IP Library Granted Patent US 12,459,162
Granted Patent B2
US 12,459,162 · App. 18/624,981 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

Attachments for fabricated custom objects

Inventors: Gabor Lukacs (Raleigh, NC); Jack Shaw (Durham, NC); Alexey Kalinichenko (Cary, NC); Arthur George Butz (Durham, NC); Mehdi Mojdeh (Fremont, CA); Enrique Soltero Borrego (Ciudad Juárez, MX)
Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
B29C33/30A61C7/08A61C13/0027A61C13/34B29C33/3842B33Y80/00A61C7/002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,459,162
App. No.
18/624,981
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system includes a mold of a dental arch of a patient. The mold includes teeth extending from a first distal end of the dental arch to a second distal end of the dental arch. An orthodontic aligner is to be formed over the teeth of the mold. The teeth of the mold are shaped to correspond to tooth-receiving cavities of the orthodontic aligner. The system includes a pre-fabricated attachment that includes a traceability component configured to be used to determine one or more identifiers corresponding to the mold. The pre-fabricated attachment further includes a handling component configured to be secured by a robot or person to transport the mold and the pre-fabricated attachment during production of the orthodontic aligner.

Claims (38)

1 . A system comprising:

a mold of a dental arch of a patient, the mold comprising a plurality of teeth extending from a first distal end of the dental arch to a second distal end of the dental arch, wherein an orthodontic aligner is to be formed over the plurality of teeth of the mold, the plurality of teeth of the mold being shaped to correspond to a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities of the orthodontic aligner; and

a pre-fabricated attachment comprising:

a structure that extends from a first inner sidewall of the mold to a second inner sidewall of the mold;

a traceability component configured to be used to determine one or more identifiers corresponding to the mold; and

a handling component extending from the structure, wherein the handling component is configured to be secured by a robot or person to transport the mold and the pre-fabricated attachment during production of the orthodontic aligner.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mold is non-removably attached to the pre-fabricated attachment.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pre-fabricated attachment is integral to the mold.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first inner sidewall is a first lingual portion of the mold, and wherein the second inner sidewall is a second lingual portion of the mold, the structure comprising at least one of a beam or a bar.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the traceability component is an identifier engraved or formed through the structure.

6 . The system of claim 1 , and wherein the handling component is off-centered on the structure.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pre-fabricated attachment comprises:

a first attachment feature on a first distal end of the structure that attaches to a first mold feature of the mold at a first lingual side of the mold; and

a second attachment feature on a second distal end of the structure that attaches to a second mold feature of the mold at a second lingual side of the mold.

8 . A method comprising:

identifying a mold of a dental arch of a patient, the mold comprising a plurality of teeth extending from a first distal end of the dental arch to a second distal end of the dental arch, wherein an orthodontic aligner is to be formed over the plurality of teeth of the mold, the plurality of teeth of the mold being shaped to correspond to a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities of the orthodontic aligner;

causing a pre-fabricated attachment to be attached to the mold, the pre-fabricated attachment comprising a structure that extends from a first inner sidewall of the mold to a second inner sidewall of the mold;

associating a traceability component of the pre-fabricated attachment with a patient identifier (PID) of the patient and a treatment stage corresponding to the mold; and

causing a handling component extending from the structure of the pre-fabricated attachment to be secured by a robot or a person to transport the mold and the pre-fabricated attachment during production of the orthodontic aligner.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the causing of the pre-fabricated attachment to be attached to the mold comprises causing the pre-fabricated attachment to be non-removably attached to the mold.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first inner sidewall is a first lingual portion of the mold, and wherein the second inner sidewall is a second lingual portion of the mold, the structure comprising at least one of a beam or a bar.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the traceability component is an identifier engraved or formed through the structure.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the handling component is off-centered on the structure.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the pre-fabricated attachment comprises:

a first attachment feature on a first distal end of the structure that attaches to a first mold feature of the mold at a first lingual side of the mold; and

a second attachment feature on a second distal end of the structure that attaches to a second mold feature of the mold at a second lingual side of the mold.

14 . A pre-fabricated attachment for a mold, the pre-fabricated attachment comprising:

a structure that extends from a first inner sidewall of the mold to a second inner sidewall of the mold;

a traceability component configured to be used to determine one or more identifiers corresponding to the mold; and

a handling component extending from the structure, wherein the handling component is configured to be secured by a robot or person to move the mold and the pre-fabricated attachment during production of an orthodontic aligner.

15 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the pre-fabricated attachment is configured to non-removably attach to the mold.

16 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the first inner sidewall is a first lingual portion of the mold, and wherein the second inner sidewall is a second lingual portion of the mold.

17 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the structure comprises at least one of a beam or a bar.

18 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the traceability component is an identifier engraved or formed through the structure.

19 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the handling component is off-centered on the structure.

20 . The pre-fabricated attachment of claim 14 , wherein the pre-fabricated attachment comprises:

a first attachment feature on a first distal end of the structure that attaches to a first mold feature of the mold at a first lingual side of the mold; and

a second attachment feature on a second distal end of the structure that attaches to a second mold feature of the mold at a second lingual side of the mold.

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE INVENTORS LAST NAMES PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 68811 FRAME 535. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Oct 22, 2024
From: LUKACS, GABOR; SHAW, JACK; KALINICHENKO, ALEXEY; BUTZ, ARTHUR GEORGE; MOJDEH, MEHDI; SOLTERO BORREGO, ENRIQUE
To: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 069231/0623 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2024
From: LUKACS, GABOR; SHAW, JACK; KALINICHENKO, ALEXEY; BUTZ, ARTHUR GEORGE; MOJDEH, MEHDI; BORREGO, ENRIQUE SOLTERO
To: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 068811/0535 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17117880 · Dec 10, 2020
Provisional Application 62946776 · Dec 11, 2019
Related Publication 20240293960A1 · Sep 5, 2024
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