PUMP APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR EXPRESSION OF HUMAN BREAST MILK
Improved devices, systems and methods for the expression of milk from a breast are disclosed herein. A device for expression of milk may comprise a peristaltic pump configured to move a fluid to or from a breast interface, so as to apply pressure at the breast interface and thereby express milk from the breast. The peristaltic pump can be removably coupled to a tube carrying the fluid, so as to maintain a separation between the peristaltic pump and the fluidly coupled components of the device. A device for expressing breast milk may further comprise an adjustable breast interface configured to engage and fluidly seal against the human breast. The adjustable breast interface may be manually or automatically adjustable to fluidly seal against a plurality of sizes or shapes of human breasts.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/021,601, filed Jul. 7, 2014 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-705.101] and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/028,219, filed Jul. 23, 2014 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-708.101], the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/221,113, filed on Mar. 20, 2014 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-703.201], U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/616,557, filed on Feb. 6, 2015 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-704.201], U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/021,597, filed on Jul. 7, 2014 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-706.101], and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/021,604, filed Jul. 7, 2014 [Attorney Docket No. 44936-707.101], the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to medical devices and methods, and more particularly relates to devices and methods for expression and collection of human breast milk.
The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are preferably directed at expression of breast milk, but one of skill in the art will appreciate that this is not intended to be limiting and that the devices, systems and methods disclosed herein may be used for other treatments requiring application of a differential pressure. The devices, systems and methods disclosed herein may be used for treatments requiring application of a differential pressure to a patient or work surface, with a device having an adjustable flange that can accommodate varying patient anatomy or varying work surfaces.
Breast pumps are commonly used to collect breast milk in order to allow mothers to continue breastfeeding while apart from their children. Currently, there are two primary types of breast pumps: manually-actuated devices, which are small, but inefficient and tiring to use; and electrically-powered devices, which are efficient, but large and bulky. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide improved breast pumps that are small and highly efficient for expression and collection of breast milk. Additionally, current and proposed pump systems may only actuate a single breast pump, and therefore it would be advantageous to provide a pump that can actuate two breast pumps simultaneously.
Further, currently existing or proposed breast pumps may only provide breast interfaces of limited, fixed sizes, which can result in users having to purchase and return multiple parts as well as contend with poor fit and inefficient pumping. Breast pump users comprise a population with a wide range of size and shape requirements, which may also change over the course of use of the breast pump due to the effects of sustained use of the pump or due to natural changes in user anatomies throughout the course of breastfeeding. Therefore, it would be desirable for a breast pump to provide a breast interface that is adjustable in size or shape. At least some of these objectives will be satisfied by the devices and methods disclosed below.
2. Description of the Background Art
The following US patents are related to expression and collection of human breast milk: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,673,036; 6,749,582; 6,840,918; 6,887,210; 7,875,000; 8,118,772; and 8,216,179. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0121593 also relates to expression and collection of breast milk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to medical devices, systems and methods, and more particularly relates to devices, systems and methods for expression and collection of human breast milk.
Disclosed herein are small and highly efficient apparatuses and methods of use for expression and collection of breast milk. An apparatus for expression of milk as described herein may comprise a hydraulic system, wherein movement of a fluid to or from a breast interface can apply pressure at the breast interface and thereby express milk from the breast engaged thereto. The apparatus may comprise a peristaltic pump that is removably coupled to a tube carrying the fluid, so as to move the fluid to or from the breast interface while maintaining a separation between the peristaltic pump and the fluidly coupled components of the apparatus.
Also disclosed herein are methods and apparatus for providing an adjustable breast interface to accommodate a range of size and shape requirements of the users. The adjustable breast interface may comprise an adjustable flange configured to engage and seal against the breast, wherein the adjustable flange may be adjusted in one or both of the frustoconical portion and the inner diameter of the tubular flange neck. Alternatively or in combination, the adjustable breast interface may comprise an adjustable expression area, whose size and/or shape may be adjusted by adjusting a volume of an expression reservoir of the breast interface. For example, the expression reservoir may be fluidly coupled to an adjustable reservoir and an actuatable assembly, wherein a volume of the adjustable reservoir may be manually or automatically adjusted to adjust the volume of the expression reservoir and hence the size of the expression area.
