IL199420A - Milking claw - Google Patents

Description

MILKING CLAW 199420/2 A MILKING CLAW Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of dairy equipment.

More particularly, the invention relates to a milking claw.

Background of the Invention A milking cluster is an assembly attached to the udder of a dairy animal during milking. It includes four teat cups, one for each teat of a dairy animal, each of the cups drained by a tube to a milking claw (marked in the figures herein by reference numeral 10), which is a closed container connected by a single tube (marked in the figures herein by reference numeral 26) to the collection point of the milking machine thereof (not illustrated). The connection between a tube of a teat cup and the milking claw is through a nozzle (marked herein by reference numeral 20) that sprouts into of the container of the milking claw.

The milking machine generates vacuum, which performs the following operations: (a) the vacuum causes the teat cups to hold tight the teat cups! and (b) the vacuum draws milk from the dairy animal. Thus, the entire milk passage from the teats of a dairy animal to the collection point of the milking machine has to be kept unblocked.

Referring to the drawings herein, the milk passes from the teat cups (not illustrated), via nozzles 20, into the container of milking claw 10 (i.e., the space enclosed within elements 14 and 16), and therefrom through outlet 26, through a pipe (not illustrated) connected to outlet 26, into the collecting point of the milking machine (not illustrated). This passage has to be kept unblocked. 199420/2 In the event the milk passage is blocked, the vacuum that retains a teat cup attached to the teat of a dairy animal vanishes, and as a result, the teat cup may fall.

In order to provide fluency in milk passage through a milking claw, the area of output tube 26 should be at least as the area of the input nozzles 20. In other words, assuming Pi is the relation between the circumference of a circle and its diameter, R is the inner radius of tube 26, and P is the inner radius of each of a nozzle 20, then the following equation should sustain: Pi x R2 > 4 x Pi x P2. However, in practice, the maximum diameter of exit tube 26 is limited due to the convenience of the milk worker, and as such, its diameter is smaller than dictated by the diameter of inlets 20, and as a result, milking claw 10 becomes a bottleneck in the milk flow from the dairy animal to the collection point of the milking machine thereof (not illustrated).

The bottleneck not only detains the milk flow, but also causes losing the vacuum that attaches the teat cups to the teats of the dairy animal, as the bottleneck blocks the passage from the teat cups to the collecting point. As a result the cups may fall, thereby detaining the milking process even more.

US Patents 4,537,152, 6,981,468 and 7,021,239 are considered to be the closest prior art. None of the disclosed designs provides a satisfactory solution to the bottleneck problem of a milking claw.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the bottleneck problem of a milking claw, and other related problems of the prior art.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a milking claw (10), comprising: In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a milking claw, comprising: - a container (the space enclosed within objects 14 and 16); - four milk inlets (20) to the container, each corresponding to a teat of a dairy animal, each being disposed in the upper side of the container, each connecting the space of the container with a teat cup attached to a teat of the dairy animaL' - a milk outlet (26) from the container, the outlet being disposed at the lower side of the container! - an air tube (42, 44), wherein the lower side thereof (42) being disposed in the outlet (26), and the upper side thereof (44) being disposed at the upper side of the container, for being kept above the milk line of the container; thereby retaining vacuum inside the container, while allowing fluent passage of milk through the outlet (26).

According to one embodiment of the invention, the upper side of the air tube (44) is installed such that a space (50) separates the inner side of the walls of the container from the air tube, thereby retaining the dynamics of swirling milk, as no obstacle is present at the walls of the container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the inlets (20) sprouts (38) into the container, thereby directing milk entering into the container, away from the upper side (44) of the air tube.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the container has an air bore (46) disposed opposite to the outlet (26) at the lower side of the container. Preferably, the diameter of the bore is about 1 mm.

The container may comprise : - a bowl (16); - a cover (14), the edge of which correspond to the edge of the bowl; - a gasket (28) disposed between the cover (14) and the bowl (16), for sealing the space enclosed between the cover and the bowl; - a bolt (30), for securing the cover to the bowl; and - an outlet (26) through which milk exits from the container towards a collection point of the milking machine thereof (not illustrated).

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cover has a substantially cylindrical form.

The milking claw may further comprise · - a first hook (18), attached to the cover (14); and - a second hook (24), attached to the bowl (16); thereby enabling hanging the cover separately from the bowl, for drying.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for preventing blocking the outlet of a milking claw, the method comprising the steps of - installing in the milking claw an air tube (42, 44) connecting the upper side of the container of the milking claw with the outlet (26) of the container, thereby retaining vacuum inside the container, while allowing fluent passage of milk through the outlet (26).

