The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 2022
Filed:
Sep. 18, 2018
3m Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Ralf M. Paehl, Melle, DE;
David K. Cinader, Jr., Woodbury, MN (US);
James D. Hansen, White Bear Lake, MN (US);
Richard E. Raby, Lino Lakes, MN (US);
Michael K. Domroese, Woodbury, MN (US);
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth. The appliance body may include a unitary material defining a shell shaped to receive at least one tooth of the patient; a spring member integrally formed with the shell; and a positioning member integrally formed with the shell. The spring member may be configured to receive an attachment affixed to the at least one tooth. The spring member may be configured to apply a spring force to the attachment to cause movement of the at least one tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient. The positioning member may be configured to facilitate engagement of the spring member with the attachment in response to a positioning force being applied to the positioning member.