US2162076A - Breast pump device - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1939.

P. A. FRIMAND BREAST PUMP DEVICE Original Filed Nov. 21, 1932 9 f 5 5 5 5 i i 4 4 9 4 bnramrlrlrrlm d Peter A T'r-inamd, deceased, Efll'ifl hT'mMamd ad-m'lmsfrmrix a. 7720020 aw W UNITED STATES FTENT OFFICE BREAST PUMP DEVICE Peter A. Frimand, deceased, late of Wilmette, 111.,

This invention relates g by Emilie mette, Ill.

. Frimand, administratrix, Wil- Original application November 21, 1932, Serial No. 643,553, now Pate nt No. 2,060,063, dated November 10, 1936. Divided and this application November 9, 1936,

2 Claims.

enerally to breast pump devices, and more particularly to improvements in portable types of su in the home or h ospital. breast pump devices and oh devices for general use Conventional types of particularly those of the power operated type are complicated in design, bulky in construction, and are inconveniently heavy.

It is one of the primary objects of this present invention to overcome other the above mentioned and disadvantages by providing a breast pump device which is extremely simple in construction, is made up of relatively few parts, and is very efi'iciently operable.

Another and important object of this invention is to provide a breast appliance combined pumping device and wherein the pump is designed with particular reference to the breast appliance e cycle and sequence of operation, and a suction action of improved operating characteristics.

Another object is t tained sterilization of provide for the maine parts. More particularly the breast appliance is so coupled with the pumping unit as transfer of foreign matter from the breast appliance in us to positively prevent the e, and suitable provision is made for the periodic cleaning of all parts.

Still another object vide a breast attachm accommodate nipples of varying sizes and to this end it is receiving elements whi sociated with or insert ture of the breast atta Still more specificall plates the provision of in which a resilient di of this invention is to proent which is designed to and shapes,

proposed to provide nipple ch may be detachably ased within the main strucchment.

y, this invention contema device as set forth above,

aphragm detachably connectable with a companion chamber pump section is connected with utilized to produce the the breast appliance and pumping impulse therein,

the breast appliance also incorporating a restricted orifice to modify the pumping impulse.

The foregoing and numerous other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed description wh connection with the whereinen considered in accompanying drawing,

taken centrally of the in combination with a t pumping unit of Figure l ransverse central sectional Serial No. 109,856

View of the breast attachment detached from the pumping unit proper;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the breast attachment equipped with one of my improved nipple receiving inserts.

This application is a division of copending application Serial No. 643,553, filed November 21, 1932, and granted November 10, 1936 as Patent No. 2,060,063.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail wherein like numerals have been employed to designate similar parts throughout the various figures, it will be seen that my invention contemplates the provision of a breast pumping device which includes a suitable base l0 preferably supported by resilient or rubber feet l2. Secured to the base I 0 at one end thereof is a suitable power mechanism or electric motor I4, the drive shaft l6 of which terminates in a worm structure !8, Figure 1. This worm meshes with a companion worm wheel 20. A pair of crank arms 22 positioned on opposite sides of and driven from the worm wheel 20 are pivotally connected at their free extremities to arms 24 which, in plan, present a U-shaped construction, said arms being connected by a cross arm or section 26, Figure 3. The arms 24 and the cross element 26 formed integral therewith provide the connecting link between the power mechanism or motor l4 and a pump unit, which has been designated generally by the numeral 28. This pump unit 28 includes a section 30 formed with a pump chamber 32, said section or block being secured to the base I!) by s the pump block or section 30 is formed with three orifices or apertures 36, 38, and 40, which communicate at their inner extremities with the pump chamber 32. A needle valve 42 associated with the orifice 36 serves to control the degree of vacuum to which the chamber 32 is subjected, and this needle valve may be manually adjusted by rotating the knurled head 44. The orifice or passage 38 is positioned within a nipple 46 formed integral with the block 30 and is de signed to receive one end of a flexible coupling or tube 48, the opposite end of said tube connecting with a breast attachment designated generally by the numeral 50, later to be described. The orifice or passage 40 also terminates at its outer end within a nipple 52 which is threaded to receive a cap 54. Another orifice or aperture 55 positioned in the upper portion of the block 30 communicates with a suitable vacuum gauge 58.

with a flange 68. A clamping plate 16 is designed to be clamped against the flanges 68 through the agency of wing nuts 12, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3. It is preferred to have the flanges 68 of tapered cross section as indicated in Figure 2, and it is also preferred to have the plate 10 of a similar tapered or wedge-shaped cross section in order to effect a more positive sealing or clamping of the flange when the wing nuts are tightened; In order to remove the diaphragm 60, it is only necessary to loosenthe wing nuts and shift the plate 16 upwardly as a unit with the arms 24, thereby exposing the walls of the chamber 32, as well as the interior surface of the diaphragm. 'In this manner the parts may be very conveniently replaced or cleaned whenever occasion demands.

