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:
Jun. 05, 2012
Filed:
Feb. 04, 2004
Richard E. Raby, North St. Paul, MN (US);
Nicholas A. Stark, Cottage Grove, MN (US);
Richard E. Raby, North St. Paul, MN (US);
Nicholas A. Stark, Cottage Grove, MN (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, Saint Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
Techniques are described for providing an environment for modeling and depicting a three-dimensional (D) representation of a patient's dental arch to assist practitioners in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment. A system is described, for example, that includes modeling software executing on a computing device to provide a three-dimensional (D) environment. The modeling software includes a rendering engine that renders a digital representation of a dental arch within theD environment, and a user interface that displays a planar guide within theD environment as a visual aid to a practitioner in the placement of an orthodontic appliance relative to the dental arch. By interacting with the system, orthodontic practitioners are able to visualize theD representation of the dental arch, and precisely position 'virtual' orthodontic appliances relative to the modeled dental arch.