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:
Oct. 07, 2025
Filed:
Dec. 06, 2022
Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Chunhua Li, Cupertino, CA (US);
Jennifer Chen, San Francisco, CA (US);
John Morton, San Jose, CA (US);
Jon Moss, Antioch, CA (US);
Clark Kaufhardt, Danville, CA (US);
Heng Cao, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
Appliances for orthodontic treatment are provided. In some embodiments, an orthodontic appliance includes a shell having a plurality of teeth-receiving cavities shaped to reposition a patient's teeth from a first arrangement toward a second arrangement. The shell can have a first elasticity. The appliance can include an attachment-receiving well formed in the shell. The attachment-receiving well can be configured to engage an attachment coupled to a tooth of the patient. The appliance can further include at least one tactile object coupled to the attachment-receiving well. The at least one tactile object can include an elongate body that extends toward the attachment when the shell is worn on the patient's teeth. The at least one tactile object can have a second elasticity greater than the first elasticity.