Patent ID: 8186998

Claim:
A holder for a blank for producing a dental fitted shell, said holder comprising: a connection geometry for connecting to the blank; a shaft for attaching to a chuck of a processing machine; and a survey geometry provided between said shaft and said connection geometry, said survey geometry being separate from said connection geometry, said survey geometry being at least one of connected to another part of said holder and integrally formed as part of said holder, said connection geometry being arranged at a predetermined and fixed orientation relative to said survey geometry before connection of said connection geometry to the blank and maintaining said predetermined and fixed orientation relative to said survey geometry when connected to the blank, and said connection geometry being shaped to engage the blank such that the translational and rotational positioning of the blank relative to the connection geometry once the blank is connected to said connection geometry is fixed and predetermined, and said survey geometry including a surface normal to a longitudinal axis of said holder and at least one planar, lateral surface parallel to said longitudinal axis, said normal and said at least one planar, lateral surfaces being arranged to enable precise surveying of said normal and said at least one planar, lateral surfaces in respective longitudinal and radial directions relative to said longitudinal axis when said blank is attached to said holder, said at least one planar, lateral surface being disposed on a beam that projects upwardly from said surface normal to said longitudinal axis of said holder, said at least one planar, lateral surface being at least one of connected to and integrally formed with said survey geometry for spacing said blank a predetermined distance from said survey geometry.