Animal husbandry – Milkers – Catheter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-14
2002-01-08
Price, Thomas (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Catheter
Reexamination Certificate
active
06336424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for a milking stall.
In a conventional milking stall, there is a milking equipment with a lot of different components. These components comprise usually a milking member in the form of a number of teatcups which may be connected to a common claw, a long milk conduit connecting the claw to a milk-collecting member and to a vacuum source for transferring a milking vacuum to the teats, a holding member, or a so called service arm, for holding and supporting the long milk conduit, a pulsator arranged to provide a pulsating vacuum for a pulsating chamber in each teatcup, a remover for removing the milking member from the teats after the milking is finished, a control unit for controlling the vacuum level of the milking equipment and an operating panel for supervising and controlling of the milking procedure and the milking equipment. It is thereby known to provide these different components at different locations in the milking stall.
It is also known to provide at least some of these components in a cabinet in order to protect them and have them easily accessible at one single location. However, such a cabinet reduces the flexibility because it is more difficult to adapt the milking equipment to different stall configurations. Such stall configurations comprise, for instance, a centrally provided milking parlour with a plurality of animal positions provided at two sides of the parlour. In this case, such a cabinet must be adapted to be mounted on both the sides, which in practice implies that the cabinet must be manufactured in different variants for being located at different operating positions in the milking stall. Furthermore, for ergonomical reasons, it is sometimes desirable to provide the milking equipment in a so called “split configuration”, i.e. in such a way that the remover, the pulsator, the indicating lamp etc. of one milking equipment are located at one animal, while the operating panel of this equipment is located at the animal at the adjacent position. In that way, it is possible for the operator, standing in a comfortable working position, to operate the milking member by the right hand and at the same time use the left hand to serve the operating panel. Also in this case, the cabinet must be manufactured in a plurality of different variants. It is to be noted that the remover, which comprises a driving member and a cord extending between the driving member and the milking member, must be located at a determined position in the milking stall in relation to the animal to be milked to permit the milking member to be removed from the teats of the animal in a simple way.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Consequently, when according to prior art it is desired to satisfy the need of different stall configurations, it is necessary to utilize many different cabinet parts for being able to manufacture such cabinets in a plurality of different variants. Therefore, the manufacture is complicated and expensive. It is also not practically possible to change afterwards a cabinet to be suitable to another stall configuration than the one intended originally.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned problems and to provide a device which makes it possible, in a more flexible way, to collect a number of components of a milking equipment in one cabinet. More closely, it is aimed at such a cabinet which may be built of a small number of common parts for being located at different operating positions in the milking stall.
This object is achieved by the device initially defined and characterized in that the driving arrangement is provided to be positioned in the cabinet at different positions of at least two predetermined driving positions which are adapted to a first operating position and a second operating position, respectively, of the cabinet in said stall. By preparing, in this manner, the cabinet for two driving positions, the same cabinet can be used at different operating positions in the milking stall. Furthermore, it is possible, at all different operating positions, to obtain a pulling direction favourable for the driving arrangement, i.e. the milking member may always be pulled off in a suitable direction. For example, the same cabinet may be used for a location at two opposite sides of the milking parlour.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the driving arrangement comprises a driving member and an elongated element, such as a cord, a wire, a chain or the like, which element is provided to connect the driving member to said milking member, and furthermore, the driving arrangement comprises a guide member provided to guide the path of the elongated element.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet comprises a first attachment member, which is provided for the mounting of the cabinet in the milking stall and provided horizontally at distance from a horizontal center line through the cabinet, and a second attachment member provided to position the driving member in one of said two driving positions in the inner space of the cabinet, in such a manner that said center line intersects the driving member. In this way, the driving member will retain its position in the cabinet at both the operating positions. Furthermore, the cabinet, horizontally seen, may advantageously be elongated with two opposite ends, wherein the first attachment member is provided in the vicinity of one of the ends and the other attachment member is provided in the vicinity of the other end. Thereby, a certain distance may be secured between the attachment point of the cabinet and the pulling point of the driving member, in such a manner that the driving member is able to pull out the milking member to a desired position after milking.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet comprises a wall portion which is arranged to be mountable in one of a first turning position, in which the wall portion extends essentially vertically and is adapted to the first operating position, and a second turning position, in which the wall portion likewise extends essentially vertically but is turned 180° from its first turning position and is adapted to the second operating position. Furthermore, the cabinet may comprise a top portion and a bottom portion, which are mountable at the wall portion. The guide member may comprise a passage through the bottom portion for the elongated element. Thereby, each of the top portion and the bottom portion may be mountable at the wall portion in a first rotational position which is adapted to the first operating position and in a second rotational position, in which the top portion or the bottom portion is horizontally rotated essentially 180° in relation to the first rotational position, wherein the second rotational position is adapted to the second operating position.
According to further embodiments of the present invention, the device also comprises an indicating lamp which is arranged to indicate when milking is going on and provided on the bottom portion, and a door portion arranged to close the inner space of the cabinet in an openable manner, wherein the operating panel is arranged on the door portion. Furthermore, the cabinet may comprise means for a pivotable suspension of the door portion along two opposite side edges of the door portion and the door portion may be suspendable with the aid of said means on one side edge when the cabinet is in the first operating position and suspendable with the aid of said means along a second side edge when the cabinet is in the second operating position.
According to a further embodiment of the invention the milking stall comprises a first milking position and a first milking equipment, and a second milking position and a second milking equipment, wherein the driving member of the first milking equipment and the operating panel of the second milking equipment are received by the cabinet for the first milking equipment. T
Gustafson Kenneth Percy Birger
Kullberg Marianne Kristina Åkesdotter
Alfa Laval Agri AB
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
Price Thomas
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