JP5227668B2 - Nipple protector - Google Patents

Description

   The present invention relates to an improvement of a nipple protector for covering and protecting the nipple of a person who is breastfed during breastfeeding.

When breastfeeding a mother or the like to a baby, the nipple protector may be used if there is a problem with the nipple or nipple of the mother or the like.
That is, when the nipple of a mother or the like is flat or depressed and the infant is difficult to suck, a nipple protector is used as an auxiliary tool that can cover and suck the nipple.
In addition, when the nipple of a mother or the like is injured, such as a crack, if the infant directly includes the nipple in the mouth, there is a problem that the irritation is so strong that it hurts. If you continue breastfeeding, breastfeeding will worsen due to the stress caused by the pain, so if you try to suck more breast milk and repeat sucking, it will further aggravate the wound on the nipple.
Even in such a case, a nipple protector is used as a nursing support tool for covering and protecting the nipple.

Conventionally, various types of teat protectors have been proposed and marketed, and there is a teat protector shown in FIG. 4 (see Patent Document 1).
FIG. 4A is a front view of the nipple protector 1, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the nipple protector 1.
The teat protector 1 is a synthetic resin having rubber-like properties as a whole and is formed as a light and elastic material.

The nipple protector 1 is a “breast type sucker with a suction plate”, has a hollow structure opened downward, and is connected to the thin nipple 2 and the nipple 2 integrally. It has a suction disk body 3 that spreads like a bowl or dome.
An inscribed portion 4 and a circumscribed portion 5 are provided on the bottom portion that is the opening of the suction disk barrel portion 3.
When the sucker body part 3 of the nipple protector 1 is put on the front surface of the breast 7 such as a mother and the head nipple 2 is sucked into the mouth and sucked, the internal space 6 becomes negative pressure, and the nipple protector 1 is placed on the breast. On the other hand, it can be fixed by adsorption. At the same time, breast milk is sucked out by negative pressure from the nipple (nipple) 8 of the mother or the like housed in the internal space 6.
Thus, breast feeding is performed without the infant's mouth being in direct contact with the nipple.

  In this case, the suction disk body 3 is deformed as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 4B by being strongly pressed against the front surface of the breast 7 such as a mother. At this time, the surface of the breast 7 is in contact with the inscribed portion 4. And the inner air is pushed out of the circumscribed portion 5, so that the inner pressure becomes negative pressure, and the suction disc body 3 is adsorbed and held on the front surface of the breast 7.

Shokai 53-61385

However, there are several problems with such a nipple protector 1.
First, when the nipple protector 1 is formed of a flexible material, when the infant sucks the head nipple 2 into the mouth and sucks it into negative pressure, the timing of sucking and sucking the milk. Therefore, the head nipple 2 is crushed and deformed.
Second, when sucking by the infant, the head nipple 2 that the baby holds is close to the flat suction disk barrel 3, so when the head nipple 2 is crushed, the suction disk barrel 3 is also It will be deformed to collapse. For this reason, when the inner surface of these nipples 8 or the inner surface of the suction disc body part 3 directly hits the nipple 8 of a mother or the like and the head nipple 2 is damaged, pain occurs.
Third, the nipple protector 1 is formed of the same material as a whole, and when it is formed of a material that can retain its shape to such an extent that it does not collapse due to such deformation, FIG. As described in b), when the suction disk body 3 is sucked and held on the front surface of the breast 7, the inscribed part 4 and the circumscribed part 5 bite into the surface of the breast 7 such as a mother. If this state continues, there is a drawback in that a round red mark remains on the front surface of the breast 7 or a pain is felt at the bite.

  The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-described drawbacks, and the nipple of a person who is breastfeeding indirectly by deformation of the nipple without being deformed while the nipple is crushed. To provide a nipple protector that does not give pain or unpleasant irritation to the part, and that can reduce irritation when contacting the breast of a breastfeeding person to ensure that the nipple is protected without leaving marks. It is aimed.

The present invention is formed of a flexible material as a whole, and includes a hollow nipple that has a through hole at the tip, and a diameter-expanded portion that gradually expands the hollow internal space continuously from the nipple. And a body having a large-diameter portion formed by extending an enlarged inner diameter portion, and a breast contact portion which is a ring-shaped flange portion formed at the opening periphery of the end of the body, The breast contact portion side of the large diameter portion has a constricted portion formed by reducing the outer diameter, a through hole for ventilation that communicates the internal space and the outside, and The constricted part is configured to maintain the inner diameter of the inner diameter part in the large diameter part .

