CH647154A5 - SUCTION HOOD FOR A DEVICE FOR SUCTIONING BREAST MILK. - Google Patents

Description

647 154

2

Claims (7)

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Suction hood for a device for sucking off breast milk, with a hood body (1), a connecting piece (2) for a vacuum line and a connecting piece (3) for a receptacle (4), characterized in that the hood body (1) is followed by a Collecting chamber (5) is arranged, at the outlet (5') of which a valve (6) is provided, which closes the passage from the collecting chamber to the receiving vessel when a vacuum is applied, but releases this during the rest of the operation. 2. Suction hood according to claim I, characterized in that the collecting chamber (5) with the valve (6) provided therein is detachably attached to the rest of the hood body. 3. Suction hood according to claim 2, characterized in that a snap lock (7) is provided between the hood body (1) and the collecting chamber (5). 4. Suction hood according to claim 2, characterized in that a screw cap is provided between the hood body and the collecting chamber. 5. Suction hood according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the valve consists of a bore (8) in the chamber floor and a closing body (9) arranged underneath. 6. Suction hood according to claim 5, characterized in that the closing body (9) is arranged in a cage (10). 7. Suction hood according to claim 6, characterized in that the closing body consists of a ball (9). The present invention relates to a suction hood for a device for sucking off breast milk, with a hood body, a connection piece for a vacuum line and a connection piece for a receptacle. Such suction hoods are known and form an essential part of suction devices for breast milk. Of course, such devices include a suction pump, which usually produces intermittent negative pressure. In addition to the purely hygienic requirements for the device, however, the known solutions also have technical problems that are at least partially unsatisfactorily solved. So it happens again and again that milk gets into the vacuum line and even into the pump. This is counteracted by attaching a so-called safety volume between the hood and the pump, which, however, involves a great deal of technical effort. This also creates new problems, e.g. B. with regard to the system or with regard to the actual operation, since varying values of the vacuum can occur. The object of the present invention is now to create a suction hood with which the existing shortcomings are largely eliminated. The new design of the suction hood is characterized according to the invention by the fact that a collecting chamber is arranged next to the hood body, at the outlet of which a valve is provided which closes the passage from the collecting chamber to the receiving vessel when a vacuum is applied, but releases it during other operations. Thanks to the collection chamber equipped with a valve, e.g. B. in a receptacle in the form of a plastic. be pumped out of the bag, as the negative pressure no longer affects the receiving vessel. In addition, it should be possible to avoid overflowing, as the valve opens in good time and the pumped milk drains into the receptacle. The new construction according to the invention solves the sealing problems and enables the use of smaller pumps, since the vacuum volume required for intermittent operation can be significantly smaller compared to known solutions (it must be taken into account for the volume of the receiving vessel because of the valve and for the safety volume because of its omission, no vacuum can be applied). A particularly important advantage is that a constant negative pressure (vacuum) can be applied since there are no longer variable volumes in the system (the volume of the receiving vessel used to change with increasing filling). Finally, it should be noted that the new hood is exceptionally simple to construct. The collection chamber is preferably detachably attached to the rest of the hood body together with the valve arranged therein, e.g. by means of a snap fastener or screw fastener. The valve is expediently formed from a bore in the bottom of the chamber and a closing body arranged underneath, the latter being arranged, for example, in the form of a ball made of light material in a kind of cage. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawing. The single figure of the drawing shows a suction hood according to the invention in vertical section. The suction hood shown consists of an actual hood body I, a connecting piece 2 communicating with its interior for a vacuum suction line (not shown) and a further connecting piece 3 for a recording device 4 (shown in phantom). This structure is made of plastic and consists of one piece. In the interior of the socket 4 there is now an additional collection chamber 5 with a valve 6 arranged at its lower end 5'. The valve 6 is formed by a bore 8 in the bottom of the chamber 5 and a valve body 9, for example formed as a ball of lightweight material, the valve body 9 being housed in a cage 10. The collecting chamber 5 is detachably fastened to the rest of the hood body by means of a snap lock 7 . The whole thing can therefore be easily cleaned. When the hood body 1 is placed against the body and the negative pressure has built up, the valve body 9 is raised into the position 9' shown in dashed lines, thereby closing the bore 8 and thus also the collecting chamber 5. As soon as the negative pressure is removed, the valve body 9 falls back into the lower position 9, and the milk that has collected in the chamber 5 can flow down into the collection container 4. Of course, the valve body 9 could be replaced by a differently designed valve body instead of a ball, for example a body in the form of a hemispherical hollow shell with a guide projecting through the bore 8. Other flaps that can be actuated by the negative pressure are also conceivable. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 S 1 sheet of drawings