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US 10,603,247 B2Granted
Custom-made artificial nipple
AssigneeDenslojac, LLC
InventorsMaura J. Lofaro, Shannon Roberts
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An artificial nipple is formed of an elastomeric polymer by use of 3D printing after imaging of a mother's breast in an active state of lactation. The artificial nipple used as an attachment to a baby bottle or as the nipple component of a pacifier. Use of an artificial nipple formed in this manner mitigates a problem with nipple confusion, as may otherwise manifest in newborn offspring.
Claims9
A process for making an elastomeric artificial nipple to be utilized as a substitute nipple for presentation to a child, the process comprising steps of:
- placing a nipple region of a breast using a physical stimulus into an active state of lactation made ready for the expression of milk to a child when nursing,
- the active state of lactation being characterized by morphological changes to the actual nipple that naturally occur due to the accumulation of milk in interior ducts proximate an areola associated with the actual nipple;
- imaging the nipple region of the breast in the active state and devoid of the physical stimulus to obtain 3D image data representing the nipple region;
- processing the 3D image data to provide a print data file;
- and
- accessing the 3D print image data to print an artificial nipple structure utilizing an elastomer based upon the print data file to provide an artificial nipple structure with a portion thereof reproducing the nipple region.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.