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US 11,957,818 B2Granted
Breast shield unit
AssigneeMedela Holding AG
InventorsBeda Weber, Martin Thüring, Mario Rigert, Armin Felber
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMedela Holding AG
InventorsBeda Weber, Martin Thüring, Mario Rigert, Armin Felber
Estimating the term…
A breast shield unit of a breast pump for expressing human breastmilk includes a breast shield (1) to be placed onto a mother's breast, a breastmilk collection container (5) for receiving expressed breastmilk, an adapter (2) for connecting the breast shield (1) to the breastmilk collection container (5) and a valve head (4). A breastmilk channel extends from the breast shield (1) into the breastmilk collection container (5) through the adapter (2) and the valve head (4). The valve head (4) includes a valve (40) which closes and opens the breastmilk channel during the pumping action, wherein a fill level sensor (6) for measuring a fill level of the breastmilk collection container (5) is arranged in the valve head (4). The breast shield unit according to the invention facilitates a fill level measurement without a structural change of the breast shield and breastmilk collection container. Moreover, it facilitates data interchange with external information storage and/or information processing units.
A breast shield unit of a breast pump for expressing human breastmilk, the breast shield unit comprising a breast shield to be placed onto a mother's breast, a breastmilk collection container for receiving expressed breastmilk, an adapter for connecting the breast shield to the breastmilk collection container and a valve head, with a breastmilk channel extending from the breast shield into the breastmilk collection container through the adapter and the valve head, and the valve head comprising a valve, said valve closing and opening the breastmilk channel during a pumping action, wherein a fill level sensor for measuring a fill level of the breastmilk collection container is arranged in the valve head, wherein the fill level sensor is a distance sensor for measuring a distance from a surface of the expressed breastmilk situated in the breastmilk collection container, the distance sensor being a time-of-flight sensor, the distance sensor being situated on a longitudinal central axis of the breastmilk collection container.
A valve head of a breast shield unit of a breast pump for expressing human breastmilk, the breast shield unit comprising a breast shield to be placed onto a mother's breast, a breastmilk collection container for receiving expressed breastmilk, an adapter for connecting the breast shield to the breastmilk collection container and the valve head, with a breastmilk channel extending from the breast shield into the breastmilk collection container through the adapter and the valve head, wherein the valve head has a valve which closes and opens the breastmilk channel during a pumping action and wherein a fill level sensor for measuring a fill level of the breastmilk collection container is arranged in the valve head, wherein the fill level sensor is a distance sensor for measuring a distance from a surface of the expressed breastmilk situated in the breastmilk collection container, the distance sensor being a time-of-flight sensor, the distance sensor being situated on a longitudinal central axis of the breastmilk collection container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.