Device for increasing the dimensions of living tissue

The subject of the invention relates to a device for increasing the dimensions of living tissue, which contains a housing with an internal space suitable for accommodating the living tissue to be treated, a pressure regulation unit, furthermore, medium transmission ducts connecting the internal space of the housing with the pressure regulation unit, the housing has an opening serving to permit insertion of the living tissue as well as a passage opening connected with the internal space, while the pressure regulation unit has a pump with a suction opening and a control part-unit, and the medium transmission duct is inserted between the suction opening of the pump and the passage opening of the housing.

Numerous devices have been developed for increasing the size and changing the shape of women's breasts and men's genitals. The common characteristic of these is that they contain a housing suitable for inserting the body part the dimensions of which are to be increased and encompassing at least a part of it as well as a structural unit serving to reduce the pressure in the housing. In the interest of increasing the size of the tissue a portion of the air is sucked out of the internal space of the housing, and so the suction effect established in the housing pulls the tissue to be grown outwards. Such solutions can be seen in patent specifications registration number US 6.042.537, registration number US 5.695.445, registration number US 3.785.369 and in international publication document WO 97/06756.

An important feature is the amount of the pressure created in the internal space of the housing has a significant effect on the efficiency of the device and the success of the treatment. In the case of a suction effect that is too great after a certain amount of time the treatment becomes uncomfortable and even painful in certain cases, while using a small amount of vacuum does not cause a change in the size or form of the tissue.

A disadvantage deriving from this is that complex pressure regulation devices are used in order to set a pressure range that is favourable from the point of view of the treatment, which, on the one hand, makes the device significantly more expensive and, on the other hand, setting up the treatment parameters becomes more difficult.

A further disadvantage is that due to the device having a built-in pressure regulator the probability of the device becoming faulty rises, as does its maintenance requirement. These circumstances have a disadvantageous effect on the long-term use of the devices.

Our aim with the solution according to the invention was to overcome the deficiencies of the known solutions and to create a construction that is of simple construction and is able to set up and regulate pressure conditions that are optimal from the point of view of the tolerance of the person currently using the device.

The recognition that led us to the construction according to the invention was that if we insert a uniquely constructed distribution unit in between the medium transmission duct and the pump unit, which as opposed to the known construction we supplement with a suction duct and connect it to the medium transmission duct as well in novel way, then the pressure created in the internal space of the housing is easily influenced and so the task can be solved.

In accordance with the set aim the device according to the invention for increasing the dimensions of living tissue, - which contains a housing with an internal space suitable for accommodating the living tissue to be treated, a pressure regulation unit, furthermore, medium transmission ducts connecting the internal space of the housing with the pressure regulation unit, the housing has an opening serving to permit insertion of the living tissue as well as a passage opening connected with the internal space, while the pressure regulation unit has a pump with a suction opening and a control part-unit, and the medium transmission duct is inserted between the suction opening of the pump and the passage opening of the housing, - set up in such a way that in between the passage opening of the housing and the suction opening of the pump unit there is a distribution unit, the distribution unit has a primary intake opening, regulation intake opening and outlet opening, the primary intake opening and the outlet opening are connected to each other via a primary flow channel, while the regulation intake opening is connected to the primary flow channel and/or the outlet opening with the help of the suction channel, the primary intake opening is connected to the medium transmission duct, and the outlet opening is connected to the suction opening of the pump unit directly or with the help of the medium transmission duct.

A further feature of the device according to the invention may be that the regulation intake opening of the distribution unit is connected to a volumetric flow regulation unit via a suction duct permitting the flow of the medium.

In a version of the device the main axis of the primary intake opening and the main axis of the outlet opening are coaxial. The longitudinal axis of the flow channel of the distribution unit and the longitudinal axis of the suction channel are at a maximum angle of 90° to each other.

In a further, different construction of the invention the main axis of the primary intake opening and the main axis of the outlet opening are at an angle to each other of less than 180°. The main axis of the primary intake opening and the longitudinal axis of the suction channel are at an angle of less than 180° to each other.

In a further embodiment of the device the pump unit has a membrane pump, furthermore, the medium transmission duct and/or the suction duct have shut-off valves fitted.

The advantage of the device according to the invention is that as a consequence of the novel distribution unit and the suction duct, the pressure established in the internal space of the housing may be freely and widely varied within the desired range of 0.1-0.4 MPa, without having to carry out any programming. As a consequence of this advantage the device is much simpler to use and the probability of it failing is significantly reduced.

