Patent Publication Number: US-10307521-B2

Title: Hands-free breast pump adapter system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to breast-milk collection systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to hands-free breast pump systems and hands-free breast shield adapters. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Studies show that mother&#39;s breast milk is more healthy for infants than formula or other types of milk. While mothers strive to provide the best environment for their children, sometimes this requires that the mother cannot be with a nursing infant at all times. For example, some women work outside the home some amount of time during the day. A nursing mother who works outside the home must collect milk during the day to provide breast milk for her child when she is away from her child. If a nursing mother does not utilize a breast pump, her milk production can wane, such that she is not able to produce enough milk for her infant. Thus, many working mothers collect breast milk to be able to work and provide the best nourishment for their infants. To accommodate nursing mothers, breast pumps for expressing breast milk for later use by their infants have been around for some time. 
     Typically, these breast pumps include a funnel, or parabolic-shaped cup, similar to a suction cup (sometimes referred to as a breast shield), which is placed over the nipple and a portion of the breast. The cup is generally connected to a container for holding the expressed milk and a vacuum pump of some type. Some pumps may be hand-activated, while others are electrically operated. Some are even battery powered. 
     A vacuum from the pump is generally intermittently generated within the shield to generate negative pressure on the nipple, causing milk to be expressed from the breast within the breast shield. The intermittent nature of the vacuum may be done to simulate a baby sucking at the breast for milk. The expressed milk then generally flows from the shield to a storage container for later use. Most breast pumps require that the woman use her hands to operate the pump and/or maintain connection with the cup and her breast. Such breast pumps have been time consuming and somewhat awkward to use because the woman using the pump must occupy one or both hands, making it difficult to perform other activities. 
     A variety of breast pumps have been developed that are intended to allow a woman&#39;s hands to be free during use of the breast pump. Often, these breast pumps utilize straps, or bra-type structures for holding the shield in place during milk expression. However, these straps and other structures generally provide for additional bulk in the breast pump and are difficult and time consuming to attach, which is not conducive to pumping in locations other than home where the pump may be stored. Some women desire to be out of the house during times when she would need to pump breast milk to maintain milk production. Other pumps require special bras or other clothing, requiring often uncomfortable choices in clothing. Similarly, many breast pumps on the market are uncomfortable, and difficult to use. Thus, a need exists for a simple, comfortable, hands-free breast pump system which enables a woman to do other things while pumping breast milk. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of hands-free breast pump systems, methods, adapters and components are described. Some embodiments of breast pump systems may include a formed member, or breast shield, made of a material that provides for an adhesive inner surface for adhering to a woman&#39;s breast. The adhesiveness of the surface may be due to the materials used during manufacturing (i.e. a breast shield which is made from an adhesive material or has an adhesive added or applied during the manufacturing processes) and not due to adhesive sprays, lotions, or other items placed on the breast shield or the breast by the end-user. In the alternative, adhesive could be added to the breast shield either to make it adhesive or to renew the adhesive qualities of the breast shield lost during use and washing by the end user. Such could be provided, for example, in a kit which allows the user to renew the adhesive qualities when they are lost. 
     In some embodiments, breast pump systems may include a breast shield adapter or coupling connected to the breast shield for transferring a vacuum generated by a pump to the breast to express milk. The breast shield adapter also allows milk expressed from the breast to drain from the adapter to a container, without travelling into the pump. In some embodiments, the breast shield adheres to the breast due to the adhesive and supports the weight of the adapter, breast shield, and tubing extending from the adapter without the need for separate adhesives, gels, straps, or specially designed support bras. In other embodiments, the adhesive qualities of the breast shield may be enhanced by the user applying adhesive to the breast shield. Thus, the adhesive breast shield and breast pump system may allow for hands-free expression of milk. 
