Breast pump system

Abstract

A breast pump system includes an extrusion kit, a pump, and a cushion. The valve selectively provides interconnection between two of the pump, the cushion, and the extrusion kit. The valve is controlled to couple the buffer to the extrusion kit in a phase of a first type, couple the extrusion kit to the activated pump in a phase of a second type, and couple the extrusion kit to the pump and discharge kit pressure in a phase of a third type. These different stages enable the generation of a cyclic pressure waveform for two kits, where energy consumption is reduced by using a buffer to reduce the emission of pressure during the cycle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a breast pump system, for example a breast pump system with an expression kit for each breast. Background Art

[0002] Breastfeeding women use a breast pump to express breast milk so that they can feed it to their babies at a later time.

[0003] The breast is usually placed in a funnel-shaped cup and a vacuum is applied to extract the milk. Breast pumps usually have two modes of operation, a stimulation mode and an extraction mode. During the stimulation mode, the milk let-down reflex is stimulated. When the breast pump is activated, a pressure source inside the breast pump (such as a vacuum pump) creates a vacuum and the stimulation mode can be turned on. The vacuum pump is usually driven by an electric motor. For portable breast pumps, these motors are driven by a battery power source.

[0004] Wearable breast pumps are characterized by being completely worn on the user's body, allowing the user to move around freely. Some of them are small enough to fit into the user's bra. For example, the motor, battery and milk container are integrated together to form a single unit.

[0005] It is usually desired to express both breasts at the same time. Then, the user usually obtains a set of identical devices (for example in one housing) to achieve the settings for stimulating and expressing each breast independently.

[0006] This necessitates the use of two pumps, which is costly both in terms of components and power consumption, and which may also result in high levels of noise.

[0007] WO2020 / 007671 discloses a double breast pump device which is capable of transferring a vacuum between two extrusion kits. Thus, the volume of one extrusion kit is used as a storage volume for the negative pressure of the other extrusion kit. However, a complex valve arrangement is required.

[0008] WO2021 / 244863 discloses a breast pump system in which an extrusion kit, a volume element (for storing vacuum) and a pump are connected together by a valve device. The vacuum generated by the extrusion kit can be reused instead of being discharged to the atmosphere.

[0009] Known designs for reusing stored pressure have complex and / or expensive valve designs. It would be desirable to be able to achieve a simpler and / or less expensive construction. Utility Model Content

[0010] The utility model is defined by the claims.

[0011] According to an example of one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a breast pump system, comprising:

[0012] Extrusion Kit;

[0013] Buffer parts;

[0014] a pump for delivering negative pressure, wherein the pump has a fully activated mode and a non-fully activated mode for delivering negative pressure;

[0015] a valve that selectively provides interconnection between a selected two of the pump, the buffer, and the extrusion assembly; and

[0016] Controllers for controlling valves and pumps,

[0017] Among them, the controller is suitable for controlling valves:

[0018] In a first type of stage, the buffer is coupled to the extrusion kit;

[0019] In a second type of phase, coupling the extrusion kit to the activated pump; and

[0020] In a third type of phase, the extrusion kit is coupled to a non-fully activated pump and the kit pressure is vented.

[0021] In the first type of phase, the pressure between the buffer and the extrusion kit is shared. In some applications of this phase, this will reduce the kit pressure (i.e., increase the vacuum level) when the buffer was previously at a lower pressure than the extrusion kit, and in other applications of this phase, this will increase the extrusion kit pressure (i.e., reduce the vacuum level) when the buffer was previously at a higher pressure than the extrusion kit.

[0022] In a second type of phase, the extrusion kit may be pumped to a maximum vacuum level with the pump turned on.

[0023] In the third type of stage, the extrusion kit pressure may be vented, but using the same valve configuration as the second type of stage.

[0024] In this way, a simple single valve can make it possible to reuse the vacuum pressure by using the buffer element as a temporary pressure storage device.

[0025] The system comprises, for example, a second extrusion kit, wherein the extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are supplied with the same pressure. Thus, the system can be used with a single extrusion kit or with a pair of extrusion kits. When two extrusion kits are used, the two extrusion kits are coupled together so that their pressure cycles are synchronized.

[0026] The valve comprises, for example, a (single) three-way valve.

[0027] As will be apparent from the following examples, venting of the kit pressure may be accomplished by leakage through the pump or by using a separate pneumatic valve.

