Animal husbandry – Milkers – Teat compressor or cup
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-05
2003-04-15
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Teat compressor or cup
C119S014490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546893
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a teat cup in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 and an appropriate liner.
Such a teat cup disclosed, for instance, in CH-PS 628 496 includes a teat cup sleeve in which a liner is accommodated.
In order to achieve a safe opening in the suction cycle, the known liner is clamped in the teat cup sleeve, a liner head being fixed to an upper clamping position of the teat cup sleeve, while the end portion distant from the liner head is fixed to a lower clamping position. This end portion of the liner is connected to a negative pressure source, for instance a vacuum pump, via a milk hose. An exterior space to which negative pressure or atmospheric pressure can be applied via an appropriate connection is formed between the teat cup sleeve and the liner clamped therein. By increasing the pressure in the exterior space vis-à-vis the teat receiving space defined by the liner the circumferential walls of the liner can be brought into contact with the teat section by section during the massage phase.
In the known solution a closing means is provided in the milk hose connected to the liner via which closing means the connection to the negative pressure source can be shut off or throttled. This closing means is realized by a membrane-like configuration of the milk hose wall.
It is a drawback of this known teat cup that in the interior space below the teat there remains a relatively large volume, because the shut-off from the vacuum is only effected in the subsequent milk hose. The relief of the teat from the vacuum is impeded by the relatively large volume.
When using known teat cups having normal-wall liners, it has turned out that due to an infavourable strenuous massage of the teat by the walls of the liner an optimal milking is not ensured especially in the case of sensitive cows of modern breedings.
In order to eliminate this drawback, it is suggested in EP 0 593 563 B1 to design the liner to have a comparatively small wall thickness. Although this thin-wall liner is adapted to prevent the teat from being overstrained even in the case of sensitive cows, however, it is difficult that due to the thin wall an opening of the liner required for the milk withdrawal in the suction phase is not ensured. Moreover neither a desired sequence control of the massage nor an optimum sealing at the teat can be achieved by such thin-walled liners.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,598 a liner having reinforced wall portions and intervening thin-wall portions is disclosed.
Compared to this, the object underlying the invention is to provide a teat cup and an appropriate liner which can also be used with sensitive cows and in which the opening during the suction phase and an optimum sealing and adhesion during the massage is ensured.
This object is achieved, with respect to the teat cup, by the combination of features of claim 1 and, with respect to the liner, by the combination of features of claim 20.
In accordance with the invention, in the hose part of the liner receiving the teat thin-wall portions are formed which permit a punctual or area-restricted massage of the teat or a closing to the negative pressure source.
Due to the support via the thick-wall portions of the liner, the thin-wall portions can be designed such that even with a clamped liner and a pressure compensation in the interior and exterior spaces only a negligible longitudinal tension is applied thereto so that a radial excursion of the membrane-shaped thin-wall portions is supported.
Moreover, the adhesion of the teat cup to the teat can be improved by a suitable positioning of these thin-wall portions so that the liner can be prevented from both slipping off and climbing during milking.
A possibly required axial tension or restoring force in the almost circular cross-section of the liner during the suction phase can be assumed by the thicker wall portions or anchoring, supporting or web members. The thin-wall portion mainly serves for massage or for closing and supporting the teat and is designed so that the thin-wall portion is either extremely extensible at least in one direction between two thicker wall portions, anchoring, supporting or web members or has a greater length than the direct distance between the anchoring, supporting or web members.
The drawbacks regarding adhesion and massage existing with conventional teat cups are largely eliminated by the use of thin-wall portions designed according to the invention in a teat cup, a good adhesion of the teat cup to the teat not causing any constriction is achieved and at the same time it is possible to improve the course of massage physiologically by stopping the massage upon the beginning of the suction cycle first at the teat base and then at the tip of the teat.
The use of thin-wall portions according to the invention for massaging the teat also permits to utilize the quick reaction of such thin-wall portions to differences in pressure and thus provides the opportunity to carry out an intensive stimulation at high pulse frequences. Such a stimulation of vibration is especially effective, because it can be effected while simultaneously closing the vacuum from the teat receiving space. This is in contrast to the conventional method in which the teat is stimulated under vacuum.
Such thin-wall portions in the liner receiving area can fulfill various tasks depending on the constructional arrangement, they can have an annular shape and can be dented in the longitudinal section or undulated and/or can have different wall thicknesses with respect to each other. The teat receiving area is considered to be that part of the liner which is suited for receiving the teat in terms of diameter. This area may have a greater axial length than the teat, however.
In order to improve the adhesion, a thin-wall portion is used, e.g. above the clamping of a teat cup sleeve below the liner head or directly below an inserting ring, wherein atmosphere is applied to the outside of the thin-wall portion or the latter is adjacent to a closed exterior space by the volume of which the extension of the thin-wall portion can be influenced (
FIGS. 4
,
6
,
7
). The exterior space adjacent to the outside of the thin-wall portion may be an annular space or a chamber. A common exterior space may be assigned to plural thin-wall portions.
If the head is supported close to the thin-wall portion, the head remains more movably (FIG.
4
). It is also possible to apply a control pressure to this exterior space by means of a connecting line so that a difference in pressure from the teat receiving space (interior space) is brought about. So, e.g. in the event of a drop of vacuum in the interior space or an undesired change of position of the teat cup, an excessive pressure can be controlled to be introduced so that an immediate contact of the thin-wall portion with the teat is obtained.
If this chamber is connected to the pulsation of a pulsator, such a thin-wall portion can be used to improve the adhesion, massage or stimulation, because especially at the beginning of the massage cycle it brings about an earlier contact with the teat by applying a differential pressure from the teat receiving space to the outside without causing a constriction of the teat at the base. Axially seen, there can also be effected a time sequence of the contact with the teat and the massage of the teat by the liner, resp., by the fact that, e.g., seen from the teat base downwards the successive hose portion of the liner restricting the teat receiving space has a appropriately thicker wall or changes to a smaller diameter. If necessary, in the hose portion the folding direction with respect to the cross-section can be defined by ribs or different wall thicknesses or an oval shape.
Furthermore, plural ones of the thin-wall portions according to the invention can be arranged axially one beneath the other so that they become effective over the entire teat area. Exterior spaces can be assigned to the thin-wall portion so that a sequence control can be executed in that the latter interconnects exterior spaces assigned to one or m
Happel Fritz
Happel Werner
Jordan Charles T.
Nelson Judith
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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