Breast cup
AssigneePlaytex Products, Inc.
InventorsCharles J. Renz, David Robson, Marco Wo, Christopher Kampf, Aidan Petrie, Michael Pereira
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A breast cup for use with a breast pump for expressing breast milk is provided. The breast cup sealingly separates the air flow from the breast milk, provides a barrier against impingement of the flexible insert by the user's breast and provides a massaging member for facilitating expression of the breast milk.
Claims62
A breast cup for the expression of breast milk from a breast having an areola region, using positive and negative pressures, the breast cup comprising:
- a housing;
- a flexible insert being sealingly secured to said housing to form an air volume and a liquid volume;
- and
- an air orifice in fluid communication with said air volume and in fluid isolation with said liquid volume, wherein said air volume and said liquid volume are in fluid isolation and said air volume expands or contracts in response to said positive or negative pressures.
A breast cup for the expression of breast milk from a breast having an areola region, using positive and negative pressures, the breast cup comprising:
- a housing having an air orifice;
- a flexible insert being sealingly secured to said housing to form an air volume and a liquid volume;
- a holder having a one-way valve, said holder being secured to said housing;
- and
- a container being secured to said holder, wherein said air orifice is in fluid communication with said air volume and in fluid isolation with said liquid volume, said air volume and said liquid volume being in fluid isolation, wherein said air volume expands or contracts in response to said positive or negative pressures to cause a positive or negative pressure in said liquid volume, and wherein said liquid volume is in fluid communication with said container through said one way-valve to permit flow into said container.
A breast cup for the expression of breast milk from a breast having an areola region, using pressure, the breast cup comprising:
- a housing having an air orifice;
- a flexible insert being sealingly secured to said housing to form an air volume and a liquid volume;
- a holder having a one-way valve, said holder being secured to said housing;
- and
- a container being secured to said holder, wherein said air orifice is in fluid communication with said air volume and in fluid isolation with said liquid volume, said air volume and said liquid volume being in fluid isolation, wherein said pressure is applied to said air volume causing said flexible insert to move with respect to said housing, and wherein said liquid volume is in fluid communication with said container.
A breast hood for expression of breast milk from a breast having an areola region, in response to a pressure from a pressure source, the breast hood comprising:
- a rigid structure;
- a flexible structure being sealingly secured to said rigid structure;
- a displacement volume being disposed between said rigid structure and said flexible structure;
- a liquid volume being defined by said rigid structure, said flexible structure or both, said liquid volume being in fluid isolation from said pressure source;
- and
- a channel being in fluid communication with said pressure source and said displacement volume, wherein said pressure source changes the pressure in said displacement volume.
The breast hood of claim 54, wherein said flexible structure comprises a bladder and said displacement volume is disposed at least partially in said bladder, and wherein said bladder moves in response to a change in pressure in said displacement volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.