[0028] The non-fully activated mode is a mode in which the pump is not used to deliver negative pressure directly to the extrusion kit. The pump can be completely turned off, but depending on the implementation, it may not be necessary to completely turn it off.

[0029] The controller is, for example, adapted to control the valves and pumps in a four-phase cycle, wherein the four phases include:

[0030] The first stage of the first type;

[0031] The second stage of the second type;

[0032] Stage 3 of the first type; and

[0033] The fourth stage of the third type.

[0034] Therefore, the four-stage cycle includes (i) sharing the buffer pressure (which is at the intermediate pressure level from the end of the fourth stage) with the extrusion kit (which has been previously exhausted) to reduce the extrusion kit pressure (i.e., increase the vacuum level), (ii) using a pump to further reduce the extrusion kit pressure to the maximum vacuum pressure, (iii) sharing the buffer pressure with the extrusion kit to increase the pressure back to the intermediate level, and (iv) exhausting the extrusion kit while maintaining the buffer at the intermediate pressure level.

[0035] Preferably, the controller is adapted to deactivate the pump in the first and third phases. In these phases, the pump is isolated from the extrusion kit and the buffer by a valve.

[0036] In one example, the pump provides a pressure leak path for said venting of the kit pressure to atmospheric conditions in the non-fully activated mode. In this way, in the third type of cycle, the pump itself provides the venting of the squeeze kit pressure. Thus, the pump can be deactivated in the fourth stage. This avoids the need for additional components to provide the venting function.

[0037] In another example, the pump acts as a closure in the non-fully activated mode, wherein the breast pump system further comprises a pneumatic valve providing a pressure leakage path in parallel with the pump for said venting of the kit pressure, the pneumatic valve being opened by the pressure of the buffer. A "closure" refers to a closed connection that does not substantially allow pressure leakage (i.e. a small leakage can be tolerated).

[0038] In this way, in the third type of phase, the additional valve enables the kit pressure to be vented. This avoids the need for a pump with a designed leakage path.

[0039] The pneumatic valve may have a user adjustable trigger pressure. This enables the pneumatic valve to be adjusted to different user settable vacuum levels to be applied to one or more extrusion kits.

[0040] In this example, the controller is preferably adapted to control the valve in a four-phase cycle, wherein the four phases include:

[0041] a first stage of the first type, wherein the pneumatic valve is closing;

[0042] a second stage of the second type in which the pneumatic valve is closed;

[0043] a third stage of the first type, wherein the pneumatic valve is opening; and

[0044] The fourth stage of the third type, wherein the pneumatic valve is open.

[0045] Thus, the four-stage cycle includes sharing the buffer pressure (which is at the intermediate pressure level from the end of the fourth stage) with the (previously exhausted) kit to reduce the kit pressure, using a pump to further reduce the kit pressure to the maximum vacuum pressure, sharing the buffer pressure with the kit to increase the pressure back to the intermediate level, and exhausting the kit while maintaining the buffer at the intermediate pressure level by using a pneumatic valve.

[0046] The utility model also provides a method for controlling a breast pump system for non-therapeutic milk expression, wherein the breast pump system has an expression kit; a buffer; a pump for delivering negative pressure, wherein the pump has a full activation mode and a non-full activation mode for delivering negative pressure; a valve, the valve selectively providing interconnection between selected two of the pump, the buffer and the expression kit; and a controller for controlling the valve and the pump;

[0047] Among them, the method includes:

[0048] Operate the controller to control pumps and valves:

[0049] In a first type of stage, the buffer is coupled to the extrusion kit;

[0050] In a second type of phase, the extrusion kit is coupled to a fully activated pump; and

[0051] In a third type of phase, the extrusion kit is coupled to a non-fully activated pump and the kit pressure is vented.

[0052] The method, for example, includes controlling the valves and pumps in a four-phase cycle using a controller, wherein the four phases include:

[0053] The first stage of the first type;

[0054] The second stage of the second type;

[0055] Stage 3 of the first type; and

[0056] The fourth stage of the third type.

[0057] The present invention also provides a computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to implement the method defined above when said program is run on a controller of a breast pump system.

