B&D Dental Corp. Announces Issuance of Comprehensive US Patent for Dental Zirconia

This new patent issuance increases B&D’s total patent portfolio to 12 issued patents, 8 of which are specifically related to dental zirconia and coloring.

Nov. 14, 2019 23:33 UTC

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- B&D Dental Corp. (“B&D”) announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent 10,463,457, covering a wide spectrum of dental zirconia-based products utilized by dental laboratories throughout the industry. This new patent issuance increases B&D’s total patent portfolio to 12 issued patents, 8 of which are specifically related to dental zirconia and coloring. B&D does substantial business and owns and enforces its patents.

“Since we began focusing on CAD/CAM technology, we recognized the importance of developing, and then protecting, our innovative biomaterials,” said Benjamin Jung, B&D’s President and CEO. “Our pioneering work with zirconia for the dental industry has focused on producing superior aesthetics while maintaining strong zirconia restorations. Our patents in this important growth market segment have priority dates that are well ahead of the curve regarding zirconia development. To have our ingenuity validated by the US Patent and Trademark Office through multiple patents in this field is a source of great pride and accomplishment for B&D, and should prove to be very beneficial to our customers, partners and investors. We have developed an effective patent enforcement strategy to ensure our customers, partners and investors are not taken advantage of, and that the general public receives the highest quality when using dental zirconia-based products.”

B&D’s patents cover the most commonly used zirconia material types in the market including white, shaded and multi-layered materials that are characterized as high translucent (5Y) blanks as well as high translucent / high strength (4Y or multi Y) blanks.

B&D’s patents cover zirconia produced by multiple production methods, including the most common method generally referred to as “pressing.” B&D manufactures its materials through proprietary methods that reduce the zirconia particles down to nano sizes and then utilize a colloidal processing technique that provides a homogeneous blank structure with an industry-leading combination of high translucency and high strength.

B&D Dental started in 2002 with the creation of the Artimax articulation system, which quickly became the best-selling tray type articulator in the US, based on key benefits and features innovated by B&D and supported by IP. In 2007, foreseeing a large shift in materials and manufacturing methods as CAD/CAM systems began penetrating the dental market, B&D laid the groundwork for IP-supported development and manufacturing of these innovative zirconia solutions. In 2013, SWK Holdings began working with B&D as its key lending partner. SWK Holdings is a publicly traded life science finance company. As disclosed in its SEC form 10-Q, at June 30, 2019 SWK had cash of approximately $27 million, shareholders’ equity of $223 million and a portfolio of dynamic life science companies, including B&D.

With the support of its key stakeholders, B&D will continue to develop cutting edge products and broaden its patent portfolio. B&D believes that infringement in the dental industry related to its patent infrastructure is pervasive. The continuing unauthorized infringement requires B&D to enforce its intellectual property to protect the substantial investments and innovation that it has made in this area. In the coming months, B&D expects to inform companies of their infringement. B&D is committed to working closely with these companies to develop an approach that brings these infringing companies in compliance with the patent infrastructure developed by B&D.

Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act:

With the exception of any historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein primarily contain forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described, including but not limited to, product acceptance, the ability to continually obtain increased orders of its products, the ability to meet installation goals, economic, competitive, governmental impacts, whether pending patents will be granted or are defendable, validity of intellectual property and patents, the ability to license patents, the ability to commercialize developmental products, as well as technological and/or other factors.

Contacts

Media Relations Team
support@bnddental.com
800-255-2839

Source: B&D Dental Corp.

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