In a first aspect, a device for expression and collection of breast milk comprises a breast interface configured to engage a breast and fluidly seal thereagainst, the breast interface having a movable member disposed within at least a portion thereof. The device further comprises a tube filled with fluid and fluidly coupled with the breast interface, and a peristaltic pump coupled with the tube, wherein actuation of the peristaltic pump moves the fluid in a first direction or a second direction opposite the first direction. Movement of the fluid in the first direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the first direction and thereby causes the breast interface to apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom. Movement of the fluid in the second direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the second direction and thereby applies pressure at the breast interface. The peristaltic pump may be removably coupled with the tube.
The movable member of the breast interface may comprise one or more of a flexible membrane, a deformable portion of a sealing element coupled to a flexible membrane, or an expandable membrane, configured to move in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump. Movement of the movable member in the second direction may return the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel coupled to the breast interface. The device may further comprise a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and movement of the movable member in the second direction may apply positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of breast interface into the collection vessel.
The device may further comprise a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and the breast interface may comprises a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast. Actuation of the peristaltic pump may simultaneously cause the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast and the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into the collection vessel.
The tube may comprise a central compliant region configured to engage the peristaltic pump. The tube may further comprise a less compliant region that is less compliant relative to the central compliant region and disposed adjacent to the central compliant region. The central compliant region may compress in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump, while the less compliant region may transmit pressure along the tube to the breast interface.
In another aspect, a method for expressing milk from a breast comprises engaging and fluidly sealing a breast interface with the breast, actuating a peristaltic pump, and expressing milk from the breast. The peristaltic pump may be coupled with a tube filled with a fluid and fluidly coupled to the breast interface, such that actuation of the peristaltic pump can apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk from the breast.
Actuating a peristaltic pump may comprise actuating the peristaltic pump so as to move the fluid in a first direction or in a second direction opposite the first direction. Moving the fluid in the first direction may cause a movable member within the breast interface to move away from the breast and thereby apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom. Moving the fluid in the second direction may cause the movable member to move toward the breast and thereby cause the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface. Moving the fluid in the second direction may return the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into the collection vessel. Alternatively or in combination, moving the fluid in the second direction may apply a positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of the breast interface into the collection vessel.
The breast interface may comprise a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast. Actuating a peristaltic pump may comprise simultaneously moving the fluid away from the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast, and moving the fluid toward the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the second breast interface.
In another aspect, a device for expressing breast milk from a breast comprises a breast interface comprising a flange configured to engage and fluidly seal against the breast, and an expression area where milk is expressed from the breast. The breast interface is manually or automatically adjustable to fluidly seal against a plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts.
The flange may comprise one or more resilient materials conformable to the breast and adapted to fluidly seal against the plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts. The flange may further comprise a pocket fillable with a filling material, wherein addition of filling material to, or removal of the filling material from the pocket adjusts a size of the flange. The filling material may comprise a plurality of bead-like elements, wherein application of a vacuum to the pocket substantially locks the plurality of bead-like elements and the flange into a fixed configuration for fluidly sealing against a particular size or shape of human breast. Alternatively or in combination, the filling material may comprise a fluid. The breast interface may further comprise a fluid pump fluidly coupled to the pocket, the fluid pump configured to add or remove the fluid from the pocket.
The device may further comprise an actuatable assembly operatively coupled to the breast interface, an expression reservoir disposed within the breast interface, and an adjustable reservoir fluidly coupled to the expression reservoir and operatively coupled to the actuatable assembly. The actuatable assembly may be configured to deliver fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or remove fluid from the expression reservoir and return the fluid to the adjustable reservoir. The adjustable reservoir may comprise a mechanism to adjust a volume thereof, so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir and thereby adjust a size of the expression area to fluidly seal against a particular size or shape of breast.