     In some embodiments, a breast pump system comprises a breast shield for adhesive attachment to the breast, one or more tubes for conveying vacuum pressure and milk and a connector for plugging into the breast shield or adapter of a conventional breast pump system. In such an embodiment, a conventional pump system can be used when desired, and the hands-free components quickly added without altering the conventional pump system when hands-free pumping is desired. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a generalized perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a breast pump system; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a generalized perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a breast pump system; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a partial assembly of an exemplary breast pump system; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates components of a partial assembly of an exemplary breast pump system; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a partial assembly of an exemplary breast pump system; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lid assembly of an exemplary breast pump system; 
         FIGS. 7 through 9  illustrate views of exemplary breast shields of exemplary embodiments of a breast pump system; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of a hands-free breast shield adapter system which can be used with a conventional breast pump system to obtain hands-free collection of breast milk without having to modify the conventional breast pump system; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates the breast shield adapter system of  FIG. 10  connected to a breast shield and/or adapter of a conventional breast pump system; 
         FIG. 12  shows a cross-sectional view of the breast shield and related structures of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  shows a close-up view of a connector used for connecting the breast shield adapter system of  FIG. 10  into a conventional breast shield of a conventional breast pump system; 
         FIG. 14  shows a close-up view of an alternate embodiment of a connector; and 
         FIG. 15  shows a pair of breast shields connected to a single conventional breast shield and container in accordance with principles of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Together with the following description, the Figures demonstrate and explain the principles of a hands free breast pump system and associated components and methods. In the Figures, the thickness and configuration of components may be exaggerated for clarity. The same reference numerals in different Figures represent the same component. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of a hands-free breast pump system are described below and shown in the Figures. Breast pump system  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a breast shield  10 , an adapter  20 , pump  30 , vacuum line  35 , vacuum line connector  29 , container connector  24 , and container  40 . 
     The breast shield  10  will typically have an outer surface  16  and an inner surface  14 . The breast shield  10  may be made of a relatively soft, flexible material capable of conforming to a woman&#39;s breast. Not only is the soft, flexible material more comfortable, it can also help to adhere the breast shield to the breast as the breast shield can be rolled outwardly, placed against the breast and then released so that the inner surface conforms to the woman&#39;s breast. 
     Inner surface  14  is preferably adhesive in nature so that breast shield  10  will adhere to a woman&#39;s breast without the need for external support structures (although such structures could be used if desired). This may be due to the inner surface being made from a naturally adhesive material, or due to adhesive applied to the inner surface of the breast shield. It will be appreciated that adhesive may also be provided to renew the adhesive nature of the inner surface which may be lost due to use and washing of the breast shield. Thus, the breast shield  10  may be sold as part of a kit which includes adhesive to allow the user to apply additional adhesive to the breast shield to ensure that the adhesive is strong enough to support the weight of the breast pump system  100  and milk contained in the container  40 . 
     Because of the adhesive nature of inner surface  14  of the breast shield  10 , inner surface  14  may attract dirt, lint, skin cells, oil, and other materials that may reduce the adhesiveness of inner surface  14 . In that situation, inner surface  14  may be washed with soap and water, boiled, or otherwise cleaned to restore the adhesiveness of inner surface  14 . Over time, breast shield  10  may become worn, lose some adhesion properties, or otherwise require replacement. In such cases, the breast shield  10  may be removed from adapter  20  and replaced as necessary. Additionally, a cleanser may be provided as part of a kit to allow cleaning of the adhesive inner surface  14  with minimal impact on the adhesive. 
     The adhesive nature of inner surface  14  of the breast shield  10  preferably allows breast shield  10  to remain affixed to a woman&#39;s breast during the duration required to express a required or desired amount of milk or until dry. Preferably, though not required, the adhesive portion may cover most, if not all, of the inner surface  14  to maximize the area of the breast shield which is available to support the weight of the breast pump system  100  and the milk in the container  40 . This allows the breast shield  10  to be used in a hands-free manner. This may be done without the need for separate consumer applied adhesives, gels, straps, or specialty bras designed for holding a breast pump system in place, (although additional adhesive may be added as needed). Similarly, it allows use of breast pump system  100  without requiring the woman to hold breast shield  10  in place with her hands. Therefore, a woman using the breast shield  10  with pump system  100  may be able to express milk and still have use of her hands free for other activities. Thus, for example, a woman at work could close her office door, attach the breast pump system and then express milk while continuing to type, talk on the telephone or do a number of other activities which require use of the hands. Additionally, the breast shield  10  may be more comfortable than previously known breast shields because it conforms to the breast. 