According to the said structure, the said nipple and the trunk | drum provided with the said enlarged diameter part and a large diameter part have formed large space inside. Therefore, when the flange portion of the breast contact portion is brought into contact with the front surface of the user's breast, the user's teat can be accommodated in the internal space.
More specifically, the user's papilla fits inside a portion corresponding to the large diameter portion in the internal space, and does not reach the inside of the enlarged diameter portion and the papilla. In this state, when the infant takes the nipple into the oral cavity and breastfeeds, at least the large-diameter portion of the large-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion is crushed even if the flexible nipple or nipple body is deformed to collapse. Since there is no deformation, the user's papilla housed inside is not touched by the inner surface of the deformed large-diameter portion, and milking is performed without any contact with the papilla. For this reason, even if the nipple is damaged, the nipple is not stimulated, breast feeding can be performed without feeling pain, and the nipple is completely protected.
The large-diameter portion has a constricted portion formed by reducing the outer diameter, and a ventilation through hole that communicates the space with the outside.
This constricted portion makes it easy to press the breast contact portion against the front of the breast by attaching the user's finger. Further, the presence of the through hole makes the nipple or nipple body flexible. Even if it is made of material, the nipple body does not continue to be crushed due to the relationship between the timing of breast milk and suction when the baby sucks it into the mouth and sucks it. Since the outside air enters from the through-hole and immediately returns to the original shape, it is effectively prevented that the collapsed deformation state is maintained, that is, the nipple body is crushed and cannot be sucked. The
Furthermore, since the nipple protector is entirely made of a flexible material, the breast contact portion does not give an unpleasant stimulus even when it is in contact with the breast of the user, and a hard material is pressed against it. It is properly prevented from biting and feeling a pain or leaving a red mark as in

Preferably, at the portion where the through hole of the large diameter portion is formed, an identification portion for identifying the appearance is formed by making the outer surface of the large diameter portion thin. .
According to the above configuration, the user's finger is attached to the constricted portion to contact the breast, and the through-hole is formed in the constricted portion. When the user closes the through-hole with a finger, the inflow of air into the internal space is hindered and the nipple body is crushed and the deformation is maintained. However, the thin-walled portion is provided as an identification portion and penetrates there. By forming the hole, the thin-walled portion can be visually recognized, so that a finger can be attached while avoiding this portion, and the adverse effect of blocking the through-hole can be prevented.

Preferably, the opening peripheral portion which is the inner periphery of the flange portion as the breast contact portion is provided with a seal portion that slightly protrudes along the peripheral edge.
According to the above configuration, when the seal portion that slightly protrudes along the peripheral edge of the opening that follows the internal space is provided, the seal portion abuts around the user's teat, thereby Since the airtightness is improved in closing the cap, the negative pressure can be appropriately formed when sucking the infant.

Preferably, the outer peripheral upper edge portion of the flange portion which is the breast contact portion is provided with an outer peripheral protrusion that slightly protrudes along the outer periphery.
According to the above configuration, when the finger is applied to the constricted portion, the outer peripheral projection serves as a finger hook, and it is easy to attach the finger to the constricted portion.

Preferably, the bottom surface of the flange portion as the breast contact portion is a concave curved surface corresponding to the surface shape of the breast to be contacted.
According to the above configuration, since the bottom surface of the flange portion is a concave curved surface corresponding to the surface shape of the breast to be contacted, it is possible to appropriately fit the front surface of the breast of the user and improve the adhesion. Can do.

Preferably, an imaginary line passing through the center of the flange portion which is the breast contact portion and the center of the nipple main body is inclined so as to be inclined with respect to a virtual vertical line passing through the center of the flange portion. It is characterized by being.
According to the above configuration, by using the inclined posture so that the nipple body faces downward, a nipple protector that can appropriately guide the nipple protector without retaining the milk inside is realized. Can do.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the deformation of the nipple is not maintained while the nipple is crushed. It is possible to provide a nipple protector capable of reliably protecting the nipple without leaving any traces when leaving the breast of the breastfeeding person in contact with the breast.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment described below is a preferred specific example of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise stated, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a nipple protector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the nipple protector.
The first embodiment of the nipple protector will be described in detail with reference to these drawings.
1 and 2, the nipple protector 10 includes a hollow nipple 11 located at the tip, a diameter-enlarged portion 12 that continues from the nipple 11 and has both an inner diameter and an outer diameter increased, It has a large-diameter portion 13 that continues from the diameter portion 12 and has at least the largest inner diameter, and the enlarged-diameter portion 12 and the large-diameter portion 13 form a body portion 19.