The mechanism may be manually adjustable. Alternatively or in combination, the mechanism may be automatically adjustable, to adjust the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast. The feedback may comprise a current produced by the actuatable assembly as the volume of the adjustable reservoir is adjusted, wherein an increase in the current indicates an increased degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast. The adjustable reservoir may be integrated with the actuatable assembly, such that the volume of the adjustable reservoir may be adjusted by changing a setting of the actuatable assembly. For example, the actuatable assembly may comprise a piston assembly, and the adjustable reservoir may comprise a reservoir of the piston assembly, such that changing a resting position of the piston assembly adjusts the volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir.
In another aspect, a method for expressing breast milk from a breast comprises providing a device for expressing breast milk comprising an adjustable breast interface having a flange and an expression area. The method further comprises engaging the adjustable breast interface with the breast, adjusting a size of the adjustable breast interface, fluidly sealing the breast interface against the breast, and expressing milk from the breast.
Adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface may comprise adding a fluid to or removing the fluid from a pocket disposed within the flange. Alternatively or in combination, adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface may comprise providing a plurality of bead-like elements disposed in a pocket in the flange. The method may further comprise molding the plurality of bead-like elements against the human breast, applying a vacuum to the pocket, and locking the flange into a particular size or shape.
The breast interface may comprise an expression reservoir fluidly coupled with an actuatable assembly and an adjustable reservoir. Adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface may comprise actuating the actuatable assembly, thereby delivering a fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or removing the fluid from the expression reservoir and returning the fluid to the adjustable reservoir. The method may further comprise adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir, thereby adjusting a size of the expression area. Adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir may comprise manually adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir. Alternatively or in combination, adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir may comprise automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast. The adjustable reservoir may be integrated with the actuatable assembly, and automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir may comprise changing a setting of the actuatable assembly. For example, the actuatable assembly may comprise a piston assembly and the adjustable reservoir may comprise a reservoir of the piston assembly, wherein automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises changing a resting position of the piston assembly.
These and other embodiments are described in further detail in the following description related to the appended drawing figures.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCEAll publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
Specific embodiments of the disclosed devices and methods will now be described with reference to the drawings. Nothing in this detailed description is intended to imply that any particular component, feature, or step is essential to the invention. One of skill in the art will appreciate that various features or steps may be substituted or combined with one another.
The present invention will be described in relation to the expression and collection of breast milk. However, one of skill in the art will appreciate that this is not intended to be limiting, and the devices and methods disclosed herein may be used in other applications involving the creation and transmission of a pressure differential, such as in the treatment of sleep apnea, wound compression, and/or other remote pressure needs, and where it would be desirable to provide an adjustable flange that can fluidly seal against a variety of anatomical shapes and sizes or any other varying work surface.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of this exemplary embodiment can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described below. Similarly, components and features of other embodiments disclosed herein may be substituted or combined with one another.
Hydraulic Pumping DeviceHydraulic systems can reduce pumping force requirements, and therefore also reduce the size of the pumping device, while maintaining high pumping efficiency. In a preferred embodiment, the pumping device can utilize a hydraulic pumping device to generate a pressure differential against the breast for the expression and collection of milk.
Exemplary hydraulic pumping devices are depicted in
Actuatable assembly 205 displaces fluid 230 contained within tube 225, which can be a flexible line. Fluid 230 occupies reservoir 250 within breast interface 235 and is coupled with flexible membrane 245. Flexible membrane 245 transmits vacuum pressure from fluid 230 to the deformable portion 270 of sealing element 255. The flexible membrane 245 and deformable portion 270 are movable so as to move toward and away from the breast as the actuatable element 215 is actuated. When a breast is engaged into and fluidly sealed with breast interface 235 by sealing element 255, displacement of the actuatable element 215 in the outward direction away from the breast produces substantial vacuum pressure against the breast through flexible membrane 245 and deformable portion 270, resulting in the expression of breast milk into expression area 260. The expressed milk drains through drain port 265 into collection vessel 275. Drain port 265 is configured with a one-way valve 280 to provide passage of milk while maintaining vacuum pressure in expression area 260.
