Tooth shade analyzer system and methods
US5961324A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 5, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J3/513
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An intraoral camera connects to a shade analyzer subsystem, e.g., a digital video processor, and a color display monitor. The camera captures a digital color image of the patient's tooth and the subsystem compares that image to a stored plurality of tooth shades. Each tooth shade is represented in a block of data, including color image data, a tooth shade digital word, and a manufacturer type. The patient's tooth image includes an RGB chromaticity representation that is scanned and compared with the several tooth shades stored in memory, and a match is determined and communicated to a user of the system. The methodology includes the specification of fractional tooth shades, if needed, corresponding to a plurality of porcelain films for manufacturing a reconstructed tooth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.