A further advantage is that the pressure setting can be adjusted by anyone themselves in accordance with their current feeling of comfort and degree of tolerance, so it is unnecessary to reprogram the device separately for every single person.

Another advantageous feature is that due to the direct pressure setting it is not necessary to have any special knowledge or to acquire and special skills to operate the device.

A further advantageous feature is that due to the novel pressure regulation, the device can be assembled from fewer and simpler components, which, apart from a better level of service, results in reduced manufacturing costs, and due to the simpler structure the operation and maintenance costs are also reduced.

The device according to the invention is presented in the following in more detail in connection with construction examples, on the basis of drawings. On the drawing

Figure 1 shows an outline drawing of a version of the device,

Figure 2 shows the top view of a possible set up of the distribution unit, in crσss- section.

Figure 1 shows a device for increasing the dimensions of living tissue that is suitable for forming women's breasts. The housing 10 here with a cup-shaped internal space 11 suitable for the insertion of the living tissue can be observed, a pair of which - in the case of this construction - is connected to the pressure regulation unit 30 via the medium transmission duct 20.

Here we have to mention that in the case of the device serving to increase the dimensions of a mans penis it is only the form and size of the housing 10 that differs from that shown in figure 1, and that, obviously, only a single housing 10 is connected to the medium transmission duct 20.

Actually, the pressure regulation unit 30 contains a control part-unit 31 and a pump unit 40 that has a suction opening 41, where the control part-unit 31 serves to switch the pump unit 40 off and on and operate it. Taking into consideration the task the device carries out it is practical if the pump unit 40 is a membrane pump.

. In a way known in itself, the housing 10 has a free opening 12 suitable for permitting the insertion of the given living tissue into the internal space 11 , as well as a passage opening 13 connected to the internal space created in the wall 14 of the housing 10. The medium transmission duct 20 is connected to the passage opening 13, and with the intervention of the distribution unit 50 the medium transmission duct is connected to the suction opening 41 of the pump unit 40 located in the pressure regulation unit 30.

The distribution unit 50 is a hollow body with a primary intake opening 51, regulation intake opening 52 and outlet opening 53. The primary flow channel 54 runs between the primary intake opening 51 of the distribution unit 50 and the outlet opening 53, and the suction channel 55, which starts at the regulation intake opening 52, opens into the primary

flow channel 54. The primary intake opening 51 is connected to the medium transmission duct 20, while the regulation intake opening 52 is connected to the suction duct 60, and here the outlet opening 53 is fitted directly to the suction opening 41 of the pump unit 40. Naturally the connection, permitting the flow of the medium, between the housing 10 and the medium transmission duct 20, furthermore, between the medium transmission duct 20, the suction duct 60 and the distribution unit 50, as well as between the distribution unit 50 and the suction opening 41 is sealed. Therefore, the internal space 11 of the housing 10 and the pump unit 40 form a gas-tight, sealed flow route via the medium transmission duct 20 and the distribution unit 50.

Figure 1 also illustrates that - in this embodiment - shut-off valves 80 are fitted into the part of the medium transmission duct 20 that is in the vicinity of the housings 10. The task of the shut-off valves is in a given case to seal off the flow route between the internal space 11 of the housing 10 and the suction opening 41 of the pump unit 40, and so, in a given case, they make it possible to preserve the pressure currently prevailing in the internal space 11 of the housing 10.

At the end of the suction duct 60 connected to the regulation intake opening 52 of the distribution unit 50 there is a volumetric flow regulation unit 70, the task of which is to make it possible to maintain the amount of environmental air getting in to the suction duct 60 at the desired level.

Actually, in this version the distribution unit 50 is of such a design that the main axis 51a of the primary intake opening 51 and the main axis 53 of the outlet opening 53 are coincident, as a consequence of which the longitudinal axis 54a of the primary flow channel 54 that connects the primary intake opening 51 with the outlet opening 53 is also coaxial both with main axis 51a and main axis 53 a. It is practical if the longitudinal axis 54a of the primary flow channel 54 and the longitudinal axis 55a of the suction channel 55 are at a maximum angle to each other of 90°, which in this case means an angle "α" of 45°.

