Animal husbandry – Milkers – With signals – indicators – registers – and timers
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-08
2001-10-09
Price, Thomas (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With signals, indicators, registers, and timers
C119S014540
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298807
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to milking equipment and, more particularly, to an improved barrel-style milking claw used to collect milk from the four teats of a cow's udder and discharge it into a single tube toward a remote point of delivery.
BACKGROUND
Conventional barrel claws have certain advantages and disadvantages compared to “upright” claws having dish-shaped bottom halves constructed of glass or plastic. For example, barrel claws generally fit more comfortably into the palm of the user's hand during installation, removal and maintenance, making them attractive for this reason. Additionally, because a barrel claw is oriented with its longitudinal axis extending horizontally during operation, the continuous, cylindrical wall of the claw forms a sturdy, protective shell that is not easily damaged if the claw should accidentally be dropped onto the concrete floor of the milking parlor. Observation windows at opposite ends of the claw are likewise well protected, as opposed to the dish-shaped bottom or top halves of other claws which are exposed and vulnerable to breakage when dropped or stepped on by a cow.
On the other hand, the transparent bottom or top halves of the upright claws permit their interior receiving chamber to be viewed from virtually any angle, making them equally suitable for use in a variety of different styles of milking parlors, including, for example, parallel parlors, herringbone parlors and tandem parlors. Depending upon the type of parlor involved, the operator may be positioned in different locations as he observes and tends the milking operation, and the hoses and other parts of the milking system may be located in different places and extend in different directions.
Furthermore, in prior barrel claws the ports for pulsation lines to the teat cups and the main discharge spout of the claw have been separate, individual components requiring separate handling and attachment and detachment to and from the claw.
The cylindrical shell of barrel claws has also presented certain manufacturing problems during the attachment of four, rigid tubular nipples to the exterior of the shell to which teat cups liners are attached. Due to the location of the cow's four teats, it has heretofore been necessary to attach the rigid nipples at oblique angles to the claw body in order to have the teat cup liners extending from the body at appropriate angles for connection to the teats. This fabrication process has been difficult and time consuming.
In addition, while barrel claws have been popular due in part to their comfortable fit in the operator's hand, to some extent this comfortable, cylindrical configuration has been at the expense of volumetric capacity of the claw. While the barrel diameter could be increased to correspondingly obtain increased capacity, enlarging the diameter of the cylinder would also make it less comfortable to grip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved claw for the milking industry that retains the significant and popular attributes of conventional barrel claws while eliminating many of the current disadvantages.
To this end, the present invention contemplates a barrel claw that retains the overall generally cylindrical configuration of prior barrel claws but which has opposite, tapered end portions of generally conical shape so that volumetric capacity of the claw can be increased to some extent in the center of the claw while still permitting the claw to fit comfortably in the user's hand, giving superior ergonomics when grasped from any direction. The conical wall surfaces of the claw's tapered end portions permit rigid nipples for the teat cups to be welded to such surfaces at right angles while still pointing in the proper direction toward the cow's teats. Thus, manufacturing is simplified and made more efficient. With the end portions having angled walls, it is also possible to provide an embodiment which eliminates the rigid nipples altogether and uses instead four inlet openings in the tapered portions of the top wall section of the body to which the flexible hoses of the teat cup liners can be secured. The ends of the hoses project through the openings while yieldable retaining flanges on the innermost ends help hold the hoses in place.
In one preferred embodiment, the manifold for the pulsation system that alternately squeezes and relaxes the teat cup liners when attached to the teats is integrated or joined with the milk discharge spout of the outlet assembly as a common unit. The combination spout and manifold unit is readily attachable and detachable from the top wall section of the claw body. The integrated unit can be attached to the body in different rotative positions so that the outlet spout extends either axially or transversely of the longitudinal axis of the body, as may be best suited for the particular style of parlor in which the claw is being used insofar as observing the contents of the claw and positioning of the various lines and hoses is concerned.
These and other important objects will be made clear from the description and claims which follow:
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 324591 (1992-03-01), Lallerstedt
patent: D. 327552 (1992-06-01), Lallerstedt
patent: D. 372566 (1996-08-01), Chowdhury
patent: D. 384445 (1997-09-01), Chowdhury
patent: D. 418951 (2000-01-01), Gustafsson
patent: 1348401 (1920-08-01), Frimand
patent: 1396987 (1921-11-01), Bodeker
patent: 1647971 (1927-11-01), Schmitt
patent: 2513627 (1950-07-01), Dinesen
patent: 2694380 (1954-11-01), Harstick
patent: 3233589 (1966-02-01), Karnath
patent: 3512504 (1970-05-01), Marley
patent: 3776196 (1973-12-01), Luiz
patent: 4253419 (1981-03-01), Yang
patent: 4314526 (1982-02-01), Nordenskjold
patent: 4516592 (1985-05-01), Schultz et al.
patent: 4537152 (1985-08-01), Thompson
patent: 4807566 (1989-02-01), Chowdhury
patent: 4873943 (1989-10-01), Pulvermacher
patent: 4957065 (1990-09-01), Neff et al.
patent: 5076211 (1991-12-01), Tonelli
patent: 5080041 (1992-01-01), Steingraber
patent: 5291853 (1994-03-01), Steingraber et al.
patent: 5345390 (1994-09-01), Petersson et al.
patent: 5988105 (1999-11-01), Sandgren
patent: 6006695 (1999-12-01), Gustafsson
patent: 6055930 (2000-05-01), Stein et al.
patent: 6058880 (2000-05-01), Gustafsson et al.
patent: 105472 (1938-10-01), None
patent: 229063 (1960-06-01), None
patent: 238486 (1962-05-01), None
patent: 171749 (1921-11-01), None
patent: 552476 (1943-04-01), None
patent: 3140543 (1983-04-01), None
patent: 71624 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 868294 (1961-05-01), None
patent: 992771 (1965-05-01), None
patent: 2044066 (1980-10-01), None
patent: 2057845 (1981-04-01), None
patent: 1175402 (1985-08-01), None
patent: WO8500270 (1984-07-01), None
Bramley, A.J.; Dodd, F.H.; Mein, G.A.; and Bramley, J.A., Editors;Machine Milking and Lactation, published by Insight Books, 1992, pp. 164-170 and 188-189.
Alfa Laval Agri,Equipment&Supplies,1997, pp. 28-29.
Colburn Barrel Claw, about 1991.
Alfa Laval Claw, about 1991, manufactured by Boudreau.
Delaval, Inc.
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
Price Thomas
LandOfFree
Top unloading tapered barrel claw does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Top unloading tapered barrel claw, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Top unloading tapered barrel claw will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2615957