     It will be appreciated that pump  30  may be a manual pump in which case the woman may use one hand to drive the pump while leaving the other hand free for other tasks. In the alternative, pump  30  may be a powered pump running on A/C current or batteries thereby leaving both hands of the woman free during the pumping process. Either way, the adhesive nature of the breast shield allows the woman to perform tasks which would not be feasible if she were required to use one hand to hold the breast shield to the breast during use. Additionally, the present invention obviates the requirement for specialty bras and the like configured to hold a conventional breast shield. 
     The breast shield  10  may be made from any appropriate material that imparts the desired attributes of flexibility and adhesiveness to skin. In certain embodiments, breast shield  10  may be made from an elastomeric material that has been sufficiently plasticized along inner surface  14  to provide the desired material characteristics. For example, the breast shield  10  may be made from a silicone rubber with suitable plasticizers. In other examples, the breast shield  10  may be made from Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene (SEBS), Styrene-Ethylene-Propylene-Styrene (SEPS), and Styrene-Ethylene-Ethylene-Propylene-Styrene (SEEPS) copolymers. Other materials may also be appropriate. For example, suitable plasticizers for elastomers may include oils such as mineral oils, resins, rosins, and others. Other components may be used with the elastomers as well, such as antioxidants, colorants, bleed reducing additives, etc. Furthermore, fragrances, such as a baby powder or other calming sent may also be included. 
     In some embodiments, a coating may be applied during manufacture to provide the necessary adhesive properties. Depending on the desired structure, rigidity, softness, etc., any suitable process or materials may be used to construct the breast shield  10 , as desired. For example, in some instances it may be desirable to have more or less rigidity than others. 
     The material used in forming the breast shield  10  may be manufactured by solvent blending, melt blending, or compounding under heat and pressure such as by use of a single screw or twin screw compounding machine or otherwise. Breast shield  10  may be constructed by injection molding, casting, or another desired process. 
     The breast shield  10  may be configured in any shape and dimension compatible with a woman&#39;s breast, as desired. For example, some embodiments of breast shield  10  may be funnel-shaped or cup-shaped. It should be understood that breast shield  10  may be produced and marketed in a number of sizes and shapes in order to be compatible with a wide range of breast dimensions, profiles, and shapes. The breast shield  10  may include opening  12  for connecting the breast shield  10  to the connector sleeve  22  of the adapter  20 . The breast shield  10  may also be manufactured to work with known breast pump systems in place of the conventional breast shield. 
     In some embodiments, the breast shield  10  may be able to invert, such that inner surface  14  is temporarily on the outside and outer surface  16  is temporarily on the inside. By inverting the breast shield  10  a woman using breast pump system  100  may be able to achieve a tighter, more secure fit. A woman may first place an opening of the adapter  20  over the nipple in a desired position, and then extending or rolling the breast shield  10  over the breast as the breast shield is returned to the normal state, ensuring maximum contact, fit, and adhesive contact between the breast shield  10  and the breast. With the breast shield attached to the breast, the adhesive inner surface  14  engages the breast and is able to support the weight of the breast pump system  100  and collected milk. 