[0058] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] In order to better understand the present invention, and to more clearly show how the present invention may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0060] Figure 1 A known breast pump system is shown;

[0061] Figure 2 A mother wearing two wearable breast pumps is shown;

[0062] Figure 3 A breast pump system with a shared pump between two expression sets is shown;

[0063] Figure 4 A first example of a breast pump system is shown;

[0064] Figure 5 Shows the operation Figure 4 The pressure waveform of the breast pump system;

[0065] Figure 6 A second example of a breast pump system is shown;

[0066] Figure 7 Shows the operation Figure 6 the pressure waveform of the breast pump system; and

[0067] Figure 8 Shown for use in Figure 6 Valve design in the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating exemplary embodiments of the device, system and method, are intended only for illustrative purposes and not to limit the scope of the present invention. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the device, system and method of the present invention will be better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these figures are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals represent the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.

[0070] The utility model provides a breast pump system, comprising an extrusion kit, a pump and a buffer. A valve selectively provides interconnection between the pump, the buffer and the extrusion kit. The valve is controlled to connect the buffer to the extrusion kit in a first type of stage, connect the extrusion kit to an activated pump in a second type of stage; and connect the extrusion kit to the pump and discharge kit pressure in a third type of stage. These different stages enable the generation of cyclic pressure waveforms for the two kits, wherein energy consumption is reduced by reducing pressure discharge (i.e., discharging air) during a cycle using a buffer.

[0071] Figure 1 A known breast pump system 1 is shown, comprising a single expression set 2 and a pump device 3 connected via a tube 4. The pump device comprises various components besides the pump and can therefore be regarded as a universal operating unit.

[0072] The expression kit 2 is formed by a body 7, a funnel 5 for accommodating the user's breast and a container 6 for collecting expressed milk. The funnel 5 and the container 6 are connected to the body 7. The body 7 includes a vacuum chamber. A flexible membrane or diaphragm is located in the vacuum chamber. The membrane prevents the expressed milk from flowing into the tube 4, which leads to the pump device unit 3.

[0073] The pump device 3 may alternatively be mounted and connected directly to the body 7. In this case, the membrane prevents the expressed milk from flowing directly into the pump device 3.

[0074] The pump device 3 includes a controller 10, a power supply 12, a motor 14 and a vacuum pump 16. The vacuum pump includes, for example, a membrane / volume pump driven by a motor. The controller 10 controls the operation of the power supply 12 and the motor 14 (and thereby controls the vacuum pump 16). The pump device 3 also includes a vacuum exhaust component, such as a solenoid valve 18.

[0075] In use, the vacuum pump applies a vacuum to a membrane located in the body 7, causing it to deform. The membrane deforms to create a vacuum in the funnel 5, which in turn applies a vacuum to the breast, thereby enabling milk to be expressed. Although the breast pump system 1 is described as including a membrane so that the vacuum is applied indirectly to the breast, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the vacuum is applied directly to the breast of the user. In this case, the breast pump system does not include a membrane, and the vacuum created by the vacuum pump is applied directly to the breast. In this case, the pump would be washable or disposable.

[0076] The vacuum is applied to the breast at intervals. That is, a pressure differential is applied on a cyclic basis. In this known system, after the vacuum has been established, the pressure from the vacuum is vented using a solenoid valve that is temporarily opened. The solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve that is configured to open and close an air passage connecting the vacuum side of the vacuum pump to the ambient air, so that when the solenoid valve is closed, the vacuum pump generates a vacuum in the expression kit, thereby enabling milk to be expressed from the user's breast. When the solenoid valve is opened, the vacuum generated by the vacuum pump is vented as the ambient air flows to the vacuum or negative pressure generated by the vacuum pump, so that the pressure applied to the user's breast is partially or completely reduced.

[0077] This is a basic description of the known operation of a standard breast pump system.

[0078] There are also wearable breast pumps, for example for mounting in a nursing bra. All the above drive train components are then formed in a housing that fits over the breast. In one design, the top section contains the drive train (pump, motor, controller) and the bottom section forms the collection vessel. This enables a more discrete expression of the milk. Of course, other designs are possible.

[0079] Figure 2 A mother wearing two wearable breast pumps 20 is shown.

[0080] In this design, Figure 1 The funnel 5 is realized as a breast shield and the breast shield is accommodated in the housing of the wearable breast pump.

[0081] The present invention will be described with reference to a breast pump system having two expression kits. Each expression kit is a component intended to fit over a user's breast and comprises, for example, a breast shield and optionally a membrane (called a "membrane") between the breast shield and the breast, such that the membrane limits components of the breast pump system that may be contaminated by milk. However, the present invention can also be applied to a single expression kit.

[0082] The utility model particularly relates to reducing energy losses when discharging an extrusion assembly to the surrounding environment.

[0083] An example of the invention applied to a breast pump system with two expression sets will be described below.

