Suction Pump with a Safety Valve

Abstract

A suction pump, in particular a breast pump, comprises a bleed valve with a bleed opening, a bleed body which seals the bleed opening and an operating means for operating the bleed body. The bleed body may be operated such that upon opening the valve initially only a partial region of the bleed opening is released and subsequently a greater part thereof or the whole bleed opening is released. The suction pump provides a large functionality with the smallest size and, furthermore, is cheap to produce and easily assembled.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A suction pump with a safety valve, wherein the safety valve has a first step which opens at a first underpressure, wherein the safety valve has a second step which opens at a second underpressure, the first underpressure being quantitatively lower than the second. 
     
     
         3 . The suction pump according to  claim 2 , wherein an air release valve has an air release membrane, and wherein this air release membrane and a vacuum membrane used to generate the vacuum are designed integrally in the form of a common membrane plate. 
     
     
         4 . The suction pump according to  claim 3 , wherein a part of the membrane plate is designed as a safety membrane of the safety valve. 
     
     
         5 . The suction pump according to  claim 3 , wherein the pump comprises an upper housing part which receives a lifting magnet for actuating the air release membrane and receives an electric motor for actuating the vacuum membrane, a middle housing part with an air release membrane seat which is provided for the air release membrane and which surrounds an air release opening, and with a vacuum membrane seat for the vacuum membrane, and a lower housing part for forming a vacuum channel between air release opening and an inlet opening of the vacuum membrane seat, the membrane plate being arranged between the upper and middle housing parts, and a valve plate being arranged between the middle and lower housing parts. 
     
     
         6 . The suction pump according to  claim 5 , wherein the valve plate and the membrane plate are substantially plane. 
     
     
         7 . The suction pump according to  claim 5 , wherein the valve plate and the membrane plate are made of silicone. 
     
     
         8 . The suction pump according to  claim 2 , comprising an exhaust and, optionally, a vacuum connecting element and an air release connecting element which protrude from an outer housing of the pump. 
     
     
         9 . The suction pump according to  claim 5 , wherein an exhaust connecting element is formed integrally on the lower housing part and can be connected to the exhaust formed integrally on a connecting part. 
     
     
         10 . The suction pump according to  claim 5 , wherein the lower, middle and upper housing parts can be plugged together so as to form a closed housing assembly. 
     
     
         11 . The suction pump according to  claim 10 , wherein the housing assembly is substantially watertight and can be flushed through via a breast pump connecting element to the exhaust and the air release opening. 
     
     
         12 . The suction pump according to  claim 2 , the suction pump having an air release valve, the air release valve having an air release opening, an air release body which can close the air release opening sealingly, and an actuating means for actuating the air release body, wherein the air release body can be actuated in such a way that, upon opening of the valve, it at first frees only a partial area of the air release opening and thereafter frees a larger partial area or the entire air release opening. 
     
     
         13 . The suction pump according to  claim 12 , wherein the air release body is an air release membrane, and wherein the air release membrane has an edge area at which it can at first be removed from the air release opening upon opening of the valve. 
     
     
         14 . The suction pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the actuating means is a lifting magnet, and the air release membrane is connected to an armature of the lifting magnet via a connecting pin, and the connecting pin is connected to the air release membrane at this edge area thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The suction pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the air release membrane has a first partial area with a lesser thickness and a second partial area with a greater thickness, and wherein the edge area is arranged in the first partial area. 
     
     
         16 . The suction pump according to  claim 12 , wherein the air release body has first and second subsidiary bodies, the first subsidiary body being connected to an armature of a lifting magnet, and the second subsidiary body being connected to the first subsidiary body via a first spring element, and the second subsidiary body having a first air release channel which can be closed by the first subsidiary body, the second subsidiary body closing a second air release channel, and the second air release channel having a greater diameter than the first air release channel. 
     
     
         17 . The suction pump according to  claim 8 , wherein an exhaust connecting element is formed integrally on the lower housing part and can be connected to the exhaust formed integrally on a connecting part.