# US 11,897,181 B2 · Dynamic thermoforming of dental appliances > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,181 B2 - Document ID: US11897181B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/835,839 - Filed: 2022-06-08 - Published: 2022-12-15 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-14 - Assignees: Align Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Align Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Luis Carlos Martínez González; Rowan Fernando Garcia Saucedo; Mario Alfonso Rito Martinez; Ismael Núñez García; René David Alfaro; Shiva P. Sambu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897181B2 ## CPC - B29C 51/46: Measuring, controlling or regulating - B29C 51/08: Deep drawing or matched-mould forming, i.e. using mechanical means only - B29C 51/18: Thermoforming apparatus - B29C 51/264: {Auxiliary operations prior to the thermoforming operation, e.g. cutting (B29C51/42, B29C51/46 take precedence)} - B29C 51/266: {Auxiliary operations after the thermoforming operation (B29C51/42, B29C51/44, B29C51/46 take precedence)} - B29C 51/268: {Cutting, rearranging and joining the cut parts} - B29C 51/422: {to produce a temperature differential (B29C51/426 takes precedence)} - A61C 7/08: Mouthpiece-type retainers {or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch (arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085)} - B29L 2031/7532: {Artificial members, protheses} - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00) - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES ## Abstract A method includes identifying first geometry of a first mold associated with a first dental arch and a second geometry of a second mold associated with a second dental arch. The method further includes determining, based on the first geometry and the second geometry that the first mold and the second mold are to be used for simultaneous forming of a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance on a plate in a dental appliance manufacturing system. The method further includes causing, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method commprising: identifying, based on image data from an imaging device, first geometry of a first mold associated with a first dental arch and a second geometry of a second mold associated with a second dental arch; determining, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, that the first mold and the second mold are to be used for simultaneous forming of a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance on a plate in a dental appliance manufacturing system; and causing, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises adjusting corresponding size of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the first mold matches a first digital model associated with the first dental arch and the second mold matches a second digital model associated with the second dental arch. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising: capturing one or more images of the first mold associated with the first dental arch; identifying, from at least one of the one or more images, a first identifier associated with the first dental arch; and retrieving, based on the first identifier, the first digital model corresponding to the first mold, wherein the determining that the first mold matches the first digital model is responsive to providing the one or more images and the first digital model to a trained machine learning model. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the identifying of the first identifier is via one or more of optical character recognition (OCR) or reading an asset tag. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first mold and the second mold are to be used for the simultaneous forming is to minimize plastic used during the simultaneous forming. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises causing one or more of width or length of a pallet to be adjusted, and wherein a sheet of plastic sized based on the first geometry and the second geometry is to be secured to the pallet to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises causing one or more of mask size, heating element position, or temperature of a heating section of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be adjusted. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a heating section of the dental appliance manufacturing system is configured to heat a sheet of plastic for the forming of the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance, and wherein the sheet of plastic is an oval shape. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises causing a heating section of the dental appliance manufacturing system to provide a first substantially thermally isolated zone to form the first dental appliance and to provide a second substantially thermally isolated zone to form the second dental appliance. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising determining positioning of the first mold and the second mold on the plate to minimize plastic used during the simultaneous forming. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising determining size of the plate based on the positioning of the first mold and the second mold, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises causing the plate to be configured or selected based on the size. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising selecting a sheet of plastic based on the positioning of the first mold and the second mold, wherein the first mold and the second mold are to be disposed on the plate and the sheet of plastic is to be disposed above the first mold and the second mold to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises causing a thermoforming chamber of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured based on the positioning of the first mold and the second mold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the positioning comprises x-direction positioning on the plate, y-direction positioning on the plate, and rotational positioning on the plate. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising: identifying, based on image data from an imaging device, first geometry of a first mold associated with a first dental arch and a second geometry of a second mold associated with a second dental arch; determining, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, that the first mold and the second mold are to be used for simultaneous forming of a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance on a plate in a dental appliance manufacturing system; and causing, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance, wherein the causing of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured comprises adjusting corresponding size of the one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system.