US 11154384

Patent Overview — US11154384B2

Title: Multilayer dental appliances and related methods and systems

Patent number: US11154384B2 (application US17/214,487; also published as US20210212802A1)

Assignee/current assignee (as listed): Align Technology Inc; original assignee Align Technology Inc. The listing also records assignment entries involving Covestro LLC and Covestro Deutschland Aktiengesellschaft.

Key dates (as listed): Priority date 2012-05-14; filing date 2021-03-26; publication date 2021-10-26; anticipated expiration 2032-05-14. Legal status: Active.

Inventors (as listed): Chunhua Li; Yan Chen; Heinz Pudleiner; Klaus Meyer; Joerg Nickel; Craig Pehlert.

Classifications: A61C7/08 (mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch); B29C51/14 (thermoforming using multilayered preforms or sheets); and numerous B32B subclasses covering layered products of synthetic resins (polycarbonates, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyesters, acrylics, polyolefins, polyimides, polyethers, polysulphones/polysulfides, silicone rubber), including B32B7/022 (layered products characterised by mechanical properties).

Plain-language scope: The excerpt indicates a multilayer dental appliance — a mouthpiece-type device for positioning teeth — formed from multiple polymer layers, with the layers distinguished by measurable properties. The prior-art keywords listed are "polymer layer," "psi," "teeth," "dental," and "appliances," suggesting the disclosed layers are characterized at least in part by pressure/force values in psi. Related methods and systems are within the title's scope. Litigation and post-grant review entries are also noted in the source (e.g., a Texas Western District Court case and PTAB case IPR2025-00819, pending/instituted).

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US11154384](/patent/US11154384)/en

What this excerpt does not establish: It does not provide the claims, written description, layer counts, thicknesses, specific psi ranges, materials, or methods steps; it also does not establish the accuracy of the assignee, priority-date, or legal-status listings, their legal effect, or any conclusion regarding validity, infringement, or prior art.

(Note: this overview was prepared from the supplied excerpt only; no litigation, ownership, validity, or prior-art research was performed.)