Actuatable assembly 205 displaces fluid 230 contained within tube 225, which can be a flexible line. Fluid 230 occupies expression reservoir 250 within breast interface 235a and is coupled with expandable membrane 245a. The expandable membrane 245a is movable so as to move toward and away from the breast as the actuatable element 215 is actuated. When a breast is engaged into and fluidly sealed with breast interface 235a by the flange 236, displacement of the actuatable element 215 in the outward direction away from the breast produces substantial vacuum pressure against the breast through expandable membrane 245a, resulting in the expression of breast milk into expression area 260. The expressed milk drains through drain port 265 into collection vessel 275. Drain port 265 is configured with a one-way valve 280 to provide passage of milk while maintaining vacuum pressure in expression area 260.
The fluid for the hydraulic pumping device can be any suitable fluid, such as an incompressible fluid. In many embodiments, the incompressible fluid can be water or oil. Alternatively, the fluid can be any suitable gas, such as air. Suitable incompressible fluids and gases for hydraulic systems are known to those of skill in the art.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the hydraulic pumping device can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Peristaltic PumpIn previous hydraulic pump embodiments, the hydraulic fluid in the pumping mechanism is often the same fluid used in the transmission lines and also in the breast interface. It can be advantageous to separate the fluids to prevent contamination, so that various components of the system may be more easily separated from one another, and also to avoid having to prime the pump or other components with fluid prior to use. An alternative embodiment of a pumping device that addresses some of these challenges uses a peristaltic pump device to move fluid to or from the breast interface device.
Many actuation mechanisms known to those of skill in the art can be utilized for the actuatable assembly 205. Actuatable assembly 205 can be a piston assembly, a pump such as a diaphragm pump, or any other suitable actuation mechanism. The optimal configuration for actuatable assembly 205 can depend on a number of factors, such as: vacuum requirements; size, power, and other needs of the pumping device 200; and the properties of the fluid 230, such as viscosity, biocompatibility, and fluid life requirements.
In preferred embodiments, the actuatable assembly includes a driving element powered by a suitable driving mechanism, such as a driving mechanism residing in pendant unit 115. Many driving mechanisms are known to those of skill in the art. For instance, the driving element, such as driving element 215, may be actuated electromechanically by a motor, or manually by a suitable user-operated interface, such as a lever. Various drive modalities known to those of skill in the art can be used. In particular, implementation of the exemplary hydraulic pumping devices as described herein enables the use of suitable drive modalities such as direct drive and solenoids, owing to the reduced force requirements of hydraulic systems.
Referring now to the exemplary embodiment of
The driving mechanism can be powered by any suitable power source, such as a local battery or an AC adaptor. The driving mechanism can be controlled by hardware, such as onboard electronics located within pendant unit 115.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the actuation mechanism can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Expandable MembraneIn many embodiments such as the embodiment depicted in
Suitable materials for the expandable membrane are known to those of skill in the art. In many embodiments, the expandable membrane can be made of a material designed to expand and contract when subject to pressures from the coupling fluid such as silicone, polyether block amides such as PEBAX, and polychloroprenes such as neoprene. Alternatively, the expandable membrane can be fabricated from a substantially rigid material, such as stainless steel, nitinol, high durometer polymer, or high durometer elastomer. In these embodiments, the rigid material would be designed with stress and/or strain distribution elements to enable the substantial deformation of the expandable membrane without surpassing the yield point of the material.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the expandable membrane can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Milk Collection and Quantification SystemWith reference to
In many instances, it can be desirable to track various data related to milk expression and collection, such as the amount of milk production or the chemical and nutritional content of the produced milk. Currently, the tracking of milk production is commonly accomplished by manual measurements and record-keeping. Exemplary embodiments of the device described herein may provide digital-based means to automatically measure and track milk production for improved convenience, efficiency, and accuracy.