[0084] Figure 3 A breast pump system is shown comprising a first expression kit 30 and a second expression kit 32. Each expression kit is a wearable device and each expression kit comprises a breast shield. A single pump is provided for operating both expression kits. In the example shown, the pump is located at one expression kit and a coupling 34 is provided between the expression kits so that a single pump can deliver negative pressure to both expression kits. Each expression kit may comprise a milk sensor for sensing milk flow and for measuring the flow rate.

[0085] In a typical arrangement, the extrusion kits are separate and identical. However, if Figure 3 As shown, the extrusion kits may also have different sets of components to reduce duplication of hardware. For example, US2020 / 155738 discloses a wearable breast pump having two extrusion kits, but only one extrusion kit has a controller or battery or pump used by both extrusion kits.

[0086] The preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a design with a shared pump used by two extrusion kits, such as Figure 3 The whole system can be wearable (so that the pump is located at one of the extrusion kits) or can be portable, for example, the pump 16 is remote from the extrusion kit, for example mounted on a belt. When one extrusion kit has a pump, other components (such as a controller or battery or valves) can be located at the other kit to balance the weight and size / shape of the two extrusion kits.

[0087] Figure 4 A first example of a breast pump system is shown comprising a first extrusion kit 40, a second extrusion kit 42 and a buffer. The first extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are connected to a shared pressure input so that pressure cycles applied to the first extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are synchronized.

[0088] In this example, a shared pump 44 is used to deliver negative pressure to two extrusion kits. The pump has a fully activated mode in which the pump delivers maximum negative pressure. The pump also has a non-fully activated mode. This mode can be a mode in which the pump is completely turned off, or it can be a mode in which the pump delivers a lower negative pressure.

[0089] A valve 48 selectively provides interconnection between the pump 44, the buffer 46 and a selected two of the extrusion assembly pairs 40, 42. A controller 50 is provided to control the valves and pumps.

[0090] The system is intended to deliver a cyclic pressure waveform to an extrusion kit. In particular, a cycle with four stages is provided. The valves and pumps are controlled in different ways in different stages. In particular, there is a first type of stage in which the buffer is connected to the extrusion kit (and the pump is isolated), a second type of stage in which the extrusion kit is connected to an activated pump (and the buffer is isolated), and a third type of stage in which the extrusion kit is connected to the pump, but the pump is not fully activated at this time. The third type of stage isolates the buffer. In the third type of stage, the extrusion kit is vented to atmospheric pressure or baseline pressure. This venting can be achieved in different ways, and Figure 4 The example of represents a first way to achieve emission.

[0091] exist Figure 4 In an arrangement of , when the pump is in a non-fully activated mode (in this case a deactivated mode), a pressure leak path is presented through which the pump output is coupled to atmospheric pressure (or again to a selected baseline pressure, for example by means of a passive control valve). In this way, in the third type of cycle, the pump itself provides venting of the extrusion set pressure. This avoids the need for additional components to provide a venting function.

[0092] Figure 4 The four stages of the pressure cycle are shown.

[0093] The first stage is of the first type. During this first stage, the pressure between the buffer and the extrusion kit is shared. The pump is in a non-fully activated mode, for example deactivated. However, the pump can still be operated at a lower setting, because the output of the pump is in any case isolated by the three-way valve. In this first stage, once the system reaches balanced cyclic operation, this pressure sharing reduces the extrusion kit pressure (i.e. increases the vacuum level), because the buffer was previously at a lower pressure than the extrusion kit (as will be clear from the following description).

[0094] The second stage is of the second type. During this second stage, the extrusion kit is pumped to the maximum vacuum level with the pump turned on. The pump is active.

[0095] The pump can be controlled to deliver a single constant pressure, ie the highest negative pressure level. Thus, the generation of the cyclic pressure waveform is a result of controlling the valve and using the stored pressure in the buffer, rather than through control of the pump output waveform.

[0096] However, a waveform may also be applied to the output pressure generated by the pump to make the transition between the different phases smoother. There may also be a small overlap between the different phases to make the transition smoother.

[0097] The third stage is of the first type, so that pressure is again shared between the buffer and the extrusion kit. However, in this case, this increases the kit pressure (i.e., reduces the vacuum level) because the extrusion kit has been driven by the pump to a lower pressure (higher degree of vacuum) than the buffer in the previous stage of the cycle. The pump is deactivated.

[0098] The fourth stage is of the third type. In this example, the extrusion set pressure is vented by leaking through the pump in the deactivated state. The valve is in the same configuration as in the second type of stage.