     Turning now to adapter  20 , embodiments of the adapter  20  may provide for introducing a vacuum to the woman&#39;s breast and for directing the flow of milk to a container  40 . The adapter  20  may include a connector for connecting to the breast shield  10 . For example, the adapter  20  may include a connector sleeve  22  that forms an interference connection with the opening  12  and inner surface  14  of the breast shield  10 . The opening  12  may be stretched around the sleeve  22  to form an interference fit. The end of the sleeve  22  may be configured to seal against or around the areola of a breast. The sleeve  22  may also be configured so that the nipple of the breast extends inside the sleeve  22 . Thus, the adapter  20  may come in different sizes to accommodate breasts having different nipple sizes. The inner surface  14  may be configured to adhere to the skin of the breast surrounding the areola. It will be appreciated, that it may be desirable for the inner surface not to seal over the areola so that the breast shield does not interfere with the pumping action of the breast pump system. 
     In some embodiments, the sleeve  22  may be generally flush with the opening  12  in the breast shield  10 . For example, the sleeve  22  may include a groove or lip on or near the edge extending into the breast shield  10  for holding the inside of the opening  12 . Similarly, the opening  12  of the breast shield  10  may include a complimentary structure to allow coupling of the sleeve  22  and breast shield  10 . In other embodiments, the adapter  20  and the breast shield  10  may be a unitary structure. 
     The adapter  20  may include a connector  24  for connecting adapter  20  to the container  40 . For example, the connector  24  may be threaded to engage threads on the container  40 . The adapter  20  may be configured such that milk drawn into the adapter  20  drains into the container  40 , without going into the pump  30 . The container  40  may be any container used for receiving expressed milk or a modification thereof. For example, the container  40  may be a standard baby bottle, or other container commonly used to store and/or deliver milk to an infant. 
     The adapter  20  may be connected through a vacuum line connector  29  to the pump  30  via a vacuum line  35 . Negative pressure generated by the pump  30  may be transmitted to the adapter  20  via the vacuum line  35  and thereby to the interior of the breast shield  10  and sleeve  22 . The pump  30  may be any pump or device suitable for delivering vacuum pressure sufficient for expressing milk. Vacuum line  35  may be made of any material capable of transferring negative pressure from the pump  30  to the adapter  20 , and may be any desired configuration. For example, the vacuum line  35  may be plastic tubing, such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) tubing. 
     The vacuum line  35  may be connected to the pump  30  and vacuum line connector  29  of the adapter  20  via any type of connector desired. For example, the vacuum line connector  29  may include an opening about the same diameter or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the vacuum line  35 , providing for a press or interference fit of the outside of the vacuum line into the adapter  20 . Similarly, the vacuum line connector  29  may include an inner flange for an appropriate fit with the inner surface of the vacuum line  35 . Similarly, the vacuum line connector  29  may be oriented in any desired direction from the adapter  20 , depending on the desired location of the pump  30 . For example, the vacuum line connector  29  may be oriented such that the vacuum line  35  extends collinearly with a drain line  45  to minimize the profile of adapter  20  when attached to a breast. Thus, for example, a woman could position the system beneath her shirt with minimal disruption to its normal appearance. 
     In some embodiments, the adapter  20  may be specially designed to meet the functional requirements described herein. In any of the embodiments, it may be desirable to have the adapter  20  be as small as possible to reduce the weight of adapter  20 . Similarly, the adapter  20  may be made of light materials to reduce the weight being born by breast shield  10 , and the woman&#39;s breast. The adapter  20  may also be manufactured to be compatible with any desired commercially available pump. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates other embodiments of breast pump system  100  similar to embodiments shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 2 , the container  40  is coupled to the adapter  20  via a drain line  45 . The drain line  45  may be coupled to the adapter  20  and the container connector  24 . The container connector  24  may contain a valve that closes when negative pressure is generated by the pump  30 , creating a vacuum. This valve would open when the pump cycles off the negative pressure, allowing milk to drain into the container  40 . Similarly, such a valve may be located on the adapter  20 , or as an in-line valve in drain line  45 . 
