System for a portable hands-free breast pump and method of using the same

A breast pump comprising:

• a housing carrying a self-contained pump mechanism;
• a breast interface flange supported by the housing;
• an outlet for expelling breast milk received from a breast interfaced with the flange;
• the housing and flange being sized and configured to be supported between an adult human breast and a breast cup of a bra while the breast pump is actively pumping milk from the breast and expelling the milk through the outlet;
• and
• a one-way valve operative for allowing milk to pass through the outlet when the flange is compressed by the pump mechanism to create positive pressure within the flange and sealing the flange to allow a reversal of the compression of the flange to create negative pressure within the flange to create a milking action for causing milk to be expressed by the breast.

A breast pump, comprising:

• a mechanical actuator;
• a breast interface flange configured to form a vacuum chamber between the flange and a human breast comprising a flange top positioned away from the breast when the breast is in operable contact with the flange;
• an outlet through the vacuum chamber;
• a one-way valve coupled to the outlet operable for allowing milk to pass through the outlet when a compression force is applied to the flange top to create positive pressure within the vacuum chamber, and further operable for sealing the flange to allow the flange to create negative pressure within the vacuum chamber when the compression force is removed from the flange top;
• wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a bellows structure to facilitate a reduction of the interior volume of the vacuum chamber when the compression force is applied to the flange top;
• and
• the bellows structure further configured to facilitate an expansion of the interior volume of the vacuum chamber to create a negative pressure causing a milking action for expressing milk from the breast.