Granted Patent B2

US 12,734,613 · App. 18/409,763 · Granted Sep 15, 2026

Inventors: Javier Antonio García Ramírez (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Alan Gerardo Martinez Reyes (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Miriam Sarahi Esquivel Salas (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Ismael Núñez Garcia (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Rene David Alfaro (El Paso, TX); Shiva P. Sambu (Milpitas, CA); Luiyi Morales Vargas (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Fidel Castro Hernandez (Ciudad Juárez, MX); Mario Alfonso Rito Martinez (Ciudad Juárez, MX)

Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.

B23K26/362A61C7/08A61C2204/00

Abstract

Claims (37)

1 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying marking parameters and marking data, wherein the marking parameters are associated with performance of dental appliance etching, wherein the marking data comprises one or more segments to be etched onto a dental appliance, and wherein the marking parameters comprise one or more of power data, frequency data, pitch data, resolution data, or velocity data;

identifying a first segment of the one or more segments of the marking data to be etched onto the dental appliance;

causing, via dental appliance marking equipment based on the marking parameters, etching of the first segment on the dental appliance;

capturing image data associated with the etching of the first segment;

causing the marking parameters to be updated based on the image data to generate updated marking parameters; and

causing subsequent etching based on updated marking parameters.

2 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the dental appliance is formed by heating a sheet of plastic and thermoforming the sheet of plastic on a dental mold, the dental mold being formed based on a digital model of at least a portion of a dental arch of a patient.

3 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

capturing appliance image data associated with the dental appliance;

determining that the appliance image data matches a digital model of the dental appliance; and

identifying the marking data associated with the digital model.

4 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

determining dental appliance marking equipment position data associated with the etching of the dental appliance; and

causing, based on the dental appliance marking equipment position data, positioning of the dental appliance marking equipment, wherein the dental appliance marking equipment position data comprises one or more of x-position, y-position, z-position, x-rotational position, y-rotational position, or z-rotational position.

5 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the marking data comprises one or more characters, wherein the first segment being a first line or a first curve of the one or more characters.

6 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise determining marking size and marking area, wherein the causing of the etching of the first segment on the dental appliance is further based on the marking size and the marking area.

7 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the marking parameters further comprise focal data.

8 . A system comprising:

a memory;

a processing device coupled to the memory, the processing device to:

identify marking parameters and marking data, wherein the marking parameters are associated with performance of dental appliance etching, wherein the marking data comprises one or more segments to be etched onto a dental appliance, and wherein the marking parameters comprise one or more of power data, frequency data, pitch data, resolution data, or velocity data;

identify a first segment of the one or more segments of the marking data to be etched onto the dental appliance;

cause, via dental appliance marking equipment based on the marking parameters, etching of the first segment on the dental appliance;

capture image data associated with the etching of the first segment;

cause the marking parameters to be updated based on the image data to generate updated marking parameters; and

cause subsequent etching based on updated marking parameters.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the dental appliance is formed by heating a sheet of plastic and thermoforming the sheet of plastic on a dental mold, the dental mold being formed based on a digital model of at least a portion of a dental arch of a patient.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing device is further to:

capture appliance image data associated with the dental appliance;

determine that the appliance image data matches a digital model of the dental appliance; and

identify the marking data associated with the digital model.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing device is further to:

determine dental appliance marking equipment position data associated with the etching of the dental appliance; and

cause, based on the dental appliance marking equipment position data, positioning of the dental appliance marking equipment, wherein the dental appliance marking equipment position data comprises one or more of x-position, y-position, z-position, x-rotational position, y-rotational position, or z-rotational position.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the marking data comprises one or more characters, wherein the first segment being a first line or a first curve of the one or more characters.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing device is further to determine marking size and marking area, wherein the processing device is to cause the etching of the first segment on the dental appliance further based on the marking size and the marking area.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (95)