Blank with encoding and method of manufacturing a dental moulded component

Abstract

A blank for manufacturing molded dental components includes a blank body that includes tooth repairing material. A molded dental component is manufactured by removing portions of the tooth repairing material using a tool. The blank is encoded with at least one structure as a carrier of information regarding properties of the blank body. The at least one structure is arranged such that at least one of a position, dimensions, or a type of structure can be determined by sensing or measuring the blank. In this context, the position, the dimensions, or the type of the structure are embodied such that a value acquired during a determination of the above corresponds to information about a property of the blank body.

1 . A blank for producing dental shaped bodies, comprising:
 a corpus of tooth restoration material, from which a shaped body to be fabricated is carved by a tool adapted to remove the material;   a coding device that includes at least one structure acting as a carrier of information regarding characteristics of said blank corpus, said at least one structure being located on said blank such that a position, a size, or a nature of said at least one structure can be ascertained by scanning or measuring said blank, wherein a value of the position, the size, or the nature of said at least one structure is acquired by detecting analog information regarding a property of said blank corpus.   
     
     
         2 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said coding device is a geometrical structure, a dimension of said geometrical structure being defined by a mathematical function and representing at least one dimension of said blank corpus. 
     
     
         3 . The blank as defined in  claim 2 , wherein a further structure provides control information regarding a function of at least two dimensions of at least two structures. 
     
     
         4 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one structure includes at least one surface, and a deviation of a position, a size, or a nature of said surface from a specified reference surface represents analog information regarding said corpus. 
     
     
         5 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one structure is positioned around a longitudinal axis of said blank. 
     
     
         6 . The blank as defined in  claim 5 , wherein said at least one structure is independent of the longitudinal axis of said blank and is based on a manufacturing center axis. 
     
     
         7 . The blank as defined in  claim 6 , wherein at least one reference surface is provided for establishing a position of said manufacturing center axis. 
     
     
         8 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a reference structure with a reference position is provided for establishing the position of said at least one structure in relation to said reference position. 
     
     
         9 . The blank as defined in  claim 8 , wherein a degree of deviation of said reference position represents a known fraction of information regarding at least one geometrical dimension of said blank corpus. 
     
     
         10 . The blank as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said surface of said at least one structure oriented toward the longitudinal axis of said handle is located in a depression and is formed by a base of a groove. 
     
     
         11 . The blank as defined in  claim 3 , wherein a reference surface is provided on said blank for detection of an eccentricity of said at least two structures carrying information relative to a rotation axis of said blank in a machining device. 
     
     
         12 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a groove width and/or a groove length provide information concerning a property of said blank corpus. 
     
     
         13 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said blank includes a handle for said corpus, and wherein said at least one structure is located on said handle. 
     
     
         14 . The blank as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said at least one structure is shielded from said blank corpus. 
     
     
         15 . The blank as defined in  claim 13 , wherein between said handle and said corpus a partition plate is provided. 
     
     
         16 . The blank as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said at least one structure is provided on a part that has been injected-molded onto said corpus or onto said handle. 
     
     
         17 . The blank as defined  claim 13 , wherein said at least one structure is provided on a separately produced part disposed between said handle and said corpus, or on said handle. 
     
     
         18 . The blank as defined in  claim 3  wherein at least some of said at least two structures are located on said corpus. 
     
     
         19 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said blank includes a handle and a second corpus and that a structure is provided on said handle, said structure representing a position of at least one further structure located on said second corpus. 
     
     
         20 . The blank as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one structure is formed with a variable height, a variable width, a variable length, or a variable angular position in relation to a reference surface. 
     
     
         21 - 32 . (canceled)