Animal husbandry – Milkers – Teat compressor or cup
Patent
1998-09-16
2000-05-09
Poon, Peter M.
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Teat compressor or cup
119 1448, 119 1449, A01J 504
Patent
active
060588799
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention comprises a teatcup comprising a shell, a tubular teatcup liner extending in the shell, and a valve housing having a connection pipe connectable to an end of the teatcup liner, the valve housing being arranged to be mounted to the shell and the connection pipe being arranged to be inserted into said end of the tubular teatcup liner, the valve housing and the shell comprising locking members arranged to engage each other disconnectably during said mounting in order to lock the valve housing to the shell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known milking machine comprises a number of teatcups to be applied to a respective teat of an animal to be milked. Usually, such a teatcup comprises an outer rigid shell and a tubular teatcup liner extending in the shell. When the teatcup is applied to a teat of an animal to be milked, the inner wall of the tubular teatcup liner will thus abut the teat. Since the teatcup liners shall provide a pulsating pressure against the teat they must be elastic. Every elastic material, at least such which are available today, is subjected to a deterioration of the elastic capacity over the time and by use. Although the shell of the teatcup has a very long lifetime, the teatcup liners are thus an article of consumption which has to be replaced within equal time intervalls. Thereby, a teatcup liner to be replaced has to be removed from the shell of the teatcup and a new teatcup liner has to be mounted in the shell. Teatcups known do not function in a satisfactorily manner in this respect and this operation of replacement is difficult and time consuming. In addition, it happens that the teatcup liner is not always mounted in a proper position in the shell, which means that the teatcup will not function in a optimal manner during the milking operation.
With regard to teatcups for milking of in the first place smaller animals, such as sheep, goats etc., having merely two teats, there is normally no claw for collecting the milk from the different teatcups before the milk is conducted further to a milk receiving member of the milking machine but instead the milk is conducted from each teatcup directly to the milk receiving member of the milking machine. This means, that a valve housing having a closing valve, closing the milk conduit and preventing air rush when the teatcup is not attached to a teat, has to be provided in connection to each teatcup.
IT-A-1 202 068 discloses a teatcup intended for milking of goats and sheep and comprising a shell, a tubular teatcup liner extending in the shell and valve housing having a connection pipe connectable to one end of the teatcup liner. The lower end of the teatcup liner extends out of the shell and is adapted to receive the connection pipe of the valve housing therein. The teatcup lacks any connection members between the valve housing and the shell, but instead the connection therebetween is provided merely by means of the application of the teatcup liner onto the connection pipe of the valve housing. In order to make such a connection sufficiently strong the lower end of the teatcup liner has to be pressed against the outer surface of the connection pipe by a relatively strong elastic force. By such a mounting method it is difficult to demount and once again mount the valve housing to the other parts. In addition, there is a great risk that the lower end of the teatcup liner will jam to the connection pipe over time due to the milk substances penetrating the joint therebetween. A further disadvantage of this teatcup is the relatively long height which, especially during milking of smaller animals having a small distance between the ground and the teats, may render the application of the teatcups more difficult and obstruct a free milk flow. This document also discloses a membrane controlled closing valve in the valve housing. Moreover, this valve comprises a cam member manually rotatable in order to ensure forcibly that it is kept in the open position.
EP-B-88 580 discloses a
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patent: 1477978 (1923-04-01), Sabroe
patent: 1507630 (1924-09-01), Sundberg
patent: 2986117 (1961-05-01), Ronaldson
patent: 3557755 (1971-01-01), Close
patent: 4481906 (1984-11-01), Steingraber et al.
patent: 4936254 (1990-06-01), Marshall
patent: 5007378 (1991-04-01), Larson
Abbott Yvonne
Alfa Laval Agri AB
Poon Peter M.
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