The method may further comprise the steps of - separating the air tube from the inner side of the walls of the container, thereby retaining the dynamics of the flow of the entering milk into the container.

The method may further comprise the steps of - expanding the milk inlets (20) to the container beyond the inner side of the walls of the container, thereby directing milk entering into the container away from the upper side (44) of the air tube.

The method may further comprise the steps of - disposing an air bore (46) opposite to the outlet (26) at the lower side of the container, thereby providing an air bore in the optimal position thereof.

Preferably, the diameter of the air bore being about 1 mm.

The foregoing embodiments of the invention are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems and methods thereof, which are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting.

Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments and features of the present invention are described herein in conjunction with the following drawings^ Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a milking claw, according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the milking claw of Fig. 1, upside-down.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the milking claw of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the milking claw of Fig. 1, upside-down.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the milking claw of Fig. 1.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 199420/2 Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments The present invention will be understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which are meant to be descriptive and not limiting. For the sake of brevity, some well-known features, methods, systems, procedures, components, circuits, and so on, are not described in detail.

Reference is made now to Fig. 1, which schematically illustrates a milking claw, according to one embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2, which schematically illustrates the milking claw of Fig. 1, upside-down, Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the milking claw of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the milking claw of Fig. 1, upside-down, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the milking claw of Fig. 1.

The milking claw, which is marked herein by reference numeral 10, is a closed container connected by a single tube 26 to the collection point (not illustrated) of the milking machine thereof.

The container of the milking claw is comprised of a cover 14, a bowl 16, and a gasket 28 disposed therebetween. The attaching mechanism comprises a bolt 30 and a corresponding nut 12, which attaches cover 14 to bowl 16.

Cover 14 comprises four nozzle inlets 20, each one being substantially tangential to the wall of the cover. Each of the inlets is inclined downwardly. With this arrangement, milk entering through the inlets swirls along the inner walls of the cover, downwardly.

In order to keep outlet (tube) 26 unblocked, according to embodiments of the present invention, an air tube is inserted between outlet 26 and the upper side of the milking claw. The air tube comprises a lower side 42, which its end is disposed into tube 26,' and an upper side 44, which its end is raised above milk line 52, as a periscope. This way an air passage is maintained between outlet 26 and the upper side of the milking claw, which by its nature is free of milk.

In order not to interfere with the dynamics of the flowing milk, which usually swirls along the interior extent of the container of the milking claw, the milking claw is designed such that it comprises a 50 space between air tube 44 and the walls of the milking claw.

In order to decrease the chances of the milk to enter into the inlet of tube 44, each of inlet 20 extends into the interior space of the milking claw, thereby directing the milk away from the upper inlet of the air tube (elements 44, 42).

For comparison, according to the prior art each of the inlets extends out of the exterior walls of the cover, while from the interior side the inlet edges are at the wall level, i.e., no salient is employed, as it does not play any role.

According to the prior art, a milking claw comprises a bore which connects the inner space of the milking claw -with the air outside. The atmospheric air enters constantly into this bore into the container of the milking claw, and pushes the milk towards outlet 26. If the bore is blocked, the milk flow stops, and the vacuum ceases.

The optimal position of the bore is opposite to outlet tube 26, however, according to the prior art, the bore is placed at the upper side (e.g., on cover 14) of the milking claw rather than at the lower side (bowl 16), and opposite to tube 26. The reason for this arrangement is that by placing the bore at the lower side (e.g., on bowl 16), the bore may be under milk line 52, and accordingly can be blocked by the milk inside the container.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the air bore, which is marked herein by reference numeral 46, is located at the lower side (bowl 16) of the milking claw, and opposite to output tube 26, i.e., at the optimal location thereof. Since the milk flow in the claw is improved in comparison to the prior art, the milk line 52 remains relatively low, and therefore the chances of bore 46 to meet the milk are relatively low.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the milking claw comprises two hooks^ a first hook 18, connected to the cover of the claw, and a second hook 24, connected to the bowl of the claw. In this way, both the cover and the bowl can be hung out to dry.