[0099] Thus, the four-stage cycle includes (i) sharing the buffer pressure (at the intermediate pressure level from the end of the fourth stage) with one or more extrusion kits (which have been previously vented) to reduce the kit pressure (i.e., increase the vacuum level), (ii) using the pump to further reduce the kit pressure to the maximum vacuum pressure, (iii) sharing the buffer pressure with the kit to increase the pressure back to the intermediate level, and (iv) venting the kit while maintaining the buffer at the intermediate pressure level. At this point, the intermediate pressure level is the beginning of the first stage discussed above.

[0100] Figure 5 The resulting pressure waveform applied to the extrusion set using the method described above is shown.

[0101] Figure 6 A second example of a breast pump system is shown which also includes a first extrusion kit 40, a second extrusion kit 42 and a buffer 46. The first extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are connected to a shared pressure input so that the pressure cycles applied to the first extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are synchronized. In this example, a single pump 44 is also used to deliver negative pressure. A valve 48 selectively provides interconnection between the pump 44, the buffer 46 and a selected two of the extrusion kit pairs 40, 42. A controller 50 is provided to control the valves and pumps.

[0102] This example is similar to Figure 4 The difference is that the breast pump system also includes a pneumatic valve 60 for providing a pressure leakage path in parallel with the pump 44. The pneumatic valve is opened by the pressure of the buffer. In this case, the pump does not need to provide a leakage path. Instead, the pump has an activation mode for delivering negative pressure, and a deactivation mode that acts as a shut-off (although allowing some leakage).

[0103] The controller is also preferably adapted to control the valve in a four-phase cycle, wherein the four phases are as follows: Figure 6 shown.

[0104] The first phase is of a first type. During this first phase, the pressure between the buffer and the extrusion kit is shared. The pump is in a non-fully activated mode, for example deactivated. However, the pump can still be operated at a lower setting, since the output of the pump is in any case isolated by the three-way valve. In this first phase, this pressure sharing causes the extrusion kit to be depressurized (i.e. the vacuum level is increased), since the buffer was previously at a lower pressure than the extrusion kit (as will be clear from the description below). The resulting increased pressure of the buffer is used to close the pneumatic valve, which is therefore closed during the first phase.

[0105] In this example, when the pressure is low enough, ie the vacuum is strong enough, the pneumatic valve opens.

[0106] The second phase is of the second type. During this second phase, the extrusion set is pumped to the maximum vacuum level with the pump turned on. The pump is therefore active. The pneumatic valve remains closed because the buffer pressure has not changed.

[0107] The third stage is of the first type, so that pressure is again shared between the buffer and the extrusion kit. However, in this case, this increases the extrusion kit pressure (i.e. reduces the vacuum level) because the extrusion kit has been driven by the pump to a lower pressure (higher degree of vacuum) than the buffer in the previous stage of the cycle. The pump is in a non-fully activated mode, for example deactivated. The pump can again be run at a lower setting, because the output of the pump is in any case isolated by the three-way valve.

[0108] Pressure sharing reduces the buffer pressure (ie creates a stronger vacuum), causing the pneumatic valve to open, but the three-way valve isolates the pneumatic valve from the extrusion kit. The resulting reduced pressure of the buffer is used to open the pneumatic valve, so the pneumatic valve opens during the third stage.

[0109] The fourth stage has the third type. The extrusion kit pressure is vented through the pneumatic valve. The pneumatic valve remains open, but the three-way valve now provides a connection to the extrusion kit.

[0110] Figure 7 The final pressure waveform applied to the extrusion kit using the above method is shown. The dashed waveform 70 shows the buffer pressure, and the line 72 shows the pressure threshold below which the pneumatic valve opens (i.e., the pneumatic valve opens when there is sufficient vacuum in the buffer). A higher pressure (lower vacuum) for the threshold corresponds to a better start-up phase.

[0111] It can be seen that the valve opens in phase 4 / 4, changes from open to closed in phase 1 / 4, and changes from closed to open in phase 3 / 4.

[0112] Figure 8An example of a possible pneumatic valve is shown in a closed configuration (top) and an open configuration (bottom). The valve comprises a spring 80 closing a diaphragm 82. There is a force on the diaphragm from the spring, and from the internal pressure P of the chamber closed by the diaphragm. In this example, a sufficiently large negative pressure P will overcome the bias of the spring to open the valve.

