Intraoral Scanning Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Concentrated at the top. the leading assignee alone accounts for 11 of 54 records, and the top 5 combined hold 74.1% of all records in scope.
- Filing peaked in 2023. activity reached 11 records that year, the highest of the tracked period, before the most recent partial year understates true volume.
- Claim space is uneven across functions. A61C dentistry classes cover 85.2% of records, while healthcare informatics (G16H) and pictorial communication (H04N) each sit under 14%.
Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 54 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the patent record shows about intraoral scanning
Intraoral scanning and digital impression patents describe the hardware and software that replace physical dental moulds: handheld scanners, the algorithms that stitch successive frames into a single arch model, and the workflows that move a scan from chairside capture to a lab or a manufacturing file. The 54 records in scope span optical capture, powder-free scanning, arch deviation correction and file interoperability between scanner and downstream CAD/CAM or aligner systems. Filing runs from 2015 through the current partial year, with activity concentrated in the years following broader clinical adoption of chairside digital workflows.
Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent year in any trend undercounts true filing activity; the 2023 peak of 11 records is likely a more reliable current-state marker than the years immediately after it.
Trend and technology composition
The filing curve and IPC composition below are drawn from the same 54-record dataset that underlies the rest of this page, so the shares and counts referenced elsewhere trace back to the same denominator.
A single peak year, then a partial-year tail
Filings rose from zero in 2017 to a peak of 11 records in 2023. No reliable growth rate can be computed from this series because fewer than four complete years remain once the publication lag is accounted for; the 2026 figure of 1 record is a partial year and should not be read as a decline.
Dentistry classes dominate, imaging and informatics trail
A61C (dentistry & oral hygiene) appears on 85.2% of the 54 records, confirming that most filings anchor their claims in dental-specific hardware or workflow rather than general imaging. A61B (diagnosis & surgery) reaches 46.3%, and G06T (image data processing) 27.8%, showing that image-processing claims are present but secondary to device and workflow claims. G16H (healthcare informatics) at 13.0% and H04N (pictorial communication) at 9.3% mark the thinnest-claimed functional layers in the dataset.
Shares are the percentage of the 54 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Intraoral Scanning and Digital Impressions with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about intraoral scanning and digital impressions and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative record and the most-cited prior art
Intraoral scanner system with a correction feedback signal (US20250072740A1)
The filing describes a handheld intraoral scanner that captures light reflected from a dental object inside the oral cavity, processes that information to generate a digital 3D model, and displays the model in real time through a graphical user interface. A distinguishing feature is the correction feedback signal shown live during capture, intended to guide the operator's scanning path as the model builds.Assignee: 3Shape A/S · Published 2025-03-06
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20150024337A1 | Voxel level new information updates using intelligent weighting | 72 |
| 2 | US20150024336A1 | Combining depth-maps from different acquisition methods | 32 |
| 3 | US20150022639A1 | Method of capturing three-dimensional (3D) information on a structure | 17 |
| 4 | WO2021087549A1 | Apparatus for facilitating acquisition of a scan and an intraoral scanning procedure | 15 |
| 5 | US20230011481A1 | Apparatus for facilitating acquisition of a scan and an intraoral scanning procedure | 13 |
| 6 | US9544577B2 | Method of capturing three-dimensional (3D) information on a structure | 8 |
| 7 | US20180344432A1 | Scan abutment for a dental implant having reduction of the fit clearance | 7 |
| 8 | US20180303584A1 | Scan abutment having an enlarged scan surface | 7 |
| 9 | WO2015006791A1 | Combining depth-maps from different acquisition methods | 7 |
| 10 | US20190125490A1 | Method of estimating and restoring abutment tooth form changed by scanning and program thereof | 6 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and favour older records; treat them as a signal of prior-art density, not of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing or freedom-to-operate decision
Three patterns in this dataset matter more than the raw counts: where filing has concentrated, which functional layer is least claimed, and how citation weight is distributed among the small number of highly-cited records.
Filing sits with a small group, not a long tail
With the leading assignee alone holding 11 of 54 records and the top 5 combined controlling 74.1% of the dataset, new entrants face a claim landscape already shaped by a small number of players. The top 10 combined figure of 98.1% leaves almost no filing activity outside the ranked leaders.
2023 is the most reliable current-state marker
Filing rose from zero in 2017 to a peak of 11 records in 2023. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the partial 2026 figure of 1 record should be read as incomplete rather than as a drop in activity.