In the figures and/or description herein, the following reference numerals have been mentioned: - numeral 10 denotes a milking claw of a milking machine, according to one embodiment of the invention; - numeral 12 denotes a nut; - numeral 14 denotes the cover of the milking claw! - numeral 16 denotes the bowl of the milking claw>* - numeral 18 denotes the upper hook of the claw,' - numeral 20 denotes a nozzle inlet; - numeral 22 denotes a rubber foundation for hook 24; - numeral 24 denotes the lower hook of the claw; - numeral 26 denotes a tube to the collection point (not illustrated) of the milking machine; - numeral 28 denotes a gasket disposed between cover 14 and bowl 16 of the claw; - numeral 30 denotes a bolt securing cover 14 to bowl 16; ■ numeral 32 denotes the end of the inner portion of a nozzle inlet 20; - numeral 34 denotes a rubber foundation of hook 18; - numeral 36 denotes a gasket disposed between the upper and lower parts of canal 40 which bolt 30 passes through; ■ numeral 38 denotes the inner portion of an inlet 20; - numeral 40 denotes a canal through which bolt 30 passes; - numeral 42 denotes the lower side of an air tube 26! - numeral 44 denotes the upper side of the air tube 26; ■ numeral 46 denotes an air bore in the lower side of the milking claw! - numeral 48 denotes milk; - numeral 50 denotes a space between air tube 44 and the walls of the milking claw; and - numeral 52 denotes the milk line.

The foregoing description and illustrations of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the above description in any form.

Any term of the claims that has been defined above, has to be interpreted according to this definition.

ABSTRACT In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a milking claw, comprising: a container (the space enclosed within objects 14 and 16); four milk inlets (20) to the container, each corresponding to a teat of a dairy animal, each being disposed in the upper side of the container, each connecting the space of the container with a teat cup attached to a teat of the dairy animal; a milk outlet (26) from the container, the outlet being disposed at the lower side of the container; an air tube (42, 44), wherein the lower side thereof (42) being disposed in the outlet (26), and the upper side thereof (44) being disposed at the upper side of the container, for being kept above the milk line of the container; thereby retaining vacuum inside the container, while allowing fluent passage of milk through the outlet (26). r 9290 What is claimed is'

Claims (13)

1. A milking claw, comprising' a container! - four milk inlets to said container, each corresponding to a teat of a dairy animal, each being disposed in the upper side of said container, each connecting the space of said container with a teat cup attached to a teat of said dairy animal,' a milk outlet from said container, said outlet being disposed at the lower side of said container; an air tube, wherein the lower side thereof being disposed in said outlet, and the upper side thereof being disposed at the upper side of said container, for being kept above the milk line of said container; thereby retaining vacuum inside said container, while allowing fluent passage of milk through said outlet.

2. A milking claw according to claim 1, wherein the upper side of said air tube being installed such that a space separates the inner side of the walls of said container from said air tube, thereby retaining the dynamics of swirling milk.

3. A milking claw according to claim 1, wherein each of said inlets sprouts into said container, thereby directing milk entering into said container, away from the upper side of said air tube. 9290 - 14 -

4. A milking claw according to claim 1, having an air bore disposed opposite to said outlet at the lower side of said container.

5. A milking claw according to claim 4, wherein the diameter of said bore being about 1 mm.

6. A milking claw according to claim 1, wherein said container comprises^ - a bowL' - a cover, the edge of which correspond to the edge of said bowl; - a gasket disposed between said cover and said bowl, for sealing the space enclosed between said cover and said bowl; - a bolt, for securing said cover to said bowl; and - an outlet through which milk exists from said container towards a collection point of the milking machine thereof.

7. A milking claw according to claim 6, wherein said cover has a substantially cylindrical form.

8. A milking claw according to claim 6, further comprising: - a first hook, attached to said cover; and - a second hook, attached to said bowl; thereby enabling hanging said cover separately from said bowl, for drying. 9290 - 15 -

9. A method for preventing blocking the outlet of a milking claw, the method comprising the steps of - installing in said milking claw an air tube connecting the upper side of the container of said milking claw with the outlet of said container, thereby retaining vacuum inside said container, while allowing fluent passage of milk through said outlet.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of - separating said air tube from the inner side of the walls of said container, thereby retaining the dynamics of the flow of the entering milk into said container.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of - expanding said milk inlets to said container beyond the inner side of the walls of said container, thereby directing milk entering into said container away from the upper side of said air tube.

12. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of - disposing an air bore opposite to said outlet at the lower side of said container, thereby providing an air bore in the optimal position thereof. 9290 16

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the diameter of said air bore being about 1 mm.