     Drain line  45  may be long enough that the container  40  may be supported by something other than the adapter  20  and breast shield  10 . Depending on the desired use, the drain line  45  may be 6 inches, 10-12 inches or even longer. For example, the container  40  may rest on a table or chair while a woman is expressing milk, or may be held on a belt or other supporting structure. A longer drain line allows the woman more mobility without having to drag the bottle around. Thus, for example, a drain line of 24 inches may allow a woman to comfortably move around her desk while expressing milk and without moving the container  40 . 
     Drain line  45  may be any device capable of transferring milk from the adapter  20  to the container  40 . For example, the drain line  45  may be plastic tubing, such as PVC tubing, silicone or other food grade material. The drain line  45  may be connected to the adapter  20  and the container  40  via any type of connection means desired. In some embodiments, such as is shown in  FIG. 5 , adapter  20  may be able to connect directly to the container  40 , or to the drain line  45 , as desired. Thus, a woman is able to adjust the system  100  for her particular needs at the moment. 
     Reducing the weight that must be supported by the adapter  20  reduces the weight that must be supported by the adhesive connection of breast shield  10  to a woman&#39;s breast, and consequently, by the woman&#39;s breast. Therefore, the embodiment of  FIG. 2  reduces the adhesive required in the embodiments of  FIG. 1  for breast shield  10  to stay adhesively connected to a woman&#39;s breast in a hands-free manner. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the interior of an embodiment of the adapter  20 . The adapter  20  may include an interior passageway  28  divided into a liquid passageway  26  and a vacuum passageway  27  by a diverter  23 . The diverter  23  may be positioned to prevent expressed milk from being sucked into the pump  30 . When in use, milk will be expressed into passageway  28 . The diverter  23  channels the milk down liquid passageway  26 , and further down by gravity into the container  40 . The vacuum line connector  29  is attached to the pump  30 , which supplies the negative pressure to express the milk. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates components of unassembled breast pump system  100  as may be provided to an end user. The system  100  may include the breast shield  10 , adapter  20 , line connector  46 , vacuum line  35 , and drain line  45 . Line connector  46  may be placed in the opening of a fluid storage container, such as container  40 . Line connector  46  may be coupled to both vacuum line  35  and drain line  45 , with vacuum line  35  going to a pump, such as pump  30 , and drain line  45  going to adapter  20 . In some embodiments, vacuum line connector  29  may be capped, as the vacuum is drawn through container  40  and drain line  45 , instead of directly through adapter  20 . Similarly, in some embodiments, both lines  35  and  45  may function as drain lines  45  running from dual adapters  10  to the same container  40  through line connector  46 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates twin drain lines  45  connected to twin adapters  20  and breast shields  10  that may be used to express milk from both breasts simultaneously. A single pump or multiple pumps may be coupled to adapters  20  as required. Similarly, each of drain lines  45  may be connected to the same or a different container  40 , and may be connected together with a “Y” connector to drain into a single bottle through a single drain line  45 . Similarly, a single vacuum line from a single pump may be split with a “Y” connector to attach to both adapters  20 . It will be understood that lines  35  and  45  may be connected in any manner to their respective devices and locations, similar to as discussed with respect to vacuum line connector  29  above. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a portion of an exemplary breast pump system with container connector  124 . Container connector  124  may include valve  137  connected to vacuum line  35  through vacuum line connector  129 . Container connector  124  may be coupled to fluid container  40  and drain line  45  similar to embodiments of connector  24  discussed above. However, container connector  124  may allow drain line  45  to both carry the expressed milk to fluid container  40 , and to carry the vacuum pressure from vacuum line  35 , making it possible to have only one connection to adapter  20 , as previously described. 
     Valve  137  may include collapsible bladder  139 , which may collapse as a vacuum is drawn from vacuum line  35 , thus producing a pressure drop in fluid container  40 , drain line  45  and adapter  20  sufficient to cause milk from a lactating woman&#39;s breast to be expressed. The expressed milk may then be drawn down drain line  45  into fluid container  40 . Valve  137  may also include air passageways  138  in communication with the interior of fluid container  40 . 
