US6602070B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Systems and methods for dental treatment planning
Assignee: Align Technology Inc
•
Filing: 2001-04-25
•
Granted: 2003-08-05
•
Expires: 2021-04-25
Abstract
Abstract Computer-implemented systems and methods implement a dental treatment plan by specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; and generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with the specified pattern.
Inventors
- 👤 Ross J. Miller
- 👤 Muhammad Chishti
- 👤 Huafeng Wen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 20:16
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C7/00; A61C7/12; A61C7/14; A61C7/146; G; G16; G16H; G16H20/00; G16H20/40; G16H50/00; G16H50/50; A61C7/002; A61C9/00; A61C9/004; A61C9/0046; A61C9/0053
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 67
Claim 1
Independent Claim
64 words
A computer-implemented method to implement a treatment plan, the method comprising: specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; and generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with a specified pattern, wherein generating treatment paths comprises generating more than one candidate treatment path for each tooth and providing a graphical display of each candidate treatment path to a human user for selection.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
64 words
A computer-implemented method to implement a treatment plan, the method comprising: specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; and generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with a specified pattern, wherein generating treatment paths comprises generating more than one candidate treatment path for each tooth and providing a graphical display of each candidate treatment path to a human user for selection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment paths are modified by one or more constraints.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth crowding.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth spacing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth extraction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth stripping.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth rotation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the teeth are rotated approximately five and ten degrees (per stage).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth movement.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the teeth are incrementally moved in one or more stages (per stage).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein each tooth is moved approximately 0.2 mm to approximately 0.4 mm in each stage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein the constraints are stored in an array.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies each stage in the teeth movement.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies each stage in the teeth movement.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies a unique tooth.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 12 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies each stage in the teeth movement and one dimension of the array identifies a unique tooth.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 16 , further comprising specifying tooth movement by indicating a start stage and an end stage for a tooth.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the treatment paths includes determining the minimum amount of transformation required to move each tooth from the initial position to the final position and creating each treatment path to require only the minimum amount of movement.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the treatment path includes generating intermediate positions for at least one tooth between which the tooth undergoes translational movements of equal sizes.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the treatment path includes generating intermediate positions for at least one tooth between which the tooth undergoes translational movements of unequal sizes.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a set of rules to detect any collisions that will occur as the patient's teeth move along the treatment paths.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving information indicating whether the patient's teeth are following the treatment paths and, if not, using the information to revise the treatment paths.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising rendering a three-dimensional (3D) graphical representation of the teeth at the positions corresponding to a selected data set.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 23 , further comprising animating the graphical representation of the teeth to provide a visual display of the movement of the teeth along the treatment paths.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 24 , further comprising providing a graphical interface, with components representing the control buttons on a video cassette recorder, which a human user can manipulate to control the animation.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more tooth paths based on the selected tooth movement pattern.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 26 , wherein determining a tooth path comprises finding a collision free shortest path between an initial position and a final position for one or more teeth.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting one or more clinical treatment prescriptions.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein the clinical treatment prescription includes at least one of the following: space closure, reproximation, dental expansion, flaring, distalization, and lower incisor extraction.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising dividing a path for one or more teeth into the series of stages.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating an appliance for each treatment stage.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein the appliance is either a removable appliance or a fixed appliance.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a three-dimensional model for the teeth for each treatment stage.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
66 words
A computer-implemented method to implement a treatment plan, the method comprising: specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with a specified pattern; and rendering a three-dimensional (3D) animated graphical representation of the teeth at positions corresponding to a selected data set to provide a visual display of the movement of the teeth along the treatment paths.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
66 words
A computer-implemented method to implement a treatment plan, the method comprising: specifying tooth movement patterns using a two-dimensional array; generating treatment paths to move the teeth in accordance with a specified pattern; and rendering a three-dimensional (3D) animated graphical representation of the teeth at positions corresponding to a selected data set to provide a visual display of the movement of the teeth along the treatment paths.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein the treatment paths are modified by one or more constraints.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth crowding.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth spacing.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth extraction.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth stripping.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth rotation.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 40 , wherein the teeth are rotated approximately five and ten degrees (per stage).
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein one of the constraints relates to teeth movement.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 42 , wherein the teeth are incrementally moved in one or more stages (per stage).
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 43 , wherein each tooth is moved approximately 0.2 mm to approximately 0.4 mm in each stage.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 35 , wherein the constraints are stored in an array.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 45 , wherein one dimension of the stage in the teeth movement.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 45 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies each stage in the teeth movement.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 45 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies a unique tooth.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 45 , wherein one dimension of the array identifies each stage in the teeth movement and one dimension of the array identifies a unique tooth.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 49 , further comprising specifying tooth movement by indicating a start stage and an end stage for a tooth.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 35 , further comprising generating a three-dimensional model for the teeth for each treatment stage.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein generating the treatment paths includes determining the minimum amount of transformation required to move each tooth from the initial position to the final position and creating each treatment path to require only the minimum amount of movement.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein generating the treatment path includes generating intermediate positions for at least one tooth between which the tooth undergoes translational movements of equal sizes.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein generating the treatment path includes generating intermediate positions for at least one tooth between which the tooth undergoes translational movements of unequal sizes.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising applying a set of rules to detect any collisions that will occur as the patient's teeth move along the treatment paths.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising receiving information indicating whether the patient's teeth are following the treatment paths and, if not, using the information to revise the treatment paths.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein generating treatment paths comprises generating more than one candidate treatment path for each tooth and providing a graphical display of each candidate treatment path to a human user for selection.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 34 , comprising providing a graphical interface, with components representing the control buttons on a video cassette recorder, which a human user can manipulate to control the animation.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising determining one or more tooth paths based on the selected tooth movement pattern.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 59 , wherein determining a tooth path comprises finding a collision free shortest path between an initial position and a final position for one or more teeth.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising selecting one or more clinical treatment prescriptions.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 61 , wherein the clinical treatment prescription includes at least one of the following: space closure, reproximation, dental expansion, flaring, distalization, and lower incisor extraction.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising dividing a path for one or more teeth into the series of stages.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising generating an appliance for each treatment stage.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 64 , wherein the appliance is either a removable appliance or a fixed appliance.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-08-04 | 2007-02-03 | 2007-08-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-08-04 | 2011-02-03 | 2011-08-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-08-04 | 2015-02-03 | 2015-08-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |