Self returning contamination barrier

• US 20080171970A1
• Filed: 11/01/2006
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medela Holding AG (Olle Larsson Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Medela Holding AG (Olle Larsson Holding AG)
• Inventors: Pfenninger, Erich, Luzbetak, Mark A., Sutrina, Thomas A., Bosshard, Patrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,187,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/74
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/06 Milking pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/062 Pump accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/064 Suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/78 Means for preventing overflow or contamination of the pumping systems combined with drainage containers A61M1/60

Abstract

A barrier of a vacuum pump prevents contamination from entering a vacuum pump air line. The barrier separates parts of the pump and is moveable between an initial state and a distended state. The barrier is assembled within the pump with a pre-load. When the vacuum source is applied to the barrier, the barrier achieves a distended state and when the vacuum source is released, the barrier incrementally self returns to an initial state. The geometry and material construction of the barrier, along with the pre-load, assists in returning the barrier on its own to the initial state from the distended state.

Claims

1. A movable barrier device for separating parts of a pump, as to prevent contamination, comprising:

a barrier mounted within and separating parts of a housing, said barrier having a distended state, wherein said barrier achieves said distended state in response to a pressure applied to said barrier; and

an initial state to which said barrier has a preset bias to return to, wherein said barrier achieves said initial state in response to the release of said pressure applied to said barrier.

3. The barrier of claim 1, wherein said distended state is responsive to a differential vacuum.

4. The barrier of claim 3, wherein said barrier has a bias toward said initial state and after said bias is overcome said differential vacuum remains about the same through to said vacuum at said maximum distended state.

31. The breastpump assembly of claim 1, wherein said barrier has a formed shape of convexity in a demounted condition, and when mounted within said housing said barrier cannot reach said formed shape of convexity in said initial state, such that said barrier is pressed against said housing frontwall in said initial state.

2. A barrier device for a pumping system, comprising:

a resilient membrane having a center and at least one concentric undulation around said center, said resilient membrane being mounted in a chamber to divide said chamber into isolated parts, wherein a vacuum source applied to said panel in a first phase moves said barrier into a distended state; and

an atmospheric pressure applied to said panel in a second phase returns said barrier to an initial state.

32. The breastpump assembly of claim 2, wherein said barrier has a formed shape of convexity in a demounted condition, and when mounted within said housing said barrier cannot reach said formed shape of convexity in said initial state, such that said barrier is pressed against said housing frontwall in said first state.

5. A barrier device for a pumping system, comprising:

a housing,

a barrier member mounted within said housing;

a first state for said barrier wherein said barrier includes a pre-load;

wherein a pressure source applied to said barrier in said first state causes said barrier to achieve a second state that is displaced from said first state, and said barrier returns towards said first state in part by said pre-load.

6. The barrier of claim 5, wherein said pre-load is determined in part by said barrier being made of a resilient material in combination with the shape of said barrier.

33. The breastpump assembly of claim 5, wherein said barrier has a formed shape of convexity in a demounted condition, and when mounted within said housing said barrier cannot reach said formed shape of convexity in said first state, such that said barrier is pressed against said housing frontwall in said first state.

7. A breastpump assembly, comprising:

a breastshield;

a conduit structure adapted to convey pressure and liquid;

a collection container communicating with said conduit structure;

a housing;

a vacuum source communicating with said housing; and

a resilient barrier assembled in a pre-loaded initial state between parts of said housing, wherein said barrier achieves a distended state in response to vacuum from said vacuum source and said barrier utilizes said pre-load to assist in transforming from said distended state to said initial state.

8. A breastpump assembly, comprising:

a breastshield,

a vacuum source in communication with said breastshield via a vacuum line,

a housing having a front side and a back side, said housing being adjacent to said breastshield; and

a resilient barrier assembled in an initial pre-loaded state between said front side and said back side of said housing, wherein said barrier achieves a distended state in response to an applied vacuum from said vacuum source and said barrier returns from said distended state upon release of said applied vacuum.

9. An improved breastpump assembly, wherein said assembly has a contamination barrier located in a pressure line between a pressure generating pump and a breastshield, wherein the improvement comprises:

a housing having a breastshield side and a pressure side; and

said barrier separates and isolates said housing sides, said barrier having a shape and being assembled within said housing in an initial pre-loaded state between said housing sides such that said barrier has a pre-set bias in a direction toward said breastshield side in the absence of an applied pressure.

10. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 9 wherein said barrier has a distended state in response to an applied vacuum from said vacuum source, and said barrier returns toward said initial state upon release of said applied vacuum.

11. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 10 wherein said barrier has a generally convex shape at least in part presented by a convex barrier side, and is assembled within said housing so that said bias presses said convex barrier side against an internal breastshield side sidewall of said housing in said initial state.

12. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 11 wherein said convex barrier side further has at least one undulation formed in its surface generally concentric with a center of said convexity.

13. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 12 wherein said internal breastshield side sidewall of said housing has a shape that generally conforms to that of said convex barrier side, such that said barrier and said breastshield side sidewall substantially mate when in facial engagement.

14. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 13 wherein said barrier becomes inverted in said distended state.

15. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 14 wherein said housing has a vacuum side sidewall, wherein said vacuum side sidewall of said housing has a shape that generally conforms to that of said inverted barrier, such that said barrier and said vacuum side sidewall substantially mate when in facial engagement.

16. The improved breastpump assembly of claim 12 wherein said barrier has a plurality of generally concentric undulations designed to provide bending moments for said barrier tending to return said barrier from said distended state to said initial state.

