JP2002085552A - Milker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a milker which is capable of performing milking more efficiently than heretofore. SOLUTION: This milker has a milking bottle l in which collected breast milk is kept reserved, a milking section 4 which is communicated therewith by a suction pipe 3 and is applied to the breast and a hand pump 5 which generates a negative pressure in the milking bottle. The milking section 4 has a funnel-shaped large cup 41 of an elastic body which covers the breast and a funnel-shaped small cup 42 of the elastic body which is mounted on the inner side thereof and covers the nipple or the areola of mamma. The thicknesses of the elastic bodies of the large cup and the small cup are successively decreased toward the side edges. Accordingly, the efficient milking is made possible since the thicknesses of the elastic bodies of the large cup and the small cup are successively decreased toward the side edges.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a breast pump, and more particularly, to a breast pump having a better milking effect than conventional ones.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 4, a conventional breast pump has a milking bottle 1 for storing breast milk, a cap 2 for opening and closing the opening of the milking bottle 1, and a suction tube 3 for passing the cap 2 through. And a milking unit 4 attached to the suction tube 3, and the milking bottle 1 and the milking unit 4 have a structure communicating with each other via the suction tube 3. Further, a suction pump 5 for creating a negative pressure inside the milking bottle 1 is connected to the cap 2 and attached.

[0003] The milking section 4 is made of resin or an elastic body, and has a shape to cover a nipple and a breast.

In using such a breast pump, the milking section is applied to the nipple and the breast, and the air in the milking bottle 1 is sucked out by the suction pump 5 to make the milk pressure negative, so that the milking section 4 is drawn through the suction pipe 3. The inside is set to a negative pressure, and thereafter, the suction pump 5 is stopped and the pressure is returned to the atmospheric pressure.

However, the above structure has a drawback that the milking effect is poor because the nipple and the breast are only sucked by the negative pressure of the milking part. Even if the milking part was elastic, even after the milking part was soft at first, it was not much different from that made of resin after sucking on the breast.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a breast pump capable of milking more efficiently than in the past.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, a breast pump according to the present invention comprises a milking bottle for storing milk which has been milked, a milking section for breasts communicating with the milking bottle by a suction pipe, and In a breast pump having a manual pump that makes the inside of the milking bottle a negative pressure, the milking part is a funnel-shaped and elastic cup that covers the breast and a funnel-shaped and elastic body that is attached inside the nipple and the areola. It has a small cup, and the thickness of the elastic body of the large cup and the small cup gradually decreases toward the periphery.

According to the present invention, in the milking section, the thickness of the elastic body of the large cup and the small cup gradually decreases toward the edge, so that when the pressure inside the cup becomes negative, the edge is first turned inward. It is sucked strongly and then towards the center, with the breasts and areolas becoming stronger towards the outside and compressed sequentially toward the nipple. On the other hand, the central part of the large cup and small cup has a large elastic body, so there is little deformation, and because it is supported by the outer shell, it keeps its height without crushing to the breast side, and effective suction for the nipple and areola part Power works and effective milking becomes possible. The shell edge also serves to press the edge of the large cup firmly against the breast.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. As is clear from FIG.
The milking bottle 1 for storing mother's milk communicates with the milking unit 4 via a suction tube 3 through which a cap 2 provided at the opening thereof is inserted. The cap 2 is connected to a manual or electric suction pump 5 for creating a negative pressure inside the milking bottle 1.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the milking unit 4 of the embodiment.
Although it is a partial cross-sectional view, the milking unit 4 has a large funnel-shaped cup 41 made of an elastic body, and a small funnel-shaped small cup 42 made of an elastic body.
A shell 43 made of a rigid material such as resin is provided outside the large cup 41, and one or a plurality of ventilation windows 44 are opened in the shell 43. The small cup root tube portion 46 is inserted into the large cup root tube portion 45 for mounting, the large cup root tube portion 45 is inserted into the shell root tube portion 47 for mounting, and the large cup root tube portion 45 is connected to the suction tube. 3 is detachably fitted.

The elastic bodies of the large cup 41 and the small cup 42 are formed so that the thickness gradually decreases toward the periphery and becomes soft. The size of the large cup 41 is large enough to accommodate the entire breast, and the size of the small cup 42 is large enough to completely accommodate the areola. The shell 43 is made of a rigid body such as a resin and has one or a plurality of ventilation windows 44, is slightly shorter in length than the large cup 41, and has a shape in which the peripheral portion is opened outward. The shell 43 acts to prevent the large cup 41 from expanding too much when the inside of the milking bottle 1 returns to the atmospheric pressure. As described above, by controlling the movement of the large cup 41, the separation between the breast and the large cup 41 can be prevented, and the milking efficiency increases. The ventilation window 44 is provided to prevent the large cup 41 and the shell 43 from coming into close contact with each other due to negative pressure.

