US1670610A - Breast pump - Google Patents

Description

May 22, 1928.

W. COLBY BREAST PUMP Filed Nov. 5, 1926 Patented May 22, 1928.

unrr woonann corn or srrauL, MINNESOT tear runes/r rump.

Application fiieaitovembr s, 1926. Serial no 145,968.-

. is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to cleanse and highly eiiicient in operation.

Heretofore, breast pumps have been provided with means forv creating a continuous suction and for periodically interruptingthe suction but as far as I am aware all of such devices are so constructed that upon the relief or cessation of the suction, a substantial volume of air isadmitted to the apparatus and this relatively large volume of air must be withdrawn before thev suction can again be established in the bell mouth or milk receiving element. Obviously, the rateof withdrawal of the milk is dependent upon frequency of the suction impulses. Thus, the old type of apparatus isslow in operation unless the means for withdrawing the air is adapted to operate very rapidly. Rapid withdrawal of the air is apt to createexcessive suction to the dis comfort or injury ofthe patient and further requires relatively expensive suction appa ratus.

In the present invention, 1 provide means whereby only a smallamount of'air is necessarily admitted tointerrupt the suction,

and the pulsations are created directly in the bell mouth tube without materially intere rupting the vacuum in the milk receptacle or suction tube. V

The invention will be best'understood by reference to the accompanying drawingin which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved breast pump in its preferred form; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the pump and Fig. 3 is a central, vertical section through an alternateform ofimouth and throat piece. p g

The pump has a receptacle or bottle a into which the milk is drawn by a. partial vacuum maintained therein. A. conduit for withdrawing air from the receptacle consists of a rigid pipe 5, extending through a perforated stopper 6 in the top of the receptacle l tube 5 with a suitable suction element;

and. connected by a flexible As illustrated in 1, this suction element. 1

isindicated by the numeral 8 and consists of a valved pipe projecting from the wall. Such suctionelements may be provided in hospitals or other buildings. in the several rooms where the pumps areneeded, a common pump of any suitable design being rovided for all of the wall openings. I ny means. for producing a suction-"may,-.of course, be substituted for the element 8. Such means might consist of the ater 0perated device of the kind shown inmy co-I pending. application for patent, Serial No. 49,107, filed August 8, 1925, for breast pumps or in a portablemotor driven pump.

The'stopper 6 is also perforated to receive,

the throat tube 9 of a mouthpiece 10, adapt1- ed to-cap the nipple and adjacent portion of the breast in the usual manner. Cominunicating with the' small end of the mouth piece 10. in the preferred construction, isfa small tube 11 having its open end 12, .adja cent to the outer or flaring periphery of said mouthpiece. I v in Fig. 1, the breast13, which isinserted in Asindicated .in dotted. lines a the bell mouth 10, normally coversthe open end 12 of the tube 11, but may bereadily depressed or indented to uncovertheend of said tube when is desiredto. interrupt the vacuum in the throatconnected to the mouth piece. a At the normally lower'end of the throat 9,1- restrict said throat by m eans ofa removable stopper 14;.having a small'opening'15 through it for the withdrawal of the milk from the throat, .This stopper 14 is preferably constructed from rubber and may be readily removed,v toprinit cleansing-of the throat 9. ..It willbenotedthatthe throat 9'is straight to the junction ofthe tube 11 and saidtube also? extends in a. straight line from its outer end-12, forming an anglewith the throat 9. This arrangement facilitates the insertion of a swab or brush for cleaning the device.

In the alternate form of mydeviceshown in 3, I omit the tube 11 and extend the neck 9 upward above the small end ofthe month piece 10. An opening 16 in the upper end of. the projection is. provided to interrupt the suction and maybe coveredwith the finger of the operatorto.produce the'de-' sired pulsations. l I p j The operation of my device will now be readily understood. When the tube '7 is connected'toa suitable suction pum'pand the bell meuthit) is applied. ts treat, a p r with the present invention.

I ing at least a partial vacuum in sai tial vacuum will be created in the receptacle 4 and in the throat tube 9 communicating with the bell shaped mouth near the nipple. With the preferred formof my device, the

suction thus produced may be readily interrupted by indenting the breast 13 adjacent to the opening 12 in the tube '11 without withdrawing the nipple. At each opening of said tube, a small amount of air is admita seal which prevents thepassage of the air from said throat into the receptacle 4. Thus, the vacuum in the receptacle 4 is substantially unaffected by the pulsations prov duced in the throat and mouth, and either a large or, small receptacle 4 may be used Nor is the vacuum in the tube. 7 affected by pulsations of air in the bell shaped mouth 10. Therefore, an unusually long tube leading to the suction element may be used with this invention, if desired.

