Patent ID: 6974439

Claim:
A device for expressing milk from a breast comprising: a manifold having a vacuum path, said vacuum path having an inlet, an outlet and a midsection between said inlet and said outlet; a vacuum source connected to said inlet; a breast cup connected to said outlet and adapted for securement to the breast; a liner in said breast cup; a hollow boss in said manifold that extends partially into said breast cup adjacent said outlet, said hollow boss preventing a portion of said liner from collapsing under air pressure, and protecting part of the breast inside said hollow boss from pressure from said liner; a milk collector having a collector inlet operatively connected to said vacuum path; and a filter in said vacuum path between said vacuum source and said milk collector so as to prevent milk from contaminating said vacuum source without preventing milk from entering said milk collector, said filter being substantially permeable to air when said filter is either dry or wet, and substantially impermeable to liquid when said filter is either dry or wet.