U.S. patent application number 10/503673 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-14 for breast cup.
Invention is credited to Larsson, Michael.
Application Number | 20050080351 10/503673 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27671980 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050080351 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Larsson, Michael |
April 14, 2005 |
Breast cup
Abstract
A breast cup or breast shield, in particular for breast pumps,
with a funnel-shaped main body preferably made of electrically
non-conducting material. The funnel-shaped body is sized and shaped
to contact a breast and includes one or more electrodes
incorporated in a wall of the funnel-shaped main body at
predetermined locations. Each of the one or more electrodes is
provided on an inside face of the funnel-shaped main body with a
contact surface adapted to contact the breast skin, is led through
the wall and, on an outside face of the funnel-shaped main body,
includes an electrical connection contact.
Inventors: |
Larsson, Michael; (Zug,
CH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael H Baniak
Baniak Pine & Gannon
Suite 1200
150 North Wacker Drive
Chicago
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
27671980 |
Appl. No.: |
10/503673 |
Filed: |
August 4, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
February 7, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CH03/00094 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/547 ;
600/438; 600/476; 600/549 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2230/65 20130101;
A61M 2205/3306 20130101; A61M 1/064 20140204; A61M 2205/3368
20130101; A61B 5/4312 20130101; A61M 2205/3375 20130101; A61M
2205/3317 20130101; A61B 5/053 20130101; A61M 1/06 20130101; A61M
2230/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/547 ;
600/476; 600/549; 600/438 |
International
Class: |
A61B 005/05; A61B
008/00; A61B 005/00; A61M 001/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 7, 2002 |
CH |
PCT CH02 00073 |
Claims
1-15. (canceled)
16. A breast cup, in particular for breast pumps, with a
funnel-shaped main body made of electrically non-conducting
material, said funnel-shaped body being sized and shaped to contact
a breast, one or more electrodes incorporated in said funnel-shaped
main body at predetermined locations, each said one or more
electrodes having at least a part extending through to an inside
face of said funnel-shaped main body with a contact surface adapted
to contact the breast skin, an electrical connection contact with
each said one or more electrodes on an outside face of said
funnel-shaped main body.
17. The breast cup as of claim 16, wherein said funnel-shaped main
body is of a truncated cone shape including a smaller diameter end
including a tubular extension which is attachable to a
milk-collecting container.
18. A breast cup for a breast pump for placing on a mother's
breast, having one or more sensors arranged in said breast cup
adapted for detecting changes in the mother's breast during the
expression of breast milk.
19. The breast cup of claim 18, wherein each said one or more
sensors is arranged at a distance from the nipple.
20. The breast cup of claim 18, wherein said breast cup comprises a
funnel-shaped main body which is sized and shaped to contact the
mother's breast, and wherein said one or more sensors is arranged
in a wall of said funnel-shaped main body.
21. The breast cup of claim 20, wherein each said one or more
sensors is incorporated into said wall at a predetermined
location.
22. The breast cup of claim 20, wherein each of said one or more
sensors includes a contact surface for the breast skin.
23. The breast cup of claim 18, wherein said one or more sensors is
an electrode.
24. The breast cup of claim 20, wherein each said one or more
electrodes has a lead through said wall and to an outside face of
said breast cup with an electrical connection contact for said lead
or leads accessible from said outside face.
25. The breast cup of any of claims 18 through 24, further
including one or more optical sensors.
26. The breast cup of any of claims 18 through 24, further
including one or more acoustic sensors.
27. The breast cup of any of claims 18 through 24, further
including one or more thermal sensors.
28. A method for detecting changes in a mother's breast during the
expression of breast milk from the breast, comprising: providing a
breast pump having a breast cup with one or more sensors spaced at
a distance from the nipple; positioning the breast cup on the
mother's breast during expression of milk; and measuring changes in
the breast by means of said one or more sensors.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein said sensors measure changes by
one or more of electrical, optical, thermal, and audible
sensing.
30. The method of claim 28, further comprising carrying out an
impedance measurement for said sensing.
31. The method of claim 28, further including generating and
detecting ultrasound.
32. A device for detecting one or more parameters associated with
breastmilk expression in a human female, comprising: a breast
shield having an interior part within which a portion of the breast
is received including the nipple; a sensor associated with said
breast shield, said sensor adapted to detect a parameter associated
with breastmilk expression.
33. The device of claim 32 further including a plurality of
sensors.
34. The device of claim 33 wherein said sensors are attached to
said breast shield.
35. The device of claim 34 wherein said sensors have a portion
which extends to said breast shield interior part and is in contact
with the breast.
36. The device of claim 35 wherein said sensors include an
electrode extending from said contact through the breast shield and
terminating in a connection for attachment to a wire.
37. The device of claim 36 wherein each said contact is
electrically isolated.
38. The device of claim 37 wherein said sensors include a sensor
which detects changes in an electrical field within the breast.
39. The device of claim 34 wherein said sensors include an optical
sensor.
