Method and apparatus for electronic delivery of electronic model images

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide a distributed computing system delivering and manipulating electronic model images to end users. One aspect of the present invention includes a method for providing electronic delivery of electronic model images. The method generates one or more electronic model images, a portion of the electronic model images being generated from scanned electronic data of a physical object, stores the electronic model images within computer readable memory of a server-based computing system, delivers the electronic model images to a remote client computer over a distributed communications network, manipulates the electronic model images upon the remote client computer, and performs analysis and a course of action using the manipulated electronic model images. The electronic model images comprise in part a polygonal mesh representation of the physical object.

1 . A method of manufacturing a dental appliance, the method comprising:
 a) generating a plurality of first electronic model images on a computer at a first location, the computer having a processor and memory configured to store instructions for generating the first electronic model images, the processor of the computer being configured to implement the instructions for generating, each of the first electronic model images representing a dentition of a patient, each of the patients being associated with an end user, each of the first electronic model images being generated based at least partially on scanned positional data of the dentition of the respective patient;   b) delivering the first electronic model images from the computer at the first location to a remote computer at a second location over a network, the second location being remote from the first location;   c) retrieving at a user computer at least a portion of the first electronic model images from the remote computer at the second location, the portion of the first electronic models representing dentitions of patients associated with the same end user, the user computer having a processor and memory configured to store instructions for manipulating the first electronic model images, the processor of the user computer being configured to implement the instructions stored in the memory of the user computer; and   d) manipulating the first electronic model images to create a plurality of second electronic model images on the user computer, each of the second electronic model images being generated based at least partially on the respective first electronic model image for use in a further operation.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 delivering at least one of the second electronic model images from the second location to the first location over the network; and
 displaying the second electronic model image at the first location. 
   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein generating the first electronic model images comprises obtaining polygonal mesh representations generated at the first location from scanned positional data. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising enabling manipulation of at least one of the second electronic model images on a computer at a third location. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein manipulation of the second electronic model image includes altering an orientation of the second electronic model image. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein manipulation of the second electronic model image includes determining numeric values associated with physical characteristics of the dentition represented by the second electronic model image. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein manipulation of the second electronic model image includes moving a first portion of the second electronic model image relative to a second portion of the second electronic model image to determine an interaction of the first and second portions. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the first electronic model images at the first location comprises generating the first electronic model images at a dental lab. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the first electronic model images comprises scanning physical models to obtain the scanned positional data from which the first electronic model images are generated. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the further operation comprises storing the second electronic model images at the second location. 
   
   
       11 . A method of manufacturing a dental appliance, the method comprising:
 a) generating on a first computer at a first location a first electronic model image of a dentition of a patient, the first electronic model image being generated at least partially based on scanned positional data, the first computer having a processor and memory storing instructions for generating electronic model images, the process or the first computer being configured to implement the instructions for generating;   b) delivering the first electronic model image over a network from the first computer to a remote computer, the remote computer having memory in which to store the first electronic model image;   c) retrieving at a user computer at a user location the first electronic model image from the remote computer, the user computer having a processor and memory configured to store instructions for manipulating electronic model images, the processor of the user computer being configured to implement the instructions for manipulating; and   d) manipulating the first electronic model image at the user computer to create a new model.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the user location is the first location. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first location is a dental lab. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the new model is an electronic model image.