In exemplary embodiments, the pendant unit 500 communicates with a mobile phone 510 to transmit milk expression data, such as expression volume, duration, and date. The mobile phone 510 includes a mobile application to collect and aggregate the expression data and display it in an interactive format. Preferably, the mobile application includes additional features that allow the user to overlay information such as lifestyle choices, diet, and strategies for increasing milk production, in order to facilitate the comparison of such information with milk production statistics. The mobile application can also include features that allow the user to control aspects of the pump, such as pump power and pump states (e.g., let-down and stimulate modes), adjust expression pressure and speed, and adjust the size of the breast interface 235a or others described herein, where the breast interface is automatically adjustable. The application may also have resources for breastfeeding moms, such as advice or connection to advice, social aspects such as peer comparisons, and an accessory store for acquiring accessories for the pump. Additionally, the pendant unit 500 can send information about the times of pump usage to the mobile phone 510 so that the mobile application can identify when pumping has occurred and set reminders at desired pumping times. Such reminders can help avoid missed pumping sessions, and thus reduce the incidence of associated complications such as mastitis.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the milk collection and quantification system can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Mechanical Pumping DeviceThe tensile element 610 can be any suitable device, such as a wire, coil, or rope, and can be made from any suitable material, such as metals, polymers, or elastomers. Axial load absorbing member 615 can be made from any suitable axially stiff materials, such as metals or polymers, and can be configured into any suitable axially stiff geometry, such as a tube or coil.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the mechanical pumping device can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Adjustable Breast InterfaceReferring to the exemplary embodiment of
The pocket 2205 can be accessed for filling with a filling material by various means, depending on the physical and chemical properties of the filling material. As shown in
The actuation of the actuatable assembly 2410 delivers the fluid 2435 from the adjustable reservoir 2405 through the tube 2415 to the expression reservoir 2440, and returns the fluid 2435 from the expression reservoir through the tube to the adjustable reservoir. The change in the volume of fluid in the expression reservoir causes the expandable membrane 2425 to expand or collapse, thereby adjusting the size of the expression area 2402. The volume of fluid 2435 in the adjustable reservoir can be adjusted so as to adjust the volume of the fluid in the expression reservoir. When the volume of fluid in the expression reservoir decreases, the expandable membrane 2425 expands and moves closer to the interface housing 2421, thereby increasing the size of the expression area 2402.
The volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir 2405 may be adjusted manually by various means. For example, the adjustable reservoir 2405 may comprise threaded walls 2406 and a threadably engaged plug 2407, such that turning the plug increases or decreases the volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir.
The volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir 2405 may also be adjusted automatically, whereby the device 2400 comprises a closed-loop system that is capable of sensing the engagement of the breast interface with the breast and accordingly adjusting the volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir to adjust the size of the expression area 2402.
One of skill in the art will appreciate that components and features of any of the exemplary embodiments of the adjustable breast interface can be combined or substituted with components and features of any of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein.
Experimental DataWhile preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
Claims
1. A device for expression and collection of breast milk, said device comprising:
- a breast interface configured to engage a breast and fluidly seal thereagainst, the breast interface having a movable member disposed within at least a portion thereof;
- a tube filled with fluid and fluidly coupled with the breast interface; and
- a peristaltic pump coupled with the tube, wherein actuation of the peristaltic pump moves the fluid in a first direction or a second direction opposite the first direction, and
- wherein movement of the fluid in the first direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the first direction and thereby causes the breast interface to apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom, and
- wherein movement of the fluid in the second direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the second direction and thereby applies pressure at the breast interface.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the peristaltic pump is removably coupled with the tube.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the movable member of the breast interface comprises one or more of a flexible membrane, a deformable portion of a sealing element coupled to a flexible membrane, or an expandable membrane, configured to move in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein movement of the movable member in the second direction returns the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel coupled to the breast interface.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and wherein movement of the movable member in the second direction applies positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of breast interface into the collection vessel.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and wherein the breast interface comprises a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast, and wherein actuation of the peristaltic pump simultaneously causes the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast and the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into the collection vessel.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the tube comprises a central compliant region configured to engage the peristaltic pump and a less compliant region that is less compliant relative to the central compliant region disposed adjacent to the central compliant region, such that the central compliant region compresses in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump, while the less compliant region transmits pressure along the tube to the breast interface.