40. The device of claim 34 wherein said sensors include a sensor
for detecting changes in a magnetic field within the breast.
41. The device of claim 34 wherein said sensors include a sensor
for detecting pressure changes of the breast.
42. The device of claim 34 wherein said sensors include a sensor
for detecting ultrasound.
43. A method for detecting changes in a mother's breast during the
expression of breast milk from the breast, comprising: providing a
breast pump having a breast cup with one or more sensors spaced at
a distance from the nipple; positioning the breast cup on the
mother's breast during expression of milk; and detecting changes in
the breast by means of said one or more sensors.
44. The method of claim 43, wherein said sensors detect changes by
one or more of electrical, optical, thermal, and audible sensing.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a breast cup, in particular
for breast pumps, and to a method for detecting changes in a
mother's breast when expressing milk from the mother's breast.
STATE OF THE ART
[0002] Breast cups for suction pumps and for suction devices for
expressing breast milk are widely available in many different
designs and are used all over the world.
[0003] Breast-feeding a baby is not always straightforward. The
causes of problems may lie with the mother or with the baby.
Expressing breast milk by means of suction pumps or suction
devices, also called breast pumps, can also be problematic for some
mothers.
[0004] Nowadays, therefore, in the development of suction pumps and
of their operating conditions, increased efforts are being made to
better understand what is going on inside the mother's breast
during expression of breast milk.
[0005] During use of the breast pump, however, it is difficult to
carry out exact measurements on the mother's breast.
[0006] Such measurements would, however, provide information on the
processes going on during the stimulation phase and during the
actual expression of milk.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to make
available a device and a method which permit straightforward
measurement of the processes going on inside the breast, even
during the expression of milk.
[0008] This object is achieved by a breast cup having the features
of patent claims 1 and 3 and by a method having the features of
patent claim 12.
[0009] The surprisingly simple solution according to the invention
uses a breast cup designed in accordance with claims 1 and 3. Thus,
according to the invention, a breast cup is used which is provided
with sensors. The sensors used can be all types of sensors suitable
for detecting changes in the mother's breast, in particular
electrodes, optical sensors, acoustic sensors or thermal
sensors.
[0010] Accordingly, various measurement methods are possible, for
example X-rays, ultrasound, purely electronic measurement currents
which record resistance and impedance between two spatially
distinct areas of the breast, etc. Electrodes are placed on the
breast skin for measuring the electronic signals, optical sensors
for measuring the X-rays, and acoustic sensors for measuring
ultrasound.
[0011] The design of the breast cup according to the invention
allows measurements to be carried out on the breast in general and
also, in a special design as claimed in claim 2, during the
expression of breast milk. The method according to the invention
and the device according to the invention provide information in
particular on the process known as milk surge.
[0012] Further advantageous embodiments and variants of the method
are set out in the dependent patent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] Illustrative embodiments of a breast cup according to the
invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the
drawing, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective and purely diagrammatic view of a
breast cup according to the invention, and
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a similar view looking at the open end of the
breast cup according to FIG. 11.
EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a breast cup 1 of truncated cone shape which,
via a tubular connection piece 2, leads to attachments 3 for a
breast pump (not shown) and 4 for a milk-collecting container (not
shown).
[0017] The cup 1 with the parts 2-4, made of transparent plastic
for example, is itself of conventional design.
[0018] The cup funnel 1' is provided with a number of electrodes 5
arranged at predetermined locations. On the inside face of the
funnel wall 1', the electrodes have contact surfaces 5", and, on
the outside face of the funnel wall, they have connection contacts
5'.
[0019] When the cup 1 is placed on a breast, the contact surfaces
5" lie on the breast cup, while a desired voltage can be applied
via the connection contacts 5' (as parts of the electrodes leading
through the funnel wall).
[0020] This cup construction also permits measurements via the
electrodes during the expression of breast milk. The corresponding
appliance for evaluating the measurements can be integrated in the
breast pump or can be a separate appliance.
[0021] Instead of or in addition to the electrodes 5, other types
of sensors can also be arranged in the breast cup, for example
acoustic sensors, optical sensors or thermal sensors. Depending on
the type of sensor, it does not necessarily need to have a contact
surface 5". For example, in the case of optical sensors, it is
sufficient for them to be disposed sufficiently close to the breast
surface. When using optical sensors, it is advisable if at least
the area of the breast cup immediately surrounding the sensor is
made transparent to the optical wavelength used for the
measurement, or at least no reflections are permitted on the inside
face of the breast cup.
[0022] Depending on the type of sensors used, the breast cup and
its main body do not necessarily have to be made of an electrically
non-conducting material. If using electrodes as sensors, it may
also suffice for only the areas of the breast cup which are
adjacent to the electrodes to be made electrically
non-conducting.
[0023] As can be discerned from the figures, the nipple of the
mother's breast protrudes into the funnel opening. The sensors are
thus arranged at a distance from the nipple, so that the latter is
not disturbed during the expression of milk.
* * * * *