Intraoral scanner sleeve authentication and identification
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsAvi Kopelman, Michael Sabina, Nir Makmel, Adi Levin, Arad Zulti, Arthur Hsieh
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Abstract
Apparatuses, including sleeves, intraoral scanning systems to use these sleeves, and methods of using the sleeve, that authenticate the sleeve for use with an intraoral scanning system. Authentication may include verifying that the sleeve is new (unused) and/or verifying that the sleeve is appropriate and/or intended for use with the intraoral scanning system. Once authenticated, operation parameters of the intraoral scanning system can be automatically set based on information from a scanned identifier on the sleeve.
Claims20
A method of operating an intraoral scanner, the method comprising:
- scanning, using a wand of the intraoral scanner, an identifier associated with a sleeve configured to be worn on the wand of the intraoral scanner;
- verifying that the sleeve is authenticated for use with the intraoral scanner based on the identifier;
- and
- modifying operation of the intraoral scanner based on the identifier.
A method of operating an intraoral scanner, the method comprising:
- scanning, using a wand of the intraoral scanner, an identifier of a sleeve, wherein the identifier is located on the sleeve;
- verifying that the sleeve is authenticated for the intraoral scanner based on the identifier;
- and
- preventing the intraoral scanner from scanning a patient's dental arch until the verification confirms that the sleeve is authenticated.
A method of operating an intraoral scanner, the method comprising:
- scanning, using a wand of the intraoral scanner, an identifier on a sleeve, wherein the sleeve is configured to cover an exterior surface of the wand with the sleeve such that a window of the sleeve is in a field of view of the wand, the identifier including information associated with one or more characteristics of the sleeve;
- automatically setting a particular use mode of the intraoral scanner based on the scanned identifier information, wherein the particular use mode dictates one or more scanning parameters of the intraoral scanner and is one of a number of different use modes of the intraoral scanner;
- and
- scanning a patient's dentition with the sleeve-covered wand while the intraoral scanner is set in the particular use mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.