Animal husbandry – Milkers – Teat compressor or cup
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-28
2001-03-20
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Teat compressor or cup
C119S014480
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202593
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a teat rubber cup comprising a head member substantially rotationally symmetric with a longitudinal axis, with an aperture for insertion of the teat, a retailing edge to engage over a teat cup sleeve, and a suction stub joined to the head member.
A teat rubber cup is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,496 in which a substantially rotationally symmetric head member is provided, having an insertion aperture for the teat at its upper end and merging into a so-called suction stub at its lower end. A retaining edge to engage over a teat cup sleeve is moulded onto the outside at the transition between the head member and the suction stub.
A teat rubber cup was already known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,319, having a considerably stiffened retaining edge which both engages over the teat cup sleeve on the outside and projects beyond the edge of the sleeve in a longitudinal direction at a certain spacing. An annular sealing lip extends radially inwardly at the axially remote end of the retaining edge, the lip having an aperture for insertion of the teat on the common longitudinal axis. The end of the suction stub towards the teat insertion aperture leads into the underside of the sealing lip, at a spacing from the transition between the lip and the retaining edge. The construction of the teat rubber cup causes the diameter of the teat insertion aperture, formed by the sealing lip, to be extended in the suction phase.
A teat rubber cup is already known from DE 29 41 150, in which the head member is substantially in the form of a torus which has a teat insertion aperture located on the axis of rotation on its upper side and which merges into the suction stub at its opposite side. A retaining edge to engage over the teat cup sleeve is moulded onto the outside at the level where the head member merges into the suction stub. The diameter of the teat cup sleeve in this teat rubber cup is relatively large. On the other hand there is a great danger that the retaining edge may break comparatively easily if the teat cup is impacted or knocked.
A teat rubber cup is also already known from EP 0 477 950, in which the head member is substantially in the approximate form of a torus, at one end of which a teat insertion aperture located on the axis of rotation is formed. The opposite end of the head member merges directly into the top end of the suction stub. A retaining edge to engage over the teat cup sleeve is formed at the level where the head member merges into the suction stub. A ring may further be placed on the upper edge of the teat cup sleeve and come to rest in an appropriate recess in the retaining edge. This ring prevents the retaining edge from breaking should the teat cup accidentally hit an obstruction.
The problem of the invention is to provide a teat rubber cup better adapted to the physiology of the animal to be milked.
The problem is solved by a rubber teat of the above type which is distinctive in that the end of the head member opposite the teat insertion aperture merges into the retaining edge, that the wall of the head member is stiffened in the region of maximum outside diameter, relative to the adjoining regions, that the end of the suction stub towards the teat insertion aperture merges into the head member at the level of the stiffened region, that at least a portion of the part of the head member located between the stiffened region and the transition to the retaining edge is elastically deformable relative to the stiffened region, and that this part of the head member and the end of the suction stub towards the teat insertion aperture together bound a cavity between them. A teat rubber cup of this type has the advantage of rising and falling in the longitudinal direction of the teat in the course of the successive suction and relief phases, leading to relaxation of the udder muscles. At the same time a slight, downwardly directed pull is exerted on the teat when the externally located teat cup sleeve is raised relative to the internally located suction stub, which bears against the lower end of the teat. If the four teat cups are placed on the teats for milking and pairs are in each case operated in phase opposition to the pulsed timing, this has the result that pairs of teat cups which are switched into the suction phase easily move upwardly towards the teat, while the two other cups which are switched into the relief phase easily move downwardly relative to the longitudinal direction of the teat. Hence a slight swinging motion can be produced at the udder when switching over in pulsed timing, leading to further relaxation, particularly easing of tension, and helping to increase the total milk yield.
The teat rubber cup may particularly be constructed so that the wall section located between the transition to the retaining edge and the stiffened region of the head member is in the form of a wall section continuously enlarging radially outwardly and upwardly and towards the stiffened region.
A construction in which the wall section located between the transition to the retaining edge and the stiffened region of the head member extends substantially radially outwardly is particularly appropriate. A construction of this type may also be used to protect the retaining edge from breaking at the level of the top edge of the teat cup sleeve.
A construction where the wall thickness of the suction stub increases before its transition to the stiffened region of the head member is also particularly appropriate. It has the effect that the stiffened region of the head member, virtually together with the top end of the suction stub, forms a region which is totally stiffened in itself, so that in the suction phase substantially only the wall region of the head member located between the stiffened region and the transition to the retaining edge moves towards the top end of the suction stub.
Such stiffening of the top end of the suction stub may be obtained e.g. by making the wall thickness of the suction stub increase continuously to the transition with the stiffened region of the head member, or alternatively by giving the top end of the suction stub uniform stiffening over a certain region.
On the other hand the aim of reducing the cavity located between the top end of the suction stub and the lower wall section of the head member facing towards the retaining edge in the suction phase, or in an extreme case of bringing the wall sections bounding the cavity into contact, may be achieved in several preferred ways. For example the whole lower wall section may be made of an elastic material, if appropriate a less thick one, so that the wall section can be compressed towards the wall, e.g. with a corresponding compressive force, or the wall can bulge inwardly towards the suction stub. Alternatively the wall section could be made of a relatively stiff material, provided that an elastic region, which can virtually act as a kind of movable hinge between the adjoining lever arms, is formed merely at the transition between that wall section and the stiffened region of the head and/or at the transition between that wall section and the retaining edge. An elastic region of this type may be obtained e.g. by means of a constriction, i.e. a reduction in wall thickness. In another possible embodiment the wall region may be a totally elastic region, and in the form of outwardly curved rolling bellows. Another possible construction of the wall of this section of the head member is to have the wall in the form of spring bellows. In that case the whole wall region may be elastic, although in another version the individual bellows sections may be relatively stiff and merely interconnected elastically in their joining or direction-changing regions.
The head member may be stiffened e.g. by enlarging the volume in that region, or e.g. by casting a ring made of another stiff material into that region of the rubber teat. Another means of stiffening it may be to insert a ring in the cavity between the top end of the suction stub and the lower end of the head member, the ring lying against the i
Hoefelmayr Tilman
Lincke Kathrin
Maier Jakob
Abbott Yvonne R.
Flynn, Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P. C.
Poon Peter M.
Siliconform GmbH & Co. KG
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