The nipple portion 11 and the enlarged diameter portion 12 constitute a nipple portion or a nipple main body 25 that is accommodated in the baby's mouth when breastfeeding. At the tip of the nipple 11, an opening 11 a is formed to allow the infant to generate a negative pressure by suction and to further draw out the milked milk.
At the lower end of the body portion 19, a portion extending in a flange shape, that is, a breast contact portion 15 as a flange portion is provided. The central portion of the breast contact portion 15 that is the bottom surface of the nipple protector 10 is a large opening 15c that is continuous with an internal space to be described later, so that the nipple H2 of the breastfeeder can be received. .

In this embodiment, the nipple protector 10 is entirely formed of a flexible material. As long as it is formed of a flexible material, two-color or multicolor molding using a plurality of different materials may be used. However, in the present embodiment, the whole is preferably integrally molded by, for example, silicone, and its hardness is For example, it is 18 by durometer type A of JISK6253 format. The hardness of the material varies depending on the thickness of the material, but the hardness is preferably about 15 to 24 in consideration of the shape and formability and the functions and operations described below for this embodiment.
Needless to say, the material for forming the nipple protector 10 may be made of a material having the same flexibility as the material, even if it is not silicone.

The nipple 11 which is the tip of the nipple protector 10 has a round outer surface, and is a portion corresponding to the mother's nipple, and has a shape and size suitable for entering the baby's suckling cavity. In this embodiment, the total length of the nipple protector 10 is about 51 mm, whereas the outer diameter of the nipple 11 is about 12 mm.
The diameter-enlarged portion 12 whose outer diameter gradually increases in a tapered shape from the nipple portion 11 is a portion that is elongated in the infant's oral cavity during the infant feeding operation, and its extension function and structure will be described later. . As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the nipple 11 has an internal space N1. In addition, an internal space N <b> 2 that is continuous with the internal space N <b> 1 of the nipple 11 is formed inside the enlarged diameter portion 12.

The large-diameter portion 13 is a region corresponding to the internal space N3 that continues integrally from the internal space N2 of the enlarged-diameter portion 12, and has the largest inner diameter in the internal space N3. That is, the large-diameter portion 13 is a region having a maximum inner diameter and extending in the vertical direction, and a region having a height of about 18 mm.
This internal space N3 accommodates a nipple H2 such as a mother who is breastfeeding as indicated by a chain line.
The size of the nipple H2 varies between individuals, but if the height of the large-diameter portion 13 is less than 8 mm, the nipple H2 may enter the internal space N2 beyond the internal space N3.
If it is larger than 25 mm, the total volume of the internal spaces N1, N2, and N3 becomes too large, and there is a possibility that the burden on the baby in the breast feeding operation becomes too large.
The enlarged-diameter portion 12 and the large-diameter portion 13 constitute a body portion 19.

In the region occupying the lower portion of the large-diameter portion 13 belonging to the body portion 19, the constricted portion 14 is a portion that forms a “constricted” outer shape by reducing only the outer diameter while maintaining the inner diameter. As shown in FIG. 2, the constricted portion 14 is preferably formed by removing and adjusting the thickness of the material so as to form an R-shaped concave portion corresponding to the outer shape of the user's finger F1. .
The constricted portion 14 surrounds the outer periphery. For example, the user applies two fingers indicated by reference numeral F1 in FIG. 2 to hold the constricted portion 14 between the fingers, and a breast contact described below. The unit 15 is used by placing it on the front surface of its own breast H1.

The constricted portion 14 is formed with a through hole 18 that communicates the internal space N3 with the outside. Basically, the through hole 18 may be formed at any location in the circumferential direction of the constricted portion 14.
Preferably, a part of the constricted portion 14 is not only reduced in thickness so as to be constricted, but is further formed as a thin portion in which the material is partially thinned to form the identification portion 17. The identification portion 17 has a through hole 18 that communicates the internal space N3 with the outside.
This prevents external air from being sucked excessively in the internal spaces N1, N2, and N3 and causing the entire nipple portion 11 and the torso portion 19 to be crushed and maintained during the feeding operation described later. The air is introduced into these internal spaces so that the negative pressure can be adjusted.
The through-hole 18 is preferably provided with the identification portion 17 in order to prevent the negative-pressure adjusting through-hole 18 from being blocked by the user's finger attached to the constricted portion 14. It is supposed to be. As a result, the user can visually recognize the identification part 17, avoid the through hole 18, and hold his / her finger on the constricted part 14.

