US 12,514,685 B2 · Orthodontic braces and feet orthotics with backscatter based sensors

Abstract

Inventions herein include at least mostly optically clear orthodontic braces and feet orthotics (collectively referred to as “appliances”) with backscatter based sensors. These two categories of appliances share a common property requiring that the given appliance must be correctly custom manufactured to fit a patient's own particular geometry and dimensions of their teeth and/or feet in order to perform as intended. Incorporating such appliances with backscatter based sensors enables simple, easy, fast, efficient, and cost effective measurements, in real-time or near real-time, of stresses, forces, structural changes, and/or the like in the given appliance; which in turn can aid in determining if adjustments or re-manufacture of the appliance may be needed or desired; and/or wherein such measurements may aid in evaluating performance of the given appliance. In some embodiments, such measurements may also be taken remotely away from a practitioner; and then communicated to a remotely located practitioner.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An orthotic for use within a shoe, the orthotic with one or more monitoring-sensor-tags, wherein the orthotic comprises:

the one or more monitoring-sensor-tags, wherein each monitoring-sensor-tag selected from the one or more monitoring-sensor-tags comprises:
at least one electric circuit comprising at least one sensor designated a tag-sensor;
and
at least one first antenna in communication with the at least one electric circuit;
wherein upon the at least one first antenna receiving electromagnetic radiation of a predetermined characteristic as an input, this input causes the at least one electric circuit to take one or more readings from the tag-sensor and to then transmit the one or more readings using the at least one first antenna;
and
two or more lattice-of-sensors wherein:
the two or more lattice-of-sensors are layered on top of each other in the orthotic;
and
each of the two or more layers of the lattice-of-sensors comprise at least one first sensor tag having a second antenna.

7 more elements

A system for monitoring orthotic performance, wherein the system comprises:

an orthotic configured for use within a shoe, the orthotic with one or more monitoring-sensor-tags, wherein the orthotic comprises:
the one or more monitoring-sensor-tags, wherein each monitoring-sensor-tag selected from the one or more monitoring-sensor-tags comprises:
at least one electric circuit comprising at least one sensor designated a tag-sensor;
and
at least one first antenna in communication with the at least one electric circuit;
wherein upon the at least one first antenna receiving electromagnetic radiation of a predetermined characteristic as an input, this input causes the at least one electric circuit to take one or more readings from the tag-sensor and to then transmit the one or more readings using the at least one first antenna;
and
two or more lattice-of-sensors wherein:
the two or more lattice-of-sensors are layered on top of each other in the orthotic;
and
each of the two or more layers of the lattice-of-sensors comprise at least one first sensor tag having a second antenna.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Orthodontic braces and feet orthotics with backscatter based sensors

Life of this patent

Orthodontic braces and feet orthotics with backscatter based sensors

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22