Storage Device for Infant Feed
The present invention provides for pressure indication within the vacuum storage container, as well as a way to isolate mother's milk in a container from air. The present invention utilizes sub-atmospheric pressure to reduce, or at least slow down, the oxidation reactions in breastmilk in order to preserve vitamins, lipids, and other important compounds in the milk, and includes means to measure that sub-atmospheric pressure, so as to provide indications to the user that the correct container pressure has been obtained and maintained.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/158,058 filed Mar. 6, 2009, entitled “Improved Storage Device for Infant Feed,” the contents of which are fully incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to an improved storage device for infant feed, and most particularly to an improved storage device for the storage of expressed breastmilk.
BACKGROUNDIt is common for mothers who are away from their babies and cannot directly breastfeed their infants to express breastmilk and store it for feeding at a later time. Common means for storing breastmilk are to keep the breastmilk in a container at room temperature, typically for approximately four hours, or to store the breastmilk in a soft side cooler with an ice pack, typically for approximately twenty-four hours. Alternatively, breastmilk may be kept in the refrigerator for approximately five to seven days, stored in a conventional freezer for months, or in a deep freezer for even longer.
Most milk storage guidelines have been compiled from bacterial load research conducted to identify the time and temperature required to prevent bacterial growth in breastmilk. However, other components of breastmilk are affected by these same conditions. For example, an important nutritional quality of breastmilk lays in its n-6 and n-3 long-chain PUFA content. Fatty acids such as these, however, are prone to oxidation over time. The oxidation reactions that take place over time when breastmilk is in contact with the air destroy the vitamins, lipids, and other important compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is the goal of the present invention to help moms provide optimal conditions for milk storage. Specifically, this invention in one aspect utilizes sub-atmospheric pressure to reduce, or at least slow down, the oxidation reactions in breastmilk in order to preserve vitamins, lipids, and other important compounds in the milk, and includes means to measure that sub-atmospheric pressure, so as to provide indications to the user that the correct container pressure has been obtained and maintained.
Another aspect of the present invention provides for the injection of a layer of gas, such as argon or nitrogen gas, into the milk container. This layer would be in an amount so as to blanket the milk surface, serving to isolate the milk from the atmosphere and thus reduce any harmful oxidation reactions.
In an exemplary embodiment, a storage container for storing infant feed at a reduced pressure is provided that comprises a pressure indicator. The pressure indicator determines a pressure within the storage container and displays that pressure on the container. Thus, a user can easily observe the pressure value within the container. The container would be able to maintain the reduced pressure for at least a temporary timeframe.
In another embodiment, a storage container for infant feed is provided. The infant feed is stored at a sub-atmospheric pressure. The container comprises a member, wherein the member moves in response to an applied vacuum within the container, thus providing a visual indication of the pressure inside the container. The member may be biased to a first position when the container is at equilibrium with the atmosphere, and moveable against the bias in a predetermined manner when the container interior is subjected to a reduced pressure relative to the atmosphere.
These and other aspects, objects, and accomplishments of the present invention will be further understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of certain embodiments, taken in conjunction with the below
When a vacuum is created from a vacuum source, the pressure within the container is altered, and the pressure-indicator mechanism shows the user the current status of the pressure within container 100.
A vacuum is pulled within container 100 using a pip 140, within which is fixed a one-way valve 142. Pip 140 communicates with the container interior, and is designed for use with a vacuum pump that can attach directly to the pip, or through a tube. It is contemplated that a breast pump assembly used to extract the milk could readily be adapted to function as the vacuum pump, including a manually operated pump. Valve 142 may be a duckbill, umbrella, or the like, and is mounted within the pip, allowing air out but not in.
In an alternative embodiment, container 100 may simply have an injection location on one of the walls 110 comprising a one-way valve. Container 100 may also comprise a check valve and a cap, wherein the cap provides an additional seal over the check valve to prevent pressure leakage for long term storage. Container 100 may also comprise a cap to be placed on one-way valve 142 to seal valve 142 closed when the cap is on the valve. Container 100 may be made opaque to ultra-violet light.
Spring 230 is positioned within cavity 240. Plunger 220 is affixed to spring 230. Plunger 220 has a scale 222 comprising a series of number values that correspond to pressure values.
Seals 224 may be present on the sidewalls 226 of the base 219 of plunger 220, to ensure that air from the atmosphere does not leak into the portion of cavity 240 underneath plunger base 219, and ultimately preventing any leaked air from entering the storage container. This is shown as an o-ring type seal 224, seated in an appropriate circular channel of the plunger base 219. Spring 230 may be sized such that the edges of the spring are near the walls that define cavity 240. The bottom of spring 230 rests on the bottom wall 214 of housing 210.
In operation, spring 230 is at a rest position when the pressure within cavity 240 is equal to the pressure of the atmosphere outside of the storage container. At the rest position, plunger 220 extends through top opening 213 and scale 222 shows a value of “0” in-line with the top surface 217 of top wall 212 of housing 210. When a vacuum is applied to cavity 240 through bottom opening 215 from evacuation of the milk container 100, the plunger is pulled against the force of spring 230 toward bottom wall 214. In turn, a new value along sliding scale 222 registers the value of the new pressure within cavity 240. Spring 230 is configured to move a distance that corresponds to a certain pressure increase or decrease, resulting in an accurate reading on the scale 222. When the vacuum is released, spring 230 will naturally return to its rest position (of “0”).
Thus, a user examining dome 310 on a container can plainly see from examination of the shape of dome 310 whether the pressure within the container has been effectively decreased.
