Patent 6935858 was granted and assigned to 3M on August, 2005 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An orthodontic force module is made of an elastomeric material and includes one or more eyelet segments along with one or more connector segments coupled to the eyelet segments. The configuration of the eyelet segments and the connector segments is arranged so that a substantially constant cross-sectional area is provided throughout the working length of the force module. As a result, the resistance to elongation is substantially uniform throughout the working range of the force module and premature degradation and failure due to relatively high, concentrated stresses are avoided.