Informatics and communication layers are thin
A61C dentistry claims cover 85.2% of records, but G16H healthcare informatics (13.0%) and H04N pictorial communication (9.3%) are comparatively light. That gap sits between capture hardware and downstream clinical software, a boundary many filings do not cross.
Influence concentrates in early voxel and depth-map filings
The most-cited records in this dataset address voxel-level updating and depth-map combination techniques dating to 2015, both cited well above the rest of the table. Their age means they anchor foundational capture and reconstruction methods rather than recent workflow features.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to intraoral scanning and digital impressions, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claim space, and where it opens up
The ranked leaders account for nearly all activity in this dataset, with the top 10 combined reaching 98.1% of the 54 records in scope. Recent-year momentum across several tracked assignees, including individually-named inventors and smaller filers, shows zero filings in the latest year, consistent with the broader partial-year pattern rather than a change in strategy.
A single filer sets the pace
The leading assignee's 11 records represent a fifth of the entire dataset on its own, giving it disproportionate influence over how capture, stitching and workflow claims are framed across the field.
A moderate mid-tier before the drop-off
Filing counts decline steadily from the leader to fifth place, then fall sharply; tenth place holds just 1 record, meaning most of the ranked field files only occasionally.
US and EPO dominate filing venues
The United States receives the largest share of filings at 23, followed by the EPO at 11; Germany, WIPO/PCT, Austria and Australia each receive single-digit counts, indicating that protection strategy in this field concentrates on two major markets before extending elsewhere.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Implant Solutions | 0 | — |
| Shofu Inc. | 0 | — |
| NULTY ADAM BRIAN | 0 | — |
| A TRON3D | 0 | — |
| ZINNER CHRISTIAN | 0 | — |
| THIERJUNG STEFAN | 0 | — |
| NOWAK CHRISTOPH | 0 | — |
| KOINIG HORST | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a concentrated leadership group, a thin informatics layer, and a small set of highly-cited foundational filings. Each of these opens a different practical question.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leaders
With 74.1% of records held by five assignees, any new capture or stitching claim should be checked against their filings first, not against the long tail.
Explore assignee filings in EurekaScope claims in the thinner functional layers
G16H and H04N sit well below A61C in claim density, suggesting narrower prior art to design around for informatics or video-pipeline features.
Run a white space search in EurekaTrace the foundational depth-map and voxel filings
The most-cited records date to 2015 and underlie much of the reconstruction pipeline used today; understanding their claim scope clarifies what later filings had to design around.
Review citation trees in EurekaCommon questions about intraoral scanning patents
In this 54-record dataset, filing is concentrated at the top: the leading assignee alone accounts for 11 records, and the top 5 assignees combined hold 74.1% of all records in scope. The top 10 combined reach 98.1%, leaving very little filing activity outside the ranked leaders. This concentration means a freedom-to-operate review should prioritise the top-ranked assignees rather than spreading effort evenly across all 15 companies in the ranking.
The bulk of filings sit in A61C, the dentistry and oral hygiene classification, which appears on 85.2% of the 54 records. A61B (diagnosis and surgery) and G06T (image data processing) follow at 46.3% and 27.8% respectively, while healthcare informatics and pictorial communication each cover well under 15% of records. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100%, and the low-coverage classes are where fewer competing claims currently exist.
Filing reached its highest tracked point in 2023 with 11 records, up from zero in 2017. The years after 2023, including the partial 2026 figure of just 1 record, are understated because patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. No reliable annual growth rate can be calculated from this series since fewer than four complete years remain once that lag is factored in.
This 3Shape filing, published 2025-03-06, describes a handheld intraoral scanner that captures light reflected from a dental object, processes it into a digital 3D model, and displays that model in real time through a graphical user interface with a live correction feedback signal guiding the operator's scan path. The abstract emphasises real-time display during capture rather than post-processing. Anyone building a competing chairside scanner with live guidance features should review its specific claim language on the feedback signal mechanism.
The classes with the lowest record coverage relative to the dentistry core are G16H healthcare informatics at 13.0% and H04N pictorial communication at 9.3% of the 54 records. This suggests thinner claim density around clinical data integration, streaming and remote-viewing features compared to the well-covered capture-hardware and imaging classes. Sub-areas such as chairside-to-lab file interoperability and stitching error correction also show comparatively light claim coverage in this dataset.
Research Intraoral Scanning and Digital Impressions in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole intraoral scanning and digital impressions corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.