In an alternative configuration,
Bellows 530 comprises a top surface 532 and a bottom 534 and contains an elastic element 536 that is convoluted or accordion-like, that expands and contracts axially with changes in pressure. The elastic element 536 in bellows 530 may be made of plastic, brass, phosphor bronze, stainless steel, beryllium-copper, or another metal or material that is biocompatible and capable of returning to a first, or rest, position on its arm in this bellows configuration. Plunger 520 is affixed to the top surface 532 of bellows 530 and extends through top opening 515 as bellows 530 is extended. The bottom 534 of bellows 530 is retained within a slot formed by extensions 550 and bottom wall 514 of housing 510, which seals the bottom to the sidewall, and prevents ingress of air to the container through the mechanism.
Bellows 530 is configured such that it moves a certain distance in relation to a unit of pressure change. Thus when a vacuum is applied to cavity 513, bellows 530 contracts axially in correspondence with the change in pressure, and the affixed plunger 520 moves axially along with bellows 530. Plunger 520 has a scale 522 with number values spaced axially along the plunger. These number values correspond to pressure values. As plunger 520 moves axially in response to the pressure change, the number value corresponding to the pressure within cavity 513 will be displayed at the top surface of top wall 512. Thus, a user can easily see the pressure value within cavity 513.
Bellows 620 expands with an increasing applied vacuum on the interior of the container. A user can view how far bellows 620 has expanded, or thereafter contracted, through opening 613, using the indicator 621 as a marker along the scale 611 of pressure values listed on top wall 612.
In an alternative embodiment illustrated in
When a vacuum is applied, shown by arrow 960, diaphragm 940 descends axially. As diaphragm 940 descends, ramp 944, which is affixed to or integral with diaphragm 940, moves (downwardly as viewed normally in
Various exemplary embodiments and methods have been described above. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made to those examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Additional and/or different features may be present in some embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A storage container for infant feed, comprising:
- a container for holding infant feed, said container being capable of maintaining a reduced pressure at least for a temporary timeframe; and
- a pressure indicator that determines a pressure within the storage container and displays said pressure on said container.
2. The storage container of claim 2, wherein the infant feed is a liquid stored at a sub-atmospheric pressure.
3. An improved storage container for infant feed, the infant feed being stored at a sub-atmospheric pressure, wherein the improvement comprises:
- a pressure indicating member, said member being moveable in response to a pressure difference between an inside of the storage container and atmospheric pressure, and providing a visual indication of the pressure inside the container.
4. The storage container of claim 3, wherein said container comprises a valve and a cap, wherein said cap provides an additional seal over said valve to prevent pressure leakage for long term storage.
5. The storage container of claim 3, wherein said container is opaque to ultra-violet light.
6. A pressure indicator for use with a container for storing infant feed, wherein said pressure indicator comprises a member that is mounted on said container to move in response to an applied vacuum within said container, and thereby provides an indication viewable to a user of the pressure within the container.
7. The pressure indicator of claim 6, wherein said pressure indicator is present on a lid of said container.
8. The pressure indicator of claim 6, wherein said pressure indicator is on a wall of said container.
9. A method of preserving breastmilk in a container from oxidation by air, comprising injecting a layer of argon gas into the interior container in an amount sufficient to blanket the milk surface, and closing the container against air ingress to said container interior.
10. A storage container for breastmilk, comprising:
- a container having an interior for holding breastmilk therein, said container being capable of maintaining a reduced pressure for at least a temporary timeframe; and
- a pressure indicator mounted on said container that communicates with said container interior a pressure within the storage container, and displays an indication of that pressure in a manner viewable on said container.
11. The storage container of claim 10, wherein said pressure indicator is a moveable member mounted within a chamber, said chamber having one side open to atmosphere and another side communicating with said container interior, said member being biased to a first position when said container interior is at equilibrium with atmosphere, and moveable against said bias in a predetermined manner when said container interior is subjected to a reduced pressure relative to atmosphere.
12. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said moveable member has at least one marker thereon which registers with a scale to indicate relative pressure in said container interior.
13. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said moveable member has a scale thereon which registers with a marker to indicate relative pressure in said container interior.
14. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said chamber is formed within a removable cap which closes said container interior.
15. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said container has a port adapted for connection with a source of vacuum, said port having a one way valve therein closing said port against ingress of air when said container interior is at a reduced pressure.
16. The storage container of claim 10, wherein said pressure indicator is a resilient tube that is closed at one end and open at another end, said open end being in communication with said container interior, said tube collapsing upon itself to indicate a relative reduced pressure in said container interior.
17. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said moveable member is a bellows.
18. The storage container of claim 11, wherein said moveable member is a bellows that is closed at one end and open at another end, said open end being in communication with said container interior, said bellows collapsing axially upon itself to indicate a relative reduced pressure in said container interior, said bellows having at least one marker thereon which registers with a scale on said chamber to indicate relative pressure in said container interior.
19. A method for the storage of breastmilk, wherein the method comprises:
- providing a source of a non-oxidizing barrier from air gas in a delivery device;
- connecting said delivery device to a port in a container within which breastmilk is contained; and
- delivering a sufficient amount of said gas to said container to yield a non-oxidizing layer of said gas over the breastmilk.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 5, 2010
Publication Date: Sep 9, 2010
Applicant: MEDELA HOLDING AG (Baar)
Inventors: Kevin James Rachuk (Harvard, IL), Mark A. Luzbetak (Kildeer, IL)
Application Number: 12/718,734
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101);