Patent ID: 7381197

Claim:
A breast cup assembly comprising: a bottle attachment end for connecting to a vacuum source; a large open end opposite the bottle attachment end for accepting a woman's breast; a holder comprising: a small end residing proximal to the bottle attachment end of the breast cup assembly and including a holder engaging feature; a large end opposite the small end and having a larger diameter than the small end; and a center portion connecting the small end to the large end, the center portion having at least one cut out passing radially through the holder to allow free movement inside the holder; a single layer breast cup made of biocompatible material and supported inside the holder, the breast cup having an inner surface exposed to the vacuum source and an outer surface exposed to atmospheric pressure, the breast cup sequentially comprising; a connecting portion residing proximal to the bottle attachment end of the breast cup assembly and including a cup engaging feature engaged by the holder engaging feature of the small end of the holder for retaining the breast cup in the holder; the connecting portion connectable to the vacuum source; a cylindrical middle area formed contiguous to the connecting portion, and configured for receiving a teat of a breast and having a first thickness; and a cone shaped portion formed contiguous to the middle area, and configured for receiving a portion of the breast, the cone shaped portion increasing in diameter away from the middle area to the large open end, and supported proximal to the large open end by the large end of the holder, the cone shaped portion having a second thickness, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness so that upon application of vacuum to the connecting portion the cone shaped portion distorts before the mid portion distorts.