[0113] The correct spring force is required to open and close the valve in response to pressure fluctuations in the buffer. Such pressure fluctuations depend mainly on the pressure setting of the extrusion kit. When the user sets different pumping pressure settings, the spring force needs to be adjusted. This can be achieved, for example, by an adjustment mechanism that reduces or increases the spring pretension. In this way, the pneumatic valve can have a user-adjustable trigger pressure so that the pneumatic valve can be adjusted to different user-settable vacuum levels to be applied to the extrusion kit.

[0114] The pump used in the above examples is, for example, a radial fan connected to an electric motor. However, other solutions may be more energy-efficient and less noisy, such as using a motor to rotate in a dynamic or static manner to open or close a valve system that is integrated in a more common pump used in a breast pump. These pumps include, for example, a positive displacement pump, such as a diaphragm pump, or a piston pump. In the case of a piston pump, a valve system driven by a camshaft may be used.

[0115] for Figure 4 In a first example, the operation timing of the three-way valve and the operation timing of the pump can be configured to achieve a desired pressure waveform. For example, the opening and closing times of the pump can be different from the opening and closing times of the valve. Therefore, the different stages can be considered to overlap because the switching functions between the stages do not need to occur at exactly the same time.

[0116] Similarly, for Figure 6 In a second example, the operation timing of the three-way valve and the operation timing of the pneumatic valve can be configured to achieve a desired pressure waveform. The operation timing of the pneumatic valve is adjusted, for example, by changing the pressure threshold 72 at which it switches. This can be achieved by changing the spring force of the spring valve. Similarly, the opening and closing times of the pneumatic valve can be different from the opening and closing times of the three-way valve.

[0117] These measures enable, for example, a smoother kit pressure waveform to be produced.

[0118] The pressure waveform will depend on the relative volumes of one or more extrusion kits and the buffer. Typically, the extrusion kit and the buffer have approximately the same volume. However, the relative volumes can also be designed to achieve a desired kit pressure waveform. The buffer volume can also be adjusted by the user. The user can, for example, be able to use a buffer for one or two extrusion kits and adjust the volume accordingly. The buffer volume can also be used to control the energy gain level or the characteristics of the final pressure curve.

[0119] The above waveforms are for steady state cyclic operation of the system. In practice, there will be an initial settling time as the first stage will first start with ambient pressure in the buffer. Therefore, the system will take some cycles for the buffer to reach its steady state pressure level (e.g. Figure 7 in stages 2 / 4 and 4 / 4).

[0120] By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations to the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed utility model. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0121] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0122] If the term "suitable for" is used in the claims or the specification, it should be noted that the term "suitable for" is intended to be equivalent to the term "configured to".

[0123] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A breast pump system, characterized in that: include: Extrusion kit (40); Buffer (46); a pump (44) for delivering negative pressure, wherein the pump has a fully activated mode and a non-fully activated mode for delivering the negative pressure; a valve (48) selectively providing interconnection between a selected two of the pump, the buffer, and the extrusion kit; and a controller (50) for controlling the valve and the pump, Wherein, the controller is suitable for controlling the valve: In a first type of stage, the buffer is coupled to the extrusion kit; In a second type of phase, the extrusion kit is coupled to an activated pump; and In a third type of phase, the extrusion kit is coupled to a non-fully activated pump and the kit pressure is vented.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that A second extrusion kit (42) is included, wherein the extrusion kit and the second extrusion kit are supplied at the same pressure.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The valve (48) comprises a three-way valve.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The controller is adapted to control the valve and the pump in a four-phase cycle, wherein the four phases include: the first stage of the first type; a second stage of said second type; a third stage of the first type; and The fourth stage of the third type.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The controller is adapted to deactivate the pump in the first phase and the third phase.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The pump provides a pressure leak path for the venting of the kit pressure in the non-fully activated mode.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that The pump acts as a closure member in the non-fully activated mode, wherein the breast pump system further comprises a pneumatic valve (60) providing a pressure leakage path in parallel with the pump for the discharge of the kit pressure, the pneumatic valve being opened by the pressure of the buffer member.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that The pneumatic valve (60) has a user-adjustable trigger pressure.

9. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that The controller is adapted to control the valve in a four-stage cycle, the four stages comprising: a first stage of the first type wherein the pneumatic valve is closing; a second stage of the second type wherein the pneumatic valve is closed; a third stage of the first type, wherein the pneumatic valve is opening; and The fourth stage of the third type, wherein the pneumatic valve is open.

Images