Breast cover insert

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 7682334
  • Patent Number
    7,682,334
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, August 28, 2001
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 23, 2010
    15 years ago
Abstract
The invention relates to a breast cover insert comprising a truncated conical frame (1), which is provided as a double wall (1, 6) while forming a closed space (7), whereby at least the inner wall (6) can be elastically deformed, and the space (7) contains a preferably elastically deformable medium.
Description

The present invention relates to a breast cover insert for breast pumps, with a substantially truncated cone shaped frame with a large rear opening and a small front opening which is adapted to abut the areola of a female breast.


Breast cover inserts of the kind described above are known since several years and serve for a adjusting of the cover to different breast sizes and a improved stimulation of the output of the mothers milk.


It has been object of the present invention to further optimise the breast cover inserts by a special design or special structure of the insert and to render their application still more comfortable.


This object has been solved by a breast cover insert of the kind defined above in accordance with the invention by the features of the characterising portion of claim 1.


The effectiveness and the comfort of the application by the subject of the invention are still more substantially increased in comparison with the prior art.


Specific embodiments of the subject of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.


In the following, the invention will be explained somewhat more in detail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing.





There is shown in:



FIG. 1 a vertical section through a first embodiment of a insert in accordance with the invention;



FIG. 2 a variant, also in vertical section; and



FIG. 3 a further variant with a supplementary foil.






FIG. 1 of the drawing illustrates a truncated cone shaped breast cover insert with a frame 1 (of plastic material or elastomeric material) with a rear large opening 2 and a front small opening 3. A heightening (thickening) 4 is foreseen at the radially inner side of the small opening 3, which serves for the placing onto the areola of the female breast (for stimulation). A elastic inner wall 6 (e.g. PU—foil) extends between this heightening 4 and the edge 5 of the large opening 2 and forms together with the frame 1 a chamber 7 which contains a deformable medium (Gas, e.g. air; a thickened liquid; a gel; silicon). This measure adds substantially to the increase of the comfort during the application.



FIG. 2 illustrates a variant of the breast cover insert, with a in comparison with the embodiment according to FIG. 1 slightly different design of the frame 8. It consists of a truncated cone shaped hollow profile part of a elastic material, whereby also here the heightening 9 at the small opening 10 and the filling of the chamber 11 are present.



FIG. 3 illustrates a further variant of the breast cover insert 12 with a substantially same design as the embodiments according to FIG. 1 or 2, which includes in place of the heightening (4 or 9, resp.) foreseen at the small frame opening a elastic supplementary insert 13 (silicon foil), which also serves for the “centering” of the breast and the stimulation. This supplementary insert 13 allows a optimal positioning of the nipple and can prevent a undesired flowing down of milk after removing the cover (Catching the milk in the space between the insert frame 1, 8 and the supplementary foil 13.

Claims
  • 1. A breast cover insert for a breastpump, the breast cover comprising: a frame, the frame having a substantially truncated cone shape with a large rear opening and a small front opening which is adapted to abut the areola of a female breast; andthe frame having a frame wall;wherein the frame wall is designed as a double wall with an inner wall and an outer wall;the inner wall extending continuously from the small front opening to the large rear opening and curving around the large rear opening so as to form an annular lip having an annular channel that faces the outer wall, the lip adapted to attach to the breastpump;wherein at least the inner wall is elastically deformable;wherein the double wall forms a closed chamber;wherein the closed chamber is filled with a filling medium which is deformable; andwherein said insert is sized and shaped to be removably received by the breastpump so as to contact a female breast when so received.
  • 2. A breast cover insert according to claim 1, wherein the deformable medium of the chamber includes one or more of a gas, air, a thickened liquid, a gel or silicone.
  • 3. A breast cover insert according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a radially inwards projecting circumferential heightening is arranged at an inner side of the smaller front opening.
  • 4. A breast cover insert according to claim 3, wherein the heightening is designed as a deformable chamber.
  • 5. A breast cover insert according to claim 3, wherein the elastically deformable inner wall of the frame extends between an edge of the larger opening and an inner edge of the heightening at the smaller opening.
  • 6. A breast cover insert according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an elastic centering foil is located within the insert which is detachable or firmly connected to the frame.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
00118599 Aug 2000 EP regional
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind 371c Date
PCT/CH01/00523 8/28/2001 WO 00 7/14/2003
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO02/17993 3/7/2002 WO A
US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
146805 Cox Jan 1874 A
RE14024 Whitmarsh Nov 1915 E
4263912 Adams Apr 1981 A
4607596 Whittlestone et al. Aug 1986 A
4673388 Schlensog et al. Jun 1987 A
5050595 Krafft Sep 1991 A
5100406 Panchula Mar 1992 A
5149336 Clarke et al. Sep 1992 A
5776177 MacWhinnie et al. Jul 1998 A
5885246 Ford Mar 1999 A
5897580 Silver Apr 1999 A
6273868 Nordvik Aug 2001 B1
6358226 Ryan Mar 2002 B1
20030162479 Tonsor Aug 2003 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
38-28586 Dec 1963 JP
62-1634 Jan 1987 JP
WO 0010625 Mar 2000 WO
00 47068 Aug 2000 WO
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20040029486 A1 Feb 2004 US