17. An improved pumping mechanism for a breastpump, comprising:

a barrier housing having an interior frontwall spaced apart from an interior rearwall and defining an interior space therebetween, said rearwall having a port,

a barrier mounted within and dividing said interior space into isolated compartments, said barrier having a generally convex shape with at least one undulation formed generally radially spaced from and concentric about the center of said barrier,

said interior frontwall surface having a shape that generally matches said barrier convex shape in a first state, wherein said interior frontwall surface is in facial engagement with said barrier in said first state;

a source of pressure applied from said port to said interior space to move said barrier,

said interior rearwall surface having a shape that generally matches said barrier shape in a second state, wherein said barrier has been moved by application of a pressure from said pressure source from said first state to a second state, and said barrier becomes deformed in said second state, wherein said interior rearwall surface is in facial engagement with said deformed barrier in said second state,

said barrier being made of a resilient material which in combination with said barrier shape causes said barrier to return from said second state to said first state without assistance upon the release of said pressure.

18. The improved pumping mechanism for a breastpump of claim 17, wherein said barrier has a formed shape of convexity in a demounted condition, and when mounted within said housing said barrier cannot reach said formed shape of convexity in said first state, such that said barrier is pressed against said housing frontwall in said first state.

19. A breastpump assembly comprising:

a breastshield within which a woman'"'"'s breast and nipple are received,

a container for expressed milk,

a source of vacuum,

a mechanism modulating said source of vacuum,

a vacuum conduit structure which conveys a vacuum from said source to said breastshield,

a resilient barrier in said vacuum conduit structure located in close proximity to said breastshield, said barrier being mounted within a housing, said housing having a breastshield side and a vacuum side, said barrier separating said housing sides, said barrier having an outer surface and an inner surface forming at least in part a convex shape made to give said barrier a bias toward said convex shape when returning from a distended position to a rest position, said housing having a breastshield side internal sidewall that generally conforms to said barrier convex shape on said outer surface of said barrier, said barrier being mounted in said housing in a manner where said outer surface of said convex shape is closer to said breastshield side internal sidewall of said housing than said rest position of said barrier would otherwise allow, such that said bias presses said barrier against said internal sidewall for an initial pre-load condition of said barrier.

20. The breastpump of claim 19 wherein said barrier has at least one undulation formed generally radially spaced from and concentric about the center of said barrier,

said breastshield side internal sidewall of said housing having a surface shape that generally matches said barrier convex shape on said outer surface of said barrier such that said barrier substantially mates with said breastshield side internal sidewall surface in facial engagement in said initial pre-load condition.

21. The breastpump of claim 20 wherein said vacuum side includes a rearwall surface having a shape that generally matches said barrier shape in said distended position wherein said barrier has been moved by application of said vacuum from said source from said rest position and has become deformed in said distended position, such that said deformed barrier substantially mates with said rearwall surface of said vacuum side in facial engagement in said distended state.

22. A breastpump assembly which isolates parts of the pump in a vacuum line from contamination, comprising:

a breastshield,

a vacuum source in communication with said breastshield via said vacuum line,

a housing having a breastshield side and vacuum side, said housing being in communication with said vacuum line; and

a resilient barrier having a form with a first surface that is at least in part generally domelike and having an unassembled dome height as measured from a base for said dome to said first surface, said resilient barrier being assembled in said housing in a manner to separate and thereby isolate said housing sides from one another and in an initial state with a pre-loaded condition wherein said barrier has an assembled dome height that is less than said unassembled dome height.

23. The breastpump assembly of claim 22 wherein said barrier achieves a distended state in response to an applied vacuum from said vacuum source and said barrier returns from said distended state back to said initial state upon release of said applied vacuum.

24. The breastpump assembly of claim 23 wherein said first surface of said barrier abuts an internal sidewall of said breastshield side of said housing in said initial state.

25. The breastpump assembly of claim 24 wherein said barrier has a second surface on an opposite side to said first surface, wherein said second surface of said barrier abuts an internal sidewall of said vacuum side of said housing in said distended state.

26. The breastpump assembly of claim 25 wherein said barrier has a generally convex shape and least one undulation formed generally radially spaced from and concentric about a center of said barrier, said breastshield side internal sidewall of said housing having a surface shape that generally matches the shape of said barrier first surface such that said barrier in said pre-loaded condition substantially mates with said breastshield side internal sidewall surface in facial engagement, said vacuum side internal sidewall of said housing having a surface shape that generally matches the shape of said barrier in said distended state wherein said barrier has become inverted through movement from said initial state to said distended state, such that said inverted barrier substantially mates with said vacuum side internal sidewall surface in facial engagement in said distended state.

27. The breastpump assembly of claim 22 wherein said barrier is made of a resilient material which in combination with said barrier shape causes said barrier to return from said distended state to said initial state on its own upon the release of said vacuum.

28. The breastpump assembly of claim 22 wherein the vacuum realized on said breastshield side follows a generally one to one relationship with the vacuum applied on said vacuum side after an initial level of vacuum is realized on said vacuum side to overcome said pre-load condition.

29. The breastpump assembly of claim 28 wherein said initial level of vacuum to overcome said pre-load condition is about 4 mmHg.

30. The breastpump assembly of claim 29 further including a milk conduit structure which conveys milk from a breastshield to a container via a catch chamber and a one-way valve between said catch chamber and said container, said barrier upon returning to said initial state with a predetermined minimum amount of milk in said catch chamber generates an increased pressure in said catch chamber relative to said container so as to open said valve and release milk to travel into said container.

34. The breastpump assembly of claim 22, wherein said barrier has a formed shape of convexity in a demounted condition, and when mounted within said housing said barrier cannot reach said formed shape of convexity in said initial state, such that said barrier is pressed against said housing frontwall in said initial state.