8. A method for expressing milk from a breast, said method comprising:
- engaging and fluidly sealing a breast interface with the breast;
- actuating a peristaltic pump coupled with a tube filled with a fluid and fluidly coupled to the breast interface, thereby applying vacuum pressure at the breast; and
- expressing milk from the breast.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein actuating a peristaltic pump comprises actuating the peristaltic pump so as to move the fluid in a first direction or in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein moving the fluid in the first direction causes a movable member within the breast interface to move away from the breast and thereby apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom, and wherein moving the fluid in the second direction causes the movable member to move toward the breast and thereby causing the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the fluid in the second direction returns the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into the collection vessel.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the fluid in the second direction applies a positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of the breast interface into the collection vessel.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the breast interface comprises a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast, and wherein actuating a peristaltic pump comprises simultaneously moving the fluid away from the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast, and moving the fluid toward the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the second breast interface.
13. A device for expressing breast milk from a breast, said device comprising:
- a breast interface comprising a flange configured to engage and fluidly seal against the breast, and an expression area where milk is expressed from the breast;
- wherein the breast interface is manually or automatically adjustable to fluidly seal against a plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the flange comprises one or more resilient materials conformable to the breast and adapted to fluidly seal against the plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts.
15. The device of claim 13, wherein the flange comprises a pocket fillable with a filling material, and wherein addition of filling material to, or removal of the filling material from the pocket adjusts a size of the flange.
16. The device of claim 15, wherein the filling material comprises a plurality of bead-like elements, and wherein application of a vacuum to the pocket substantially locks the plurality of bead-like elements and the flange into a fixed configuration for fluidly sealing against a particular size or shape of human breast.
17. The device of claim 15, wherein the filling material comprises a fluid.
18. The device of claim 17, wherein the breast interface further comprises a fluid pump fluidly coupled to the pocket, the fluid pump configured to add or remove the fluid from the pocket.
19. The device of claim 13, wherein the device further comprises
- an actuatable assembly operatively coupled to the breast interface;
- an expression reservoir disposed within the breast interface; and
- an adjustable reservoir fluidly coupled to the expression reservoir and operatively coupled to the actuatable assembly;
- wherein the actuatable assembly is configured to deliver fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or remove fluid from the expression reservoir and return the fluid to the adjustable reservoir, and
- wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a mechanism to adjust a volume thereof, so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir and thereby adjust a size of the expression area to fluidly seal against a particular size or shape of breast.
20. The device of claim 19, wherein the mechanism is manually adjustable.
21. The device of claim 19, wherein the mechanism is automatically adjustable to adjust the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
22. The device of claim 21, wherein the feedback comprises a current produced by the actuatable assembly as the volume of the adjustable reservoir is adjusted, wherein an increase in the current indicates an increased degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
23. The device of claim 21, wherein the adjustable reservoir is integrated with the actuatable assembly, such that the volume of the adjustable reservoir may be adjusted by changing a setting of the actuatable assembly.
24. The device of claim 23, wherein the actuatable assembly comprises a piston assembly and wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a reservoir of the piston assembly, such that changing a resting position of the piston assembly adjusts the volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir.
25. A method for expressing breast milk from a breast, said method comprising:
- providing a device for expressing breast milk comprising an adjustable breast interface having a flange and an expression area;
- engaging the adjustable breast interface with the breast;
- adjusting a size of the adjustable breast interface;
- fluidly sealing the breast interface against the breast; and
- expressing milk from the breast.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises adding a fluid to or removing the fluid from a pocket disposed within the flange.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises:
- providing a plurality of bead-like elements disposed in a pocket in the flange;
- molding the plurality of bead-like elements against the human breast;
- applying a vacuum to the pocket; and
- locking the flange into a particular size or shape.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein the breast interface comprises an expression reservoir fluidly coupled with an actuatable assembly and an adjustable reservoir, and wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises:
- actuating the actuatable assembly, thereby delivering a fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or removing the fluid from the expression reservoir and returning the fluid to the adjustable reservoir; and
- adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir, thereby adjusting a size of the expression area.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises manually adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the adjustable reservoir is integrated with the actuatable assembly, and wherein automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises changing a setting of the actuatable assembly.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the actuatable assembly comprises a piston assembly and wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a reservoir of the piston assembly, and wherein automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises changing a resting position of the piston assembly.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 7, 2015
Publication Date: Jan 7, 2016
Inventors: Jeffery B. Alvarez (Redwood City, CA), Janica B. Alvarez (Redwood City, CA)
Application Number: 14/793,606