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:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a top plan view of one embodiment of a barrel claw embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a longitudinal, vertical cross-sectional view through the claw of

FIG. 1

taken substantially along line

2

—

2

of

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 3

is a transverse cross-sectional view through the claw of

FIG. 1

taken substantially along line

3

—

3

of

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 4

is an enlarged, fragmentary detailed cross-sectional view of the claw of

FIG. 1

taken substantially along line

4

—

4

of FIG.

3

and illustrating the manner in which the teat cup liner hoses fit directly into openings in the tapered end portions of the claw and the observation windows are removably retained at opposite ends of the claw body;