US 11,992,382 B2
Virtual fillers for virtual models of dental arches
Israel Velazquez, Juarez (MX); Andrey Cherkas, Krasnoznamensk (RU); Stephan Albert Alexandre Dumothier, Houston, TX (US); Anatoliy Parpara, Moscow (RU); Alexey Geraskin, Moscow (RU); Yury Slynko, Moscow (RU); and Danila Chesnokov, Barnaul (RU)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/411,984.
Application 17/411,984 is a continuation of application No. 16/936,114, filed on Jul. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,129,694.
Application 16/936,114 is a continuation of application No. 16/151,164, filed on Oct. 3, 2018, granted, now 10,722,328, issued on Jul. 28, 2020.
Application 16/151,164 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/726,211, filed on Oct. 5, 2017, granted, now 11,033,359, issued on Jun. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2021/0378794 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. G06T 15/00 (2011.01); A61C 7/00 (2006.01); G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 17/20 (2006.01); G06T 19/00 (2011.01); G16H 50/50 (2018.01)
CPC A61C 7/002 (2013.01) [G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 17/20 (2013.01); G06T 17/205 (2013.01); G06T 19/00 (2013.01); A61C 2007/004 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30036 (2013.01); G06T 2210/36 (2013.01); G06T 2210/41 (2013.01); G06T 2210/56 (2013.01); G16H 50/50 (2018.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for generating a virtual filler for design of an orthodontic aligner, comprising:
inserting the virtual filler in a virtual model of a dental site between a first tooth and a second tooth in the virtual model, the inserted virtual filler having a predetermined three-dimensional shape irrespective of a user manipulation, wherein one or more of the first tooth or the second tooth represent a natural tooth of a patient;
transforming a plurality of points of the first tooth, the second tooth and the virtual filler into a voxel volume; and
determining, by a processing device, a geometry of an updated virtual filler by transforming a surface of the voxel volume into a polygonal mesh.