Patent ID: 6840918

Claim:
A pumping device for drawing milk from a human breast, the pumping device comprising a milk receptacle in fluid communication with a hood adapted to receive a human breast; an electric motor configured to drive a pump to produce sub-atmospheric pressure in the hood to pull milk from the breast; an electrically operated valve between the pump and the hood and adapted to, in a suction position, expose the breast to sub-atmospheric pressure generated by the pump to apply suction to the breast and to, in a release position, at least partially block the breast from sub-atmospheric pressure generated by the pump to reduce the suction applied to the breast; a controller adapted to track time and to, as a function of tracked time, move the valve between its suction and release positions at predetermined time intervals, so as to produce repeating pressure cycles in the cup to simulate infant nursing; and a manual suction adjuster to enable a user to manually adjust the sub-atmospheric pressure applied to the breast with the valve in its suction position.