     Container connector  124  may be connected to fluid container  40  with a threaded connection, similar to the connection of connector  24  to fluid container  40  described above. Burp valve  150  may provide for the expulsion of excess pressure from fluid container  40  as milk collects in container  40  to allow valve  137  to continue to provide negative pressure to fluid container  40  and drain line  45 . 
     In some embodiments, valve  137  may be an in-line valve placed in vacuum line  35 , and may be constructed in any manner that allows a vacuum to be drawn in drain line  45  while eliminating the possibility of fluid from travelling from fluid container  40  through vacuum line  35  and into pump  30 . In some embodiments, valve  137  may not be needed, depending on the configuration of the various parts and components of the breast pump system. 
       FIGS. 7 through 9  illustrate exemplary embodiments of breast shield  10  of  FIGS. 1-5 . Each of breast shields  310 ,  410 ,  510  includes surface features  318 ,  418 ,  518 , respectively. Breast shield  310  includes surface features  318  resembling flower petals extending outwardly from adapter  20 . Similarly, breast shield  410  includes surface features  418  resembling bubbles, and breast shield  510  includes surface features  518  resembling leaves or other nature-styled images. Surface features  318 ,  418 ,  518  may provide structure, and may provide additional adhesion for inner surface  14 . Similarly, as shown in the Figures, adapter  20  may be provided in a number of different profiles and designs. 
     While the embodiments described above provide marked advantages over conventional breast pump systems, modifications are necessary to conventional systems in order to provide the hands-free breast pumping of the invention. In some scenarios, the modifications may potentially void warrantees for the systems. In others, the user may already own and use a conventional breast pump system, but would like the hands-free benefits of the present invention at certain times. Thus,  FIG. 10  shows a hands-free breast shield adapter system, generally indicated at  600 . The breast shield adapter system  600  preferably includes a breast shield  610  which is designed to adhere to a woman&#39;s breast in a hands-free manner during both negative and neutral pressure cycles of pumping. This is typically accomplished by providing the breast shield  610  with an adhesive on an inner surface  614  thereof. The adhesive may cover the entire inner surface  614  or may only form a strip which is adequate to hold the breast shield  610  to a woman&#39;s breast and maintain a substantially airtight seal during the pumping process. 
     It is preferred that the inner surface  614  of the breast shield  610  be either formed with an adhesive material or that adhesive is applied during the manufacturing process. However, it will be appreciated that adhesive may be applied to the breast shield by the user either to initially provide adhesive qualities or to renew adhesive qualities lost by use and/or washing. 
     The breast shield  610  is connected to a coupling  620  which may be similar to the adapter  20  discussed above (and “coupling” as used herein includes such an adapter unless indicated to the contrary). Specifically, the coupling may be configured to be adjacent to and/or receive the nipple and extend around the areola of the woman&#39;s breast. For reasons which will be discussed below, however, the coupling  620  typically will not need to be connected directly to a vacuum line and will not need separate vacuum pressure and milk flow. Rather, the coupling  620  connects the breast shield  610  to a drain line  645  which is desired to carry milk away from the breast shield  610  and coupling  620 . The drain line  645  can be used both to carry the expressed milk to the container  674 , and to draw a negative pressure in the coupling  620 /breast shield  610  to encourage the expression of milk. 
     While shown as being two separate parts, it will be appreciated that the breast shield  610  and the coupling  620  could be formed as an integral piece Likewise, the coupling  620  and the drain line  645  could be formed as an integral piece. The breast shield  610  and coupling  620  may come in a variety of sizes to accommodate breasts having different nipple sizes. 