The breast contact portion 15 is a portion that expands in a flange shape from the lower end of the constricted portion 14, and preferably expands while being gradually inclined outward.
The lower surface 15a of the breast contact portion 15 is a contact surface to the front surface of the breast H1, and preferably has a slight taper shape or a loose concave shape so as to follow an R shape in which the breast H1 bulges. It is a curved surface.
Further, the peripheral edge portion of the opening on the inner periphery of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion 15 is provided with a seal portion 15b that slightly protrudes along the peripheral edge.
Further, an outer peripheral protrusion 16 that protrudes slightly upward along the outer periphery is provided on the outer peripheral upper edge portion of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion 15.

More preferably, the nipple body 25 extending from the nipple portion 11 to the enlarged diameter portion 12 is configured such that the nipple is extended during the breast feeding operation in the form shown in FIG.
That is, the nipple 11 and the enlarged diameter portion 12 of the nipple protector 10 are not specially changed in appearance, but are uneven on the inner surface.
As shown in FIG. 2, the unevenness is formed by alternately changing the thickness of the material along the longitudinal section, and the elongated portion 22, which is a portion where the thickness is reduced, is thicker than this. The high-rigidity portions 21 that are the flesh portions are alternately arranged so that the nipple body 25 can be extended without being crushed.

The present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, functional advantages of the nipple protector 10 will be described.
In FIG. 2, the nipple protector 10 is provided with a large internal space such as internal spaces N1 and N2 of the nipple body 25 and an internal space N3 of the large-diameter portion 13 communicated therewith.
For this reason, when the flange part of the breast contact part 15 of the nipple protector 10 is brought into contact with the front surface of the user's breast H1, the user's nipple H2 can be accommodated in the internal space.
In this case, the user's nipple H2 fits in the internal space N3 corresponding to the large diameter portion 13 and does not reach the internal spaces N2 and N1 inside the enlarged diameter portion 12 and the nipple 11. In this state, when the infant takes the nipple body 25 into the oral cavity and breastfeeds, even if the flexible nipple body 25 is deformed so as to be crushed, at least the large diameter portion 13 is not crushed and deformed. The accommodated user's nipple H2 is not touched by the inner surface of the deformed large-diameter portion 13, and milking is performed without any contact with the nipple H2. For this reason, even if the nipple H2 is damaged, it is not stimulated unnecessarily, and breast feeding can be performed without feeling pain, and the nipple H2 is completely protected.

In order to perform such breast feeding, the outer surface of the large-diameter portion 13 has a constricted portion 14 and a through hole 18 for ventilation that communicates the internal space with the outside.
By attaching the user's finger F1 to the constricted portion 14, the breast contact portion 15 is easily pressed against the front surface of the breast and held.
And even if the nipple body 25 is formed of a flexible material due to the presence of the through-hole 18, when the baby puts it into the mouth and sucks it to make negative pressure, the timing and sucking out of the breast milk Therefore, even if the nipple body 25 is crushed, the outside air enters from the through hole 18 and immediately returns to the original shape from the deformed state, so that the crushed deformed state is maintained, that is, the nipple body. It is effectively prevented that 25 is crushed and cannot be sucked.

Further, since the entire nipple protector 10 is formed of a flexible material, the breast contact portion 15 does not give unpleasant stimulation even when it is in contact with the breast of the user, and a hard material is pressed against it. It is properly prevented from biting and feeling a pain or leaving a red mark as in
Further, the bottom surface 15a of the flange portion which is the breast contact portion 15 is a concave curved surface corresponding to the surface shape of the breast H1 to be contacted. For this reason, this bottom face 15a can fit the front surface of a user's breast H1 appropriately, and can improve adhesiveness.

Moreover, the identification part 17 for identifying the appearance is formed by making the outer surface of the large diameter part 13 thin at the part where the through hole 18 of the constricted part 14 is formed. For this reason, by visually recognizing the identification part 17 which is the thin part, it is possible to attach the finger F1 while avoiding this part, and it is possible to prevent the adverse effect that the through hole 18 is blocked.
Furthermore, the opening peripheral part which is an inner periphery of the flange part as the breast contact part 15 is provided with the seal part 15b which protrudes slightly along this peripheral part. For this reason, since the seal portion 15b is brought into close contact with the periphery of the user's nipple H2 to improve the airtightness in closing the internal space, a negative pressure is appropriately formed when sucking the infant. be able to.
Further, an outer peripheral protrusion 16 that protrudes slightly upward along the outer periphery is provided on the outer peripheral upper edge portion of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion 15. For this reason, when the finger F <b> 1 is applied to the constricted portion 14, the outer peripheral projection 16 becomes a finger hook, and it becomes easy to attach the finger to the constricted portion 14.

