US 11,714,398 B2
Orthodontic appliances including at least partially un-erupted teeth and method of forming them
Christopher Eric Cramer, Durham, NC (US); and Jeeyoung Choi, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/454,224.
Application 17/454,224 is a continuation of application No. 16/837,864, filed on Apr. 1, 2020, granted, now 11,194,312.
Application 16/837,864 is a continuation of application No. 15/942,341, filed on Mar. 30, 2018, granted, now 10,613,515, issued on Apr. 7, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/480,243, filed on Mar. 31, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0137592 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); G05B 19/4099 (2006.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01); G06T 17/00 (2006.01); B29L 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4099 (2013.01) [B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); B29L 2031/7536 (2013.01); G05B 2219/33034 (2013.01); G05B 2219/35134 (2013.01); G05B 2219/45167 (2013.01); G05B 2219/49007 (2013.01); G06T 17/00 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-transitory computer-implemented method for forming an orthodontic appliance, the method comprising:
using one or more three-dimensional (3D) descriptors to estimate a 3D shape in a 3D space for an at least partially un-erupted tooth of a patient's teeth based on data representing a plurality of teeth corresponding to a tooth type of the at least partially un-erupted tooth;
using the 3D shape to determine cavity attributes of a cavity to accommodate the at least partially un-erupted tooth as the at least partially un-erupted tooth erupts; and
providing instructions to form the orthodontic appliance including the cavity for the at least partially un-erupted tooth, wherein the instructions specify the cavity attributes of the cavity.