     The drain line  645  may be any desired length. However, a length of 6-24 inches is desirable, and preferably 10-18 inches as it allows the milk to be delivered to a location remote from the woman&#39;s breast. This means that the weight of the expressed milk and any collection container, such as a bottle, will not be suspended from the breast—making the system more comfortable to use and less intrusive on the woman. For example, the breast shield and adapter may be placed under the shirt and the drain line extended out of the bottom of the woman&#39;s shirt. If a person were to walk in on the woman during use, the system would be far less noticeable than having an entire pump system, such as pump system  100  hanging from the woman&#39;s breast. It has been found that a conventional pump system will work even when the container  674  which receives the expressed milk is disposed above the first breast shield  610 . Thus, a woman may lay on a couch or recline in a chair if desired and the system will still collect milk in the container. 
     Disposed at or adjacent an opposing end of the drain line  645  is a connector  650 . While the connector  650  could be mounted in a bottle sized with an opening comparable with the outer diameter of the connector, it is typically mounted into the opening of a breast shield  670 /adapter  684  of a conventional breast pump system as shown in  FIG. 11 . Milk passing through the drain line  645  is passed through the connector  650  and a conventional breast shield  670  (and/or its associated adapter  684 ) and into a bottle  674  or other collection mechanism. From the conventional breast shield  670  on, a conventional breast pump system  678  can be used. The conventional breast pump system  678  includes the pump  680  and vacuum line  682 , along with the adapter  684  which keeps the vacuum pressure and milk separate from one another during pumping. In this configuration, the drain line  645  provides both a drain for delivering milk and a communication of the negative pressure drawn through the conventional adapter  684  and/or breast shield  670  back to the breast shield  610  and coupling  620 . 
     It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that some breast pump systems have a breast shield which can be detached from the adaptor to accommodate different sized breast shields. In accordance with the present invention, the connector  650  can be sized to engage a plurality of breast shield sizes, and may be configured to also nest in the adapter  684  in the event that the breast shield  670  is removed. 
     With the breast shield adapter system  600 , a woman who already owns a conventional breast pump system does not need to make any modifications to the conventional breast pump system which could affect the warranty Likewise, she need not purchase an entire new breast pump system. When she desires to do hands-free breast pumping, she merely takes out the breast shield adapter system  600 , attaches the breast shield  610  to the breast and inserts the connector  650  into the conventional breast shield  670  or adapter  684 . She is then able to express milk in a hands-free manner or a one-handed manner if using a manual pump, until finished. She is also able to use the conventional breast pump system by simply removing the connector  650  from the conventional breast shield  670  if she so desires. 
     In addition to avoiding any modifications to existing breast pump systems which could affect warranties, the breast shield adapter system  600  reduces cost as it can rely on the vacuum/milk isolation features of the conventional breast pump system. Additionally, the same breast shield adapter system  600  can be used with multiple different existing breast pump systems. The connector  650  can be shaped so as to engage different sized breast shields, and, if necessary, can simply be replaced with a different size connector to adapt to a breast pump system with substantially different dimensions. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 12 , there is shown a cross-sectional view of the breast shield and related structures of  FIG. 10 . The breast shield  610  may engage and be held on to the coupling  620  by having an annular locating groove  700  on the coupling  620  receive an annular rib  704  on the breast shield  610 . While an annular rib/groove arrangement provides a consistent and reliable attachment, it will be appreciated that neither the rib nor groove need to be annular and that other structures or attachment methods could be used to hold the breast shield  610  to the coupling  620 . Also, as mentioned earlier, the two could be formed as a single structure. 
     It is also preferred that any interface between the proximal end  620 A of the coupling and the breast shield  610  be relatively flush so as to minimize potential irritation of the areola. Thus, the breast shield  610  may include a groove  712  so that the interface is substantially flush. 
     The drain line  645  can be attached to the coupling  620  in a variety of ways, including being press fit, glued or welded in place. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the coupling  620  and the drain line  645  (and even the breast shield) could be formed as one integral unit. 