Furthermore, in the nipple main body 25 including the nipple 11 and the enlarged diameter portion 12, in the longitudinal section, the elongated portion 22 which is a portion where the thickness is made thin, and the high rigidity portion which is a portion where the thickness is made thicker than this. The nipple main body 25 can be extended in such a manner that 21 are alternately arranged.
That is, since the thinned portion is formed as the extending portion 22, the nipple main body 25 is stretched and stretched during sucking in the infant's oral cavity when sucked. On the other hand, since the highly rigid part 21 which is a part thicker than the thinned part is not crushed during suction, the nipple body 25 can be prevented from being crushed and deformed.
Thus, when breastfeeding, the nipple body 25 is not crushed and obstructs the flow of breast milk led out from the opening 11a, and the nipple body 25 extends in the length direction so that its tip The part can reach the baby's suckling cavity, and appropriate feeding operation can be realized.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the nipple protector 30 according to the second embodiment, the portions denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the nipple protector 10 in FIG. 2 have the same configuration, and thus redundant description will be omitted. Hereinafter, differences will be mainly described. .

In the nipple protector 30 of the present embodiment, the phantom line NC passing through the center O of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion 15 and the opening 11a that is the center of the nipple body 25 is the center of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion 15. With respect to a virtual vertical line C1 passing through O, it is formed so as to have an inclined posture by being inclined by an angle θ.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the circumferential position of the breast contact portion 15 is adjusted so that the tip side of the nipple body 25 of the nipple protector 30 faces downward using the inclination of the angle θ. Adjust and use. As a result, a part of the milk discharged from the user's nipple H2 during milking into the internal spaces N1, N2, and N3 does not accumulate in the internal space, and the entire amount is appropriately guided to the outside from the opening 11a. be able to.

Here, the angle θ in FIG. 3 is preferably 5 to 15 degrees. By making the angle θ larger than 5 degrees, the milked milk is more likely to flow to the teat 11. If this angle θ is greater than 15 degrees, the infant's face is facing upward while holding the infant, and there is an adverse effect that breast feeding becomes difficult.
Moreover, the teat protector 30 in this embodiment is integrally formed of the same material as a whole. The nipple protector of the present invention does not necessarily have to be molded integrally as a whole, but if it is configured separately, grooves and streaks are formed at the boundary of the structure, and the milk is partially due to surface tension and other factors. It becomes easy to stay. Therefore, by adopting the structure of the angle θ and forming the whole integrally, it is possible to prevent the internal retention of the milk more reliably.
This embodiment is configured as described above, and other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
For example, the outer surface of the constricted portion may be chamfered in a polygonal shape so that the finger can be easily applied. A plurality of through holes may be formed. You may change a material and make a difference in a softness | flexibility in the location which needs a deformation | transformation, and the location which is not so.
The individual configurations of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be omitted if necessary, or may be combined with other configurations not described.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a nipple protector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the nipple protector of FIG. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the nipple protector which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the conventional teat protector.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Nipple protector, 11 ... Nipple, 12 ... Wide diameter part, 13 ... Large diameter part, 14 ... Constriction part, 15 ... Breast contact part, 18 ...・ Through holes, N1, N2, N3 ... Internal space

Claims (6)

The whole is made of flexible material,
A hollow nipple with a through hole at the tip;
A body having a large-diameter portion formed by extending an enlarged inner diameter portion while having a diameter-increased portion that gradually expands the hollow internal space continuously from the nipple,
A breast contact portion that is a ring-shaped flange portion formed on the opening periphery of the end portion of the trunk portion,
The breast contact portion side of the large diameter portion has a constricted portion formed by reducing the outer diameter, and a through hole for ventilation that communicates the internal space and the outside,
And the said constriction part is set as the structure which maintained the internal diameter dimension of the said internal diameter part in the said large diameter part, The nipple protector characterized by the above-mentioned.   2. An identification part for distinguishing in appearance is formed by forming a thin-walled part in which the outer surface of the large-diameter part is thin at a portion where the through-hole of the large-diameter part is formed. Nipple protector as described in 1.   The said opening peripheral part which is an inner periphery of the flange part as said breast contact part is equipped with the seal part which protrudes slightly along this peripheral part, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Nipple protector.   The nipple protector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an outer peripheral protrusion that slightly protrudes along the outer periphery is provided on an outer peripheral upper edge portion of the flange portion that is the breast contact portion. .   The nipple protection according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a bottom surface of the flange portion which is the breast contact portion has a concave curved surface corresponding to a surface shape of the breast to be contacted. Ingredients.   An imaginary line passing through the center of the flange portion which is the breast contact portion and the center of the nipple main body is formed to be inclined with respect to an imaginary vertical line passing through the center of the flange portion. The nipple protector according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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