\Vith the alternate form of device shown in Fig. 3, the ap lication'of any convenient cover, such as a f xger of the operator to the opening 16, makes it possible to produce the desired vacuum in the mouth 10 and throat 9, a'nd thisvacuum may be interrupted by the removal of the cover at any desired frequency. As only a small amount of air is admitted for each interruption of the suction, it will be evident that a relatively slow acting'andinexpensive suction pump may be supplied with my improved device to pro duce satisfactory results. It will be obvious that means other than the stopper 14 may be provided for restricting the throat tube 9. The lower-end or other portion of said throat tube mayibe reduced by drawing the side walls inward. As the throat tube is preferably constructed from glass, such alternate form of restrictionmay be provided without difficulty or added expense. However, I prefer removable restricting means which facilitate cleansing the throat.

Having described my invention what I claim as ne'w and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. In a breast pump the combination with a receptacle for milk and means for roducd receptacle, of a throat communicating with said receptacle, an enlarged mouth for application to a breast, communicating with said throat, means adapted to permit interrupting the vacuum in said mouth and means for restricting the passage of air between said mouth and receptacle whereby intermittent suction may be applied to the breast without interrupting thevacuum in said receptacle. I

2. In a breast pump the combination with a receptacle for milk and means for producing a partial vacuum in said receptacle,'of a throat communicating with said receptacle, bell shaped mouth forapplication to the breast, communicating with said throat, means for restrlcting the flow through SELld.

throat, and means adapted to permit interruption of the vacuum directly in said mouth whereby intermittent suction may be applied in said mouth without materially affecting the vacuum in said receptacle.

3. In a breast pump the combination with v a receptacle for milk and means for producing a partial vacuum 1n sald receptacle, of a throat communicating withsaid receptacle,

an enlarged mouth for application to the breast, communicating with said throat, a

perforated stopper restricting the lower end of said throat and meansfor interrupting the vacuum directly in said mouth whereby intermittent suction may be applied to the breast without materially affecting" the vacuum in saidireceptacle.

4. In a breast pump the combination with a receptacle for milk and means for creating a partial vacuum in said receptacle, of a bell shaped mouth and throat therefor communicating with said receptacle and a vacuum re'lief tube communicating at its inner end with the smaller end 'of- 'said mouth and at'its outer end near the larger end of. saidmouth, said'tube being adapted to be closed at its outer end by a breast inserted in said bell shaped mouth.

5. In a breast pump the combination with a receptacle for milk and means for creating a partial vacuum in said receptacle, of a closure for the top of said receptacle having a perforation, a tubular member extending through said perforation and communicab' ing with said receptacle, an enlarged mouth on said member adapted to cap abreast, a

vacuum relief tube communicating at its ducing at least a partial vacuum in said receptacle. of a tubular member extending downward into said receptacle and communicating therewith, an enlarged mouth for application to a breast, communicating with the upper end of said member, said mouth having an opening near the upper end of said member, adapted to permit interrupting the vacuum in said mouth and means for restricting the passage of air between said mouth and receptacle, whereby intermittent suction may be applied to the breast without entirely eliminating the Vacuum in said receptacle.

7 In a breast pump the combination with a receptacle for milk, of a tubular member extended downward into said receptacle and communicating therewith at its lower end, an enlarged mouth for application to a breast on the upper end of said member, means for creating a partial vacuum in said mouth, means connected with said mouth having an opening to permit interruption of the vacuum in said mouth and means for restricting the passage between said mouth and receptacle, whereby when suction is created in said mouth, milk is drawn from the breast and allowed toaccumulate above said restricting means, said milk being subsequently expelled from said member upon interruption of the suction.

the upper end of said member, means for creating a partial vacuum in said mouth and tubular member, means connected with said mouth and. having an opening to permit interrupting the vacuum in said mouth and means carried upon the lower end of said member for restricting the passage between said member and receptacle, whereby when suction is created in saidbmouth, milk is drawn from the breast and allowed to accumulate above said restricting means, said milk being subsequently expelled from said member upon interruption of the vacuum in said mouth and member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

WOODARD COLBY.

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