, wherein the shaping yields a green body having a desired shape. The shaped green body can be sintered in order to provide a hardened body having substantially the shape of the shaped green body. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20110047799 | LASER SHAPED GREEN METAL BODY AND ORTHODONTIC BRACKET - A green metal body includes metal particles and a binder in the shape of an orthodontic bracket and/or base plate. The green metal body is fabricated by being laser-cut with a laser to shape the green metal body into the shape of an orthodontic bracket and/or to carve recesses and/or undercuts into the bonding surface of the bracket. The green metal body is sintered to shrink its volume into a denser and less porous sintered metal body configured to be an orthodontic bracket. The resultant sintered orthodontic bracket includes recesses and/or undercuts in the bonding surface to provide a mechanical aspect when bonded to a tooth. | 03-03-2011 |