     Turning to  FIG. 13 , the connector  650  receives the drain line  645 . The drain line  645  may extend partially into the connector  650 , or may extend completely through the connector. Additionally, the drain line  645  and the connector  650  can be attached in a variety of manners (adhesives, press-fit, welding) or could be formed as an integral unit. It is preferred that the connector  650  is formed from a resilient or semi-resilient material that will engage the opening of the breast shield  670  or adapter  684  of the conventional breast pump system and form a fluid tight seal therewith. 
       FIG. 13  shows a close-up view of a connector  650  used for connecting the breast shield adapter system of  FIG. 10  into a conventional breast shield  670  of a conventional breast pump system. The connector  650  may have a single lumen  652  extending therethrough for the drain line to extend into (or through) and for milk to pass through into the collection mechanism of the conventional breast pump system. The connector  650  is typically tapered so as to be able to connect to breast shields (or their adapters) having different sized openings. 
       FIG. 14  shows a close-up view of opposing ends of an alternate embodiment of a connector  650 A. Rather than having a single channel, the connector  650 A has two openings  652 A,  652 B, one of which may be closed with a plug  654 . Having two channels allows two breast shields  610  to be used and drain into a single container of a conventional breast pump system. Thus, a single breast shield conventional pumping system can be used to simultaneously express milk from both breasts in a hands-free manner instead of forcing the woman to express milk from each breast in sequence and requiring the use of at least one hand to hold the conventional breast shield in place. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , the connector  650 A may have voids  658  formed therein to reduce weight and material costs. The voids can also be used to help the connector  650 A be more resilient and adaptable to breast shields having different size openings. However, it will be appreciated that a generally solid connector (other than the lumens  652 A and  652 B) may be used as well. 
       FIG. 15  shows a pair of breast shield adapter systems  600  for use with the present invention. A pair of breast shields  610  (a first breast shield and a third breast shield) are provided with an adhesive inner surface  614 . Each breast shield  610  is connected to a coupling  620  and drain line  645  as discussed above. The two drain lines  645  may be attached to a single adapter  650 A for mounting in a conventional breast shield  670  (a second breast shield) or an adapter  684  to which the second breast shield would normally be attached in a conventional pump system  678 . If the conventional system lacks sufficient power to extract the milk, one of the drain lines  645  can be withdrawn from the connector  650 A and the plug  654  ( FIG. 14 ) can be used to close one of the channels or lumens  652 A or  652 B. The removed drain line  645  can then be attached to another connector  650 / 650 A and attached to another pump system  678  so that milk can be expressed from both breasts simultaneously. This allows a woman to work with both hands and to minimize the disruption to her day caused by the need to pump breast milk. 
     Some commercially available pumps provide two pump lines so that a woman can use two breast shields to express milk into associated containers at the same time. If use with only one breast shield is desired, one pump line can be removed and the vacuum line opening plugged. One advantage of the configuration shown in  FIG. 15  is that a woman using the system needs to only deal with one container  674  for collecting milk. For example, when used in an office setting, the container  674  may be held between the woman&#39;s legs while she works. A single container  674  is easier to use and it is less likely that the container will slip off the chair during use. However, if the suction is inadequate, the connector  650 A can be quickly reconfigured and one of the breast shields  610 , couplings  620  and drain lines  645  can be attached to another connector (such as  650  in  FIG. 13 ) and then attached to a conventional breast shield  670  or adapter  684  so that milk from the two breasts are expressed into separate containers. Thus, a user may quickly adapt the system to a configuration which is most convenient. 
     It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments of the breast pump systems and adapter systems are exemplary only and do not limit the breadth of the disclosure. Likewise, it should be understood that the shape, material, edge design, and surface area of the illustrated embodiments are only exemplary of embodiments of breast shields and are not limiting, as breast shields falling within the scope of the appended claims may have different shapes, edge profiles, etc., while performing the same function. 
     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in which the invention is addressed, the present invention may be embodied in forms other than those specifically disclosed above without departing from the spirit or potential characteristics of the invention. 
     Particular embodiments of the present invention described above are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is as set forth in the appended claims and equivalents thereof rather than being limited to the example contained in the foregoing description.