US5429501A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Orthodontic coil springs and methods
Assignee: Ormco Corp
•
Filing: 1994-03-28
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Granted: 1995-07-04
•
Expires: 2014-03-28
Abstract
Abstract Coil springs for use in orthodontic appliances which are made from wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm). These coil springs may be designed for use in tension as well as compression for a number of orthodontic applications.
Inventors
- 👤 Farrokh Farzin-Nia
- 👤 Rohit C. L. Sachdeva
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 21:56
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C7/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
An orthodontic appliance comprising: an element mountable to a tooth; and a coil spring connected to said element for applying a force to move the tooth when said element is mounted thereto, said coil spring having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm) and being made with a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
An orthodontic appliance comprising: an element mountable to a tooth; and a coil spring connected to said element for applying a force to move the tooth when said element is mounted thereto, said coil spring having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm) and being made with a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring having an inside diameter in the range of about 0.020 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.050 inches (1.270 mm).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The appliance of claim 1, said wire having a diameter in the range of about 0.008 inches (0.203 mm) to about 0.014 inches (0.355 mm).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being an tension spring having an active length in the range of about 5 mm to about 15 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being a compression spring having an active length in the range of about 10 mm to about 30 mm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The appliance of claim 5, said beta-phase titanium alloy containing at least one alloying element from the group consisting of molybdenum, chromium, zirconium, tin, vanadium, iron, and columbium.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The appliance of claim 1, said beta-phase titanium alloy containing a minimum of about 70% by weight titanium.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The appliance of claim 1, said titanium alloy having a crystal structure containing a minimum of about 90% beta-phase.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being able to apply a force in the range of about 100 grams to about 450 grams.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being able to apply a force in the range of about 350 grams to about 450 grams.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being able to apply a force of up to about 700 grams.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The appliance of claim 1, said coil spring being able to maintain an applied force through an elastic change in spring length of up to about 200%.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
An orthodontic coil spring comprising: a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
An orthodontic coil spring comprising: a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The coil spring of claim 13 having an inside diameter in the range of about 0.020 inches (0.508 mm) to about 0.050 inches (1.270 mm).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
The coil spring of claim 13, said wire having a diameter in the range of about 0.008 inches (0.203 mm) to about 0.014 inches (0.355 mm).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being a tension spring having an active length in the range of about 5 mm to about 15 mm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being a compression spring having an active length in the range of about 10 mm to about 30 mm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The coil spring of claim 13, said beta-phase titanium alloy containing a minimum of about 70% by weight titanium.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The coil spring of claim 18, said beta-phase titanium alloy containing at least one alloying element from the group consisting of molybdenum, chromium, zirconium, tin, vanadium, iron, and columbium.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The coil spring of claim 13, said titanium alloy having a crystal structure containing a minimum of about 90% beta-phase.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being able to apply a force in the range of about 100 grams to about 450 grams.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
23 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being able to apply a force in the range of about 350 grams to about 450 grams.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
18 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being able to apply a force of up to about 700 grams.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
25 words
The coil spring of claim 13 being able to maintain an applied force through an elastic change in spring length of up to about 200%.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
84 words
An orthodontic coil spring comprising: a wire of a titanium alloy having a crystal structure containing a minimum of about 90% beta-phase and a composition containing a minimum of about 70% by weight titanium, said wire having a diameter in the range of about 0.008 inches (0.203 mm) to about 0.014 inches (0.355 mm) and being wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
84 words
An orthodontic coil spring comprising: a wire of a titanium alloy having a crystal structure containing a minimum of about 90% beta-phase and a composition containing a minimum of about 70% by weight titanium, said wire having a diameter in the range of about 0.008 inches (0.203 mm) to about 0.014 inches (0.355 mm) and being wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
39 words
The coil spring of claim 25 being able to apply a force in the range of about 100 grams to about 700 grams and maintain said force through an elastic change in spring length of up to about 200%.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of moving a tooth comprising the steps of: providing an orthodontic appliance comprising: an element mountable to a tooth, and a coil spring having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm) and being made with a wire of beta-phase titanium alloy; mounting the element to the tooth; and applying a force to move the tooth by connecting the coil spring to the element.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of moving a tooth comprising the steps of: providing an orthodontic appliance comprising: an element mountable to a tooth, and a coil spring having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm) and being made with a wire of beta-phase titanium alloy; mounting the element to the tooth; and applying a force to move the tooth by connecting the coil spring to the element.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 27 including the steps of: providing the orthodontic appliance with a compression coil spring, and applying the force to move the tooth away from another tooth by connecting the compression coil spring to the element.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 27 including the steps of: providing the orthodontic appliance with a tension coil spring, and applying the force to move the tooth toward another tooth by connecting the tension coil spring to the element.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 27 including the step of: applying a force in the range of about 100 grams to about 450 grams to move the tooth by connecting the coil spring to the element.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 27 including the step of: applying a force in the range of about 350 grams to about 450 grams to move the tooth by connecting the coil spring to the element.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 27 including the step of: applying a force of up to about 700 grams to move the tooth by connecting the coil spring to the element.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
54 words
A method of making a coil spring suitable for orthodontic applications comprising the steps of: providing a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy; winding the wire into a plurality of turns, thereby forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 38
Independent Claim
54 words
A method of making a coil spring suitable for orthodontic applications comprising the steps of: providing a wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy; winding the wire into a plurality of turns, thereby forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm).
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 33 including the steps of winding the wire into a plurality of open turns, thereby forming an open coil, and cutting the open coil into a plurality of lengths, and forming each length of open coil into a compression spring having an active length in the range of about 10 mm to about 30 mm.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 33 including the steps of: winding the wire into a plurality of substantially closed turns, thereby forming a closed coil, cutting the closed coil into a plurality of lengths, and forming each length of the closed coil into a tension spring having an active length in the range of about 5 mm to about 15 mm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-07-03 | 1999-01-02 | 1999-07-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-07-03 | 2003-01-02 | 2003-07-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-07-03 | 2007-01-02 | 2007-07-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |