Systems and devices for controlling delivery of breast milk supplementation

• US 9,968,523 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Chin, Hon Wah, Hyde, Roderick A., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Jr., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Philip
• Application Number:
  US14/673,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20160288982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/05 for collecting, storing or administering blood, plasma or medical fluids multiple bags systems for separating or storing blood components A61M1/0209; Infusion or perfusion containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 13/00 Breast-nipple shields breast-pumps A61M1/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0011 Feeding-tubes for delivery of nourishment to the mouth; Mouth pieces therefor breast-nipple shields A61J13/00; mouth pieces for drinking straws A47G21/185; straws to take medicine A61J7/0038, mouthpieces for tracheal tubes A61M16/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/70 Device provided with specific sensor or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/72 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/74 for weight
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0427 with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/00 Feeding-bottles in general

Abstract

Systems and devices for controlling delivery of a breast milk supplement are described which include a substrate sized for placement on a surface of a breast region of a lactating female, one or more supplement reservoirs associated with the substrate, at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve, a data storage component including a breast milk supplement regimen; and a control unit including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the data storage component and to the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, the circuitry including actuation circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs based on the breast milk supplement regimen.

Claims

1. A breast milk supplement delivery device sized for placement on a surface of a breast region of a lactating female, comprising:

a substrate formed from a flexible material, wherein at least one surface of the substrate conforms to the contours of the surface of the breast region of the lactating female and at least one edge of the substrate is adapted for positioning in close proximity to a nipple of the lactating female;

one or more supplement reservoirs associated with the substrate and adapted to contain one or more breast milk supplements, at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve configured to control release of the one or more breast milk supplements from the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs;

at least one analyte sensor associated with the substrate and positioned to sense at least one analyte from a nursing infant during a breastfeeding event; and

a control unit attached to the substrate and including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the at least one analyte sensor and to the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, the circuitry including

circuitry configured to receive information associated with the sensed at least one analyte from the nursing infant from the at least one analyte sensor during the breastfeeding event, and

circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs to control release of the one or more breast milk supplements during the breastfeeding event in response to the received information associated with the sensed at least one analyte from the nursing infant.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface of the substrate that conforms to the contours of the breast region of the lactating female includes an adhesive.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises two or more layers and at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs is disposed between the two or more layers of the substrate.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more breast milk supplements comprises a lipid, a protein, an oligosaccharide, a fatty acid, a carbohydrate, a nutrient, a micronutrient, a vitamin, an amino acid, a mineral, a therapeutic agent, an antimicrobial agent, a prebiotic, a probiotic, or a nucleotide.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more breast milk supplements comprises an appetite stimulator or an appetite suppressant.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more breast milk supplements comprises a flavoring associated with a specific food type, the flavoring intended to acclimate an infant to the specific food type.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controllable valve includes a piezoelectric valve.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one flow conduit in fluid communication with the port of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, the at least one flow conduit including a first end attached to the port and a second end configured for positioning proximal to the nipple of the lactating female.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an absorbent layer in fluid communication with the port of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, the absorbent layer covering at least a portion of an external surface of one or more of the one or more supplement reservoirs.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one delivery event sensor configured to sense a delivery event, wherein the delivery event includes the release of the one or more breast milk supplements from the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs during the breastfeeding event;

delivery event circuitry configured to receive information associated with the delivery event from the at least one delivery event sensor; and

reporting circuitry configured to report the delivery event.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one delivery event sensor includes at least one of a flow sensor, a pressure sensor, a strain sensor, a conductivity sensor, an acoustic sensor, an optical transmission sensor, a clock, or a weight sensor.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the reporting circuitry includes circuitry configured to report the delivery event to a mobile communication device.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission unit operably coupled to the control unit and including circuitry and at least one antenna.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the transmission unit comprises at least one of a radiofrequency transmission unit, a radiofrequency identification (RFID) transmission unit, an optical transmission unit, or an audio transmission unit.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one analyte sensor includes at least one of a saliva analyte sensor configured to sense at least one saliva analyte of the nursing infant during the breastfeeding event.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising an infant presence detector configured to detect the presence or absence of an infant in proximity to the breast milk supplement delivery device and to provide an infant presence signal to the control unit;

wherein the actuation circuitry of the control unit is configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs based on the infant presence signal.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the infant presence detector comprises at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, an electrical conductivity sensor, a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a microphone, a camera, a photodetector, or a strain sensor.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a vibration delivery component configured to vibrate at least a portion of the substrate.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising

a temperature control component configured to control a temperature of at least one of a portion of the substrate and at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one analyte sensor is configured to sense at least one of a lipid, a protein, an oligosaccharide, a fatty acid, a carbohydrate, a nutrient, a micronutrient, a vitamin, an amino acid, a mineral, or a nucleotide.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one analyte sensor is configured to sense a microorganism from the nursing infant during the breastfeeding event.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one analyte sensor is associated with an appendage, a first end of the appendage attached to the substrate and a second end of the appendage configured for placement adjacent to the nipple of the lactating female.

24. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a data storage component operably coupled to the control unit and configured to store a breast milk supplement regimen, wherein the actuation circuitry of the control unit is configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs in response to the received information associated with the sensed at least one analyte from the nursing infant and the stored breast milk supplement regimen.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the breast milk supplement regimen is personalized for an infant based on attributes of the infant.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the breast milk supplement regimen is personalized for the lactating female based on a quality of breast milk of the lactating female.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the breast milk supplement regimen is adjustable based on a change in at least one of an attribute of an infant and a quality of breast milk of the lactating female.

28. A breast milk supplement delivery system sized for placement on a surface of a breast region of a lactating female comprising:

at least one disposable component including one or more supplement reservoirs adapted to contain one or more breast milk supplements, at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve configured to control release of the one or more breast milk supplements from the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs; and

a reusable component including

a substrate sized for placement on the surface of the breast region of the lactating female, at least one edge of the substrate adapted for positioning in close proximity to a nipple of the lactating female;

at least one analyte sensor attached to the substrate and positioned to sense at least one analyte from a nursing infant during a breastfeeding event;

a control unit attached to the substrate and including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the at least one analyte sensor and to the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, wherein the circuitry includes circuitry configured to receive information associated with the sensed at least one analyte from the nursing infant during the breastfeeding event and actuation circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs on the disposable component to control release of the one or more breast milk supplements during the breastfeeding event in response to the received information associated with the sensed at least one analyte of the nursing infant; and

at least one docking site associated with the substrate of the reusable component and including a configuration for reversibly attaching the at least one disposable component to the reusable component, wherein the at least one docking site is wired with circuitry to operably couple the at least one disposable component with the control unit of the reusable component.

29. The delivery system of claim 28, wherein the substrate of the reusable component comprises a flexible substrate.

30. The delivery system of claim 28, wherein the substrate of the reusable component includes an adhesive on a surface conforming to the surface of the breast region of the lactating female.

31. The delivery system of claim 28, wherein the controllable valve comprises at least one of an electroactive material, a stimulus-responsive hydrogel, a shape-memory alloy, or a piezoelectric valve.

32. The delivery system of claim 28, further comprising:

an absorbent portion associated with at least one of the reusable component and the at least one disposable component, the absorbent portion in fluid communication with the port of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs.

33. The delivery system of claim 28, further comprising:

a flow conduit including a first end and a second end, the first end of the flow conduit attached to the port and the second end of the flow conduit configured for positioning proximal to the nipple of the lactating female.

34. The delivery system of claim 28, further comprising:

at least one delivery event sensor;

delivery event circuitry configured to receive information associated with a delivery event from the at least one delivery event sensor; and

recording circuitry configured to report the delivery event.

35. The delivery system of claim 34, wherein the reporting circuitry includes circuitry configured to report the delivery event to a personal electronic device.

36. The delivery system of claim 28, further comprising:

a transmission unit operably coupled to the control unit and including circuitry and at least one antenna, wherein the transmission unit is associated with at least one of the reusable component and the at least one disposable component.

37. The delivery system of claim 28, further comprising

an infant presence detector configured to detect the presence or absence of an infant in proximity to at least one of the reusable component and the at least one disposable component, and configured to provide an infant presence signal to the control unit, wherein the actuation circuitry of the control unit is configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs based on the infant presence signal.

38. The device of claim 28, further comprising:

a data storage component operably coupled to the control unit and configured to store a breast milk supplement regimen, wherein the actuation circuitry of the control unit is configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs in response to the received information associated with the sensed at least one analyte from the nursing infant and the stored breast milk supplement regimen.

39. The delivery system of claim 38, wherein the breast milk supplement regimen comprises a personalized breast milk supplement regimen.

40. The delivery system of claim 38, wherein the breast milk supplement regimen is adjustable in response to changes in at least one of an attribute of an infant and a quality of breast milk of the lactating female.

41. A breast milk supplement delivery device sized for placement on a surface of a breast region of a lactating female, comprising:

a substrate formed from a flexible material, wherein at least one surface of the substrate conforms to the contours of the surface of the breast region of the lactating female and at least one edge of the substrate is adapted for positioning in close proximity to a nipple of the lactating female;

one or more supplement reservoirs associated with the substrate and adapted to contain one or more breast milk supplements, at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs including a port with a controllable valve;

at least one saliva analyte sensor associated with the substrate and positioned to sense at least one analyte in the saliva of a nursing infant during a breastfeeding event; and

a control unit attached to the substrate and including a microprocessor and circuitry, the control unit operably coupled to the at least one saliva analyte sensor and to the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs, the circuitry including

circuitry configured to receive information associated with the sensed at least one analyte in the saliva of the nursing infant from the at least one saliva analyte sensor during the breastfeeding event, and

circuitry configured to actuate the controllable valve of the at least one of the one or more supplement reservoirs during the breastfeeding event in response to the received information associated with the sensed at least one analyte in the saliva of the nursing infant.