The breast attachment 50 includes a suitable bottle or receptacle 14, which is threaded at the neck thereof to receive a breast shield 5'5. Clamped between the neck of the bottle 14 and the shield 16 is a suitable sealing gasket 18. The shield'16 is preferably of non-breakable material,

. such as aluminum or other suitable material, and

. opening 82 through the orifice is formed with an aperture 86 which establishes communication between the bottle 14 and a flared opening 82. The wall surrounding the is suitably shaped and arranged to provide an effective breast shield, and the opening 80 is designed to receive the breast nipple. Extending laterally of the shield 16 is a nipple 84, the outer end of which is connected with the flexible hose or tube 48 through the agency of a tapered sleeve 86, a 'cap 88, and a gasket 9E5. Suitable filtering or absorbent material 9.2, such as cotton, is provided within the chamber of the nipple 84 and prevents foreign matter from passing into the bottle 14 from the pump 28. The chamber which contains the absorbent material 82 communicates. with the bottle through an orifice 94. In operation, power is supplied from the motor M, which causes the connecting arms 24 to experience.reciprocation. During the forward movement, namely, to the right, Figure 2, the arms 24 cause the diaphragm 66 to force air from the chamber 32, and upon the return stroke causes air to' be withdrawn from the bottle M 94, the nipple 34, the tube 48, and the nipple 46 into the chamber 32. These successive evacuations of the receptacle or bottle 14 produce the desired pulsating suction upon the nipple positioned within the aperture 8% The degree of vacuum created within the receptacle 14 during the movement of the diaphragm 60 to the left may be controlled by merely adjusting the needle valve 42. The gauge 58 indicates the degree of vacuum, and obviously the needle valve 42 may be set for the desired amount.

This adjustment feature is of the utmost importance in order to prevent the breast and nipple from being subjected to undue expansion during the interval of evacuation. It will be apparent that during. the forward stroke of the diaphragm 60, namely, to the right, Figure 2, the absorbent material 92 will prevent the passage of any foreign matter into the receptacle '14.

The outer margin of,

tubular section the element Obviously the absorbent material 92 must be sufficiently porous so as not to impair the suction action of the diaphragm when it moves to the left.

Attention is directed to the structure shown in Figure 4. In this figure there is shown a detachable or insertable nipple receiving element 9'5. This element 96 includes a sleeve-like or a flange 100. The central aperture I62 of' the element 96 is designed to receive the nipple of the breast, and the adjacent outer surface of flared or conical surface of the member 16 in providing an effective shield for the breast 98 formed at one extremity with 96 cooperates with the adjacent proper. The advantage of the insert or detachable element 96 is that it enables the breast attachment 50 to accommodate nipples of various sizes and shapes by merely selecting and employing the insert which is best suitable. It will be apparent that the conical surface of the shield 16 and the companion conical surface of the flange Hit) of the element 96 cooperate to form an effective seal for the receptacle 14 when in use. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the shield structure I6 not only serves as a V shield proper, but also functions as a bottle cap, and further provides a filter for preventing the passage of foreign matter into the receptacle 14. From this standpoint, my improved breast attachment presents a very practical device, and it should be apparent that its construction is so simple that it can bemade by practicing the most common machine shop methods. Furthermore, it presents many sanitary features. Its

very simplicity materially contributes to the ease with which the associated parts may be disconnected and cleansed.

Another practical feature of my disclosed apparatus resides in the arrangement of the nipples 46 and 52, as clearly shown in Figure 2. In this figure there is shown the flexible conduit or tube 48 connected with the nipple 46 and the cap 54 secured within the nipple 52. When it is desired to clean the chamber 32 and the associated area within the diaphragm 60, it is only necessary to remove the tube from the nipp1e 46, and then remove the cap 54 and screw it into the nipple 46. Then the removed extremity of the tube 48 may be placed upon the nipple 52, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2, and the other extremity of the tube'may be removed from the sleeve 86 and directed to any suitable drain. In this manner any condensate which may have collected at the lower portion of the diaphragm and block, will be forced out through the orifice 4i! and thence through the tube 48. If it is further desired to flush the chamber 32 and associated area of the diaphragm with a sterilizing solution, it is only necessary to place the free extremity of the tube within the solution and allow said solution to be drawn into the.

pump chamber during the movement of the diaphragm to the left, Figure 2., This may be repeated until the parts have been thoroughly cleansed. These sanitary features have a very practical significance, and the ease with which the cleaning or sterilizing may be accomplished presents a decided advancement over the familiar types of breast pump devices. 7

It will be noted that the receptacle or bottle E4 may be conveniently secured within one of two spring clips I04 and I06 secured to one side of the block 30. By having the two clips, provision is made for the retention of a second bottle for emergency use. In order to render the pumping device more readily portable, a. handle I08 is provided and which constitutes an inverted U-shaped strip, the free extremities of which are secured to the base In. This handle is positioned at approximately the center of gravity and enables the device to automatically assume a horizontal position when the user grips said handle.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that this invention contemplates the provision of a breast pumping device which is very practical in construction and efficient in operation. The parts which constitute the device are relatively few in number and are compactly arranged. In other Words, the device is of a self-contained, portable nature. It will also be noted that the diaphragm construction precludes the necessity of employing lubricants within the pump chamber, thereby enabling said device to be maintained in a sanitary condition.

The flexible diaphragm pump, adjustable by the needle valve 42, produces a moderate and very desirable quality of pulsation Within the breast appliance chamber 74, and the orifice 94 leading from the chamber to the pump further moderates and improves the quality of the pumping pulsations.

Obviously numerous changes and modifications may be made in the structural features herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, and said invention should be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A breast pump device including a pump, a breast appliance including a fluid receptacle, a breast shield providing a cap for said receptacle, means Within said s 'eld for establishing communication between the inside of said receptacle and said pump, means for connecting said shield with said pump, and a nipple receiving insert associated with said shield.

2. A breast pump device including a pump, a breast appliance including a fluid receptacle, a breast shield providing a cap for said receptacle, means within said shield for establishing communication between the inside of said receptacle and said pump, means for connecting said shield with said pump, a nipple receiving insert associated with said shield, and filter material within said shield for preventing the passage of foreign material from the pump into the fluid receptacle.

EMILIE L. FRIMAND, Administmtria: of the Estate of Peter A. Frimand,

Deceased.

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