A ventilation groove 48 (a ventilation portion) is dug in the inner wall of the large cup root tube portion 45, and the small cup root tube portion 46 is formed.
Is inserted and attached, a gap is formed between the joint surfaces of the two tubes, and the inside of the suction tube 3 and the inside of the large cup 41 are ventilated. Therefore, when the small cup 42 is detached from the large cup 41, the joining surfaces do not come into close contact with each other and are unlikely to come off. The same effect can be obtained by providing a ventilation groove outside the small cup root tube portion. The same effect can be obtained even if a small hole is formed in the large cup root pipe 45 or the small cup root pipe 46 instead of the groove.

[0013] Large cup root tube 45 and shell root tube 4
7 is provided with an intake port 49 for sucking outside air and releasing the negative pressure.
When a negative pressure is applied to the inside, the intake port 49 is closed with a finger or a valve.

When the breast pump according to the present invention is used, when the whole breast is placed in the large cup 41, the areola moves to the small cup 42.
The length of insertion of the small cup root tube portion 46 into the large cup root tube portion 45 is adjusted so that the small cup root tube portion can be accommodated. When the periphery of the large cup 41 is brought into contact with the foot of the breast by the shell 43 and the suction port 49 is closed with a finger or a valve and the manual or electric suction pump 6 is operated, the air in the milking bottle 1 is exhausted. As a result, a negative pressure is generated, and through the suction tube 3 and the ventilation groove 48,
The inside of the large cup 41 and the small cup 42 becomes negative pressure. At this time, since the thicknesses of the elastic bodies of the large cup 41 and the small cup 42 gradually decrease toward the periphery, the elastic bodies are sequentially sucked inward from the periphery toward the center. It will be strong and, in turn, squeezed towards the nipple. On the other hand, the central portions of the large cup 41 and the small cup 42 have a thick elastic body and are supported by the outer shell 43, so that the height is maintained without crushing the breast side,
An effective suction force acts on the areola part, and the milk is effectively milked.

When the suction port 49 is opened after the negative pressure has been applied for a predetermined time, the inside of the large cup 41 and the small cup 42 returns to the atmospheric pressure, so that the milking unit 4 returns to the original shape and remains in the suction pipe 3 at the same time. The sucked milk is sucked into the milking bottle 1.

As described above, by repeating the negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure, the breast and areola are successively pressed from the outside toward the center, and a strong suction force acts on the nipple and the areola. Milking becomes possible.

[0017]

As described above, according to the breast pump according to the present invention, since the thickness of the elastic body of the large cup and the small cup of the milking section gradually decreases toward the periphery, the breast is reduced by the negative pressure. In addition, the breast is subjected to a stronger compression at the outer side than at the center, and is further compressed from the outer side toward the central nipple. In addition, the elastic body is less deformed in the thick cup central portion and is supported by the shell, so that an effective suction force acts on the nipple and areola to enable efficient milking.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the breast pump of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the base of the milking unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the milking unit 4 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a conventional breast pump.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Milking bottle 2 Cap 3 Suction pipe 4 Milking part 41 Large cup 42 Small cup 43 Shell 44 Vent window 45 Large cup root pipe 46 Small cup root pipe 47 Shell root pipe 48 Ventilation groove 49 Suction port 5 Suction pump

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A milking bottle for storing milk that has been milked, a milking unit for a breast communicating with the milking bottle by a suction pipe, and a milking machine having a pump for applying a negative pressure to the milking bottle, wherein the milking unit is It has a funnel-shaped and elastic large cup that covers the breast and a funnel-shaped and elastic small cup that is attached inside and covers the nipple and areola. A milking machine characterized by a gradual decrease toward the periphery. 2. The breast pump according to claim 1, further comprising a rigid shell for supporting the large cup and the small cup so as to cover the large cup. 3. The breast pump according to claim 2, wherein said shell has a ventilation window. 4. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation portion communicating between the inside of the large cup and the suction is formed on a joint surface between the large cup and the small cup. 5. The breast pump according to claim 1, wherein an intake port for communicating the inside of the large cup with the outside air is provided in a root tube portion of the large cup.