# US 12,178,761 B2 · Chair preset icon synchronization

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- Number: US 12,178,761 B2
- Document ID: US12178761B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/697,497
- Filed: 2022-03-17
- Published: 2023-09-21
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-03-17
- Assignees: A-dec, Inc.
- Applicants: A-dec, Inc.
- Inventors: Michael John Irving; Jason Joel Alvarez; Daryl Wayne Freier; Scott Andrew McClelland; Bradley Jamin Nelson; Brett Douglas Peterson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178761B2

## CPC

- A61G 15/02: Chairs with means to adjust position of patient; Controls therefor
- A61C 19/00: Dental auxiliary appliances (dental chairs or accessories therefor, working stands whether or not combined with chairs A61G15/00)
- G06F 3/04817: using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34)
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- A61G 2203/16: Touchpads
- A61G 2203/20: Displays or monitors
- G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
- G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
- A61G: TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS (appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk A61H3/00); OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES (embalming corpses A01N1/00)
- 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)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Systems and methods for synchronizing icons across interfaces for a dental chair are disclosed. In embodiments, a dental chair has a first interface and a second interface. Each interface includes a plurality of icons that graphically depict a stored position that can be actuated to command the chair to the stored position. The chair's position may be adjusted, and the adjusted position stored to one of the icons. Upon storage, the corresponding icon on both the first and second interfaces are updated to graphically depict the new stored position. Profiles that allow selection of different sets of stored positions may be provided. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An interface for an adjustable position dental chair, comprising:
a plurality of icons, each of the plurality of icons associated with a stored position of the dental chair, each of the plurality of icons graphically depicting the stored position; and
a plurality of buttons, each of the plurality of buttons associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of icons,
wherein:
a position of the dental chair can be adjusted using the interface to select a stored position of the dental chair or to adjust the dental chair to a new position separate from the stored positions; and
the stored position associated with each of the plurality of icons can be reprogrammed following adjusting the dental chair to the new position separate from the stored positions to store the adjusted dental chair position, with the graphical depiction of the reprogrammed icon updated to reflect the adjusted dental chair position.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, when one of the plurality of icons is updated to reflect the adjusted position, a corresponding icon of a second plurality of icons on a second interface is updated to reflect the adjusted position, wherein the interface is a first interface, the first interface and second interface are each connected to the dental chair, and the first interface is of a different type from the second interface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein the first interface causes the second interface to update the corresponding icon of the second plurality of icons by data communication through a dental chair control board.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of icons is displayed upon a touch screen, and each of the plurality of icons comprises its corresponding button.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of icons is separate from its corresponding button.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a graphical representation of the position of the dental chair that updates as the dental chair position is adjusted.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein the interface further comprises a selector to select a user profile from a plurality of stored user profiles, each of the profiles having a plurality of stored positions, and wherein selection of the user profile causes the plurality of icons to reflect the plurality of stored positions of the selected user profile.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The interface of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of buttons is configured to toggle, upon each actuation, between the stored position associated with the button's corresponding icon and a current position of the dental chair.

### Claim 9

A system, comprising:
a dental chair capable of being adjusted within a range of possible positions; and
a first interface for adjusting the dental chair within the range of possible positions, the first interface comprising:
a first plurality of icons, each of the first plurality of icons associated with a stored position within the range of possible positions, each of the first plurality of icons graphically depicting the stored position; and
a plurality of buttons, each of the plurality of buttons associated with a corresponding one of the first plurality of icons,
wherein:
a position of the dental chair can be adjusted using the first interface to select a stored position of the dental chair or to adjust the dental chair to a new position separate from the stored positions; and
the stored position associated with each of the first plurality of icons can be reprogrammed following adjusting the dental chair to the new position separate from the stored positions to store the adjusted dental chair position, with the graphical depiction of the reprogrammed icon updated to reflect the adjusted dental chair position.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, when one of the first plurality of icons is updated to reflect the adjusted position, a corresponding icon of a second plurality of icons on the second interface is updated to reflect the adjusted position, wherein the first interface is of a different type than the second interface, and wherein actuating one of the buttons causes the dental chair to move to the stored position associated with the button's corresponding icon.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the first interface is a touch screen interface, and each of the first plurality of icons also functions as its corresponding button of the plurality of buttons.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of buttons is a first plurality of buttons, and the second interface comprises a second plurality of buttons that are separate from the second plurality of icons, each of the second plurality of buttons associated with a corresponding one of the second plurality of icons.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein one of the first plurality of buttons and one of the second plurality of buttons are each configured to toggle, upon each actuation, between the stored position associated with each button's corresponding icon and a current position of the dental chair.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the interface further comprises a selector to select a user profile from a plurality of stored user profiles, each of the profiles having a plurality of stored positions, and wherein selection of the user profile causes the plurality of icons to reflect the plurality of stored positions of the selected user profile.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM) comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to:
display a first plurality of icons on a first interface, each of the first plurality of icons associated with a stored position of a dental chair, each of the first plurality of icons graphically depicting the stored position;
receive one or more commands from the first interface to adjust the position of the dental chair to select a stored position of the dental chair or to adjust the dental chair to a new position separate from the stored positions;
receive a command to store the adjusted position of the dental chair to reprogram a previously stored dental chair position;
update the graphical depiction on one of the first plurality of icons to reflect the adjusted position separate from the previously stored dental chair positions.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The CRM of claim 15, wherein the first interface further comprises a plurality of buttons, each of the plurality of buttons corresponding to one of the first plurality of icons, and wherein the instructions are to further cause, when one of the plurality of buttons is actuated, the position of the dental chair to be adjusted to match the graphical depiction of the icon corresponding to the actuated button.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The CRM of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is the first interface, and the instructions are to cause the apparatus to update a graphical depiction on one of a second plurality of icons located on a second interface by causing the apparatus to signal the second interface that the adjusted position of the dental chair has been stored.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The CRM of claim 17, wherein the apparatus signals the second interface through a control board connected to the dental chair, the first interface, and the second interface.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The CRM of claim 15, wherein the instructions are to further cause the apparatus to:
receive a selection of a user profile from a plurality of user profiles, each of the plurality of user profiles having a plurality of stored positions; and
cause the first plurality of icons to reflect the plurality of stored positions from the selected user profile.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The CRM of claim 15, wherein the instructions are to further cause the apparatus to cause one of the plurality of buttons to toggle, upon each actuation, between the stored position associated with the button's corresponding icon and a current position of the dental chair.