Appl. No.: 16/043,065
`Reply to Final Office Action of October 30, 2020
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`Attorney Docket No.: 22773-826.303
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`Amendments to the Specification:
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`Please replace paragraph [0025] of the Specification with the following amended
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`paragraph:
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`[0025] Figure 2 shows a multilayer structure according to the present invention. As shown, a
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`multilayer sheet 20 can include a three layer structure: a hard polymer layer 24 and two soft
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`polymerlayers 22, 26. The hard polymerlayer can be disposed betweena first soft polymer layer
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`and a second soft polymer layer.
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`In some embodiments, the hard polymer layer can be thicker
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`than either of the soft polymer layers. The soft polymer layers can have the sameor different
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`thicknesses. For example, the hard polymer layer can range-frem-athickness-ofhave a thickness
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`in a range from about 400 um to about 1100 um, about 450 um to about 1000 um, about 500 um
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`to about 900 um, orabout 550 um to about 750 um. Thesoft polymerlayers can have a thickness
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`inarange from athickress-of about 25 um to about 100 um, about 30 um to about 90 um, or about
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`35 um to about 80 um. Multilayer sheets used for making appliances having a hard polymerlayer
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`disposed between two soft polymerlayers can range from a thickness of about 500 um to about
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`1200 um, about 550 um to about 1100 um, or about 600 um to about 1000 um.
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`In some
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`embodiments, the thicknesses of the various layers can be tailored for a particular stage of
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`treatmentfor the patient.
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`Support for amendments to Paragraph [0025] can be found in parent application US
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`13/470,681 (now U.S. Patent No. 9,655,691) in the application as originally filed at least at
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`paragraph [0024].
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`Please replace paragraph [0036] of the Specification with the following amended
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`paragraph:
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`[0036] Figures 5-8 provide example test results that compare various physical properties of the
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`multilayer sheet appliances of the present invention with other already existing aligner materials
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`(Material 1). Samples of varied thicknesses were tested. For example, multilayer sheets were
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`tested having a hard polymer layer with thicknesses ranging from about 580 um to about 715 um
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`thick.
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`In some examples, the hard layer was a co-polyester hard polymerlayer. The soft layers
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`tested ranged between about 50 um to about 100 um. In some examples, the hard polymerlayer
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`Appl. No.: 16/043,065
`Reply to Final Office Action of October 30, 2020
`
`Attorney Docket No.: 22773-826.303
`
`was disposed between thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer soft polymer layers. As shown in
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`Figures 5 and 6, one example of the multilayer sheet material (Material 2) showed improvedstress
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`relaxation properties as compared to another already existing material (Material 1) at room
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`temperature andata37 °C/90-100% relative humidity condition. In addition, Figure 7 shows
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`improved long-term unloading characteristics of the multilayer sheet Material 2 versus the already
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`existing Material 1_in a 37 °C/90-100% relative humidity condition. The multilayer sheet showed
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`less deflection under force loads. Figure 8 also shows improved long-term movementdata for the
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`multilayer sheet Material 2 versus Material 1_in a 37 °C/90-100% relative humidity condition.
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`Support for amendments to Paragraph [0036] can be found in parent application US
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`13/470,681 (now U.S. Patent No. 9,655,691) in the application as originally filed at least at
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`paragraph [0035].
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`Accordingly, no new matter has been added by way of these amendments to the
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`specification.
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`Page 3 of 17
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