It must also be mentioned that the distribution unit 50 does not only have to be located within the pressure regulation unit 30. It may also be possible to integrate the distribution unit 50 into the medium transmission duct. In this case, however, the outlet opening 53 of

the distribution unit 50 is connected to the medium transmission duct 20, which is fitted to the suction opening 41 of the pump unit 40. In such a case it can be imagined that the regulation intake opening 52 of the distribution unit 50 remains free, in other words neither the suction duct 60 nor the volumetric flow regulation unit 70 at the end of it is connected to it. Naturally, in the case of this construction the regulation intake opening 52 of the distribution unit 50 must be formed so that it complies with the form of the volumetric flow regulation unit 70 and, in this way, creates the possibility to influence the amount of environmental air flowing into the suction channel 55.

Moving on to figure 2 now, here there is a different version of the distribution unit 50. Here it is possible to observe the primary intake opening 51 connected to the medium transmission duct 20, the regulation intake opening 52 linked to the suction duct 60, as well as the outlet opening 53. However, the positioning of the primary flow channel 54 and the suction channel 55, and, therefore, the form of the distribution unit 50 is different. The main axis 51a of the primary intake opening 51 and the main axis 53a of the outlet opening 53 are at an angle "β" to each other of less than 180°, which in our case is 120°. The same relates to the angle "γ" between the main axis 51a and the longitudinal axis 55a of the suction channel 55 starting from the regulation intake opening 52. In this embodiment the angle "γ" is 70°.

When using the device according to the invention first of all the housing 10 has to be placed onto the living tissue in such a way that the living tissue that is to be grown is ^• inserted through the free opening 12 of the housing 10 into the internal space 11. Following this the pump unit 40 can be started using the control part-unit 31 of the pressure regulation unit 30. After the pump unit 40 has been switched on the person using the device holding the volumetric flow regulation unit 70 fixed to the end of the suction duct 60 prevents air flowing into the distribution unit 50 through the path of volumetric flow regulation unit 70 - suction duct 60 - suction channel 55.

So, through its suction opening 41 the pump unit 40 is only able to suck the air out of the medium transmission duct 20 and the internal space 11 of the housing 10, and so reducing the pressure in the internal space 11 of the housing 10. The reduction in pressure

results in a suction effect, due to which the tissue in the internal space 11 of the housing 10 moves towards the wall 14 of the housing 10 starting to expand and grow.

If the vacuum effect in the internal space 11 of the housing 10 reaches the limit of comfort of the use, then by moving the finger a little from the opening of the volumetric flow regulation unit 70 of the suction duct 60, then it is possible for the environmental air to flow into the regulation intake opening 52 of the distribution unit 50. The larger the free opening of the volumetric flow regulation unit 70 is, the more air flows into the suction duct 60, and from there into the distribution unit 50. So, in this way, a part of the volume of air removed through the distribution unit 50 via the suction opening 41 of the pump unit 40 is essentially only air that has been "sucked through" from the environment. However, due to this sucked through air transportation the vacuum in the internal space 11 of the housing 10 deteriorates to a lesser or greater degree. The reduction of the vacuum can be consciously and finely regulated by moving the finger to change the size of the opening of the volumetric flow regulation unit 70, then set and maintained at the given level.

In the case that the device — as can be seen in figure 1 — is to be used for the formation of breasts, it could occur that the production of a different vacuum level in the internal space 11 of the one housing 10 to that in the internal space 11 of the other housing 10 is desirable. Then after reducing the pressure in the internal space 11 of the one housing 10 to the desired level, using the shut-off valve 80 the flow path of the medium transmission duct 20 can be closed, and then the level of the vacuum set in the given housing 10 can be •. maintained independently of the even variable pressure - in the way stated above - in the internal space 11 of the other housing 10.

The device according to the invention can be applied to good effect to aid the increase of the dimensions of various living tissues.

List of references

10 housing 11 internal space

12 free opening

13 passage opening

14 wall

20 medium transmission duct 30 pressure regulation unit 31 control part-unit 40 pump unit 41 suction opening 50 distribution unit 51 primary intake opening 51a main axis

52 regulation intake opening

53 outlet opening 53a main axis

54 primary flow channel 54a longitudinal axis

55 suction channel 55a longitudinal axis

60 suction duct

70 volumetric flow regulation unit 80 shut-off valves -,,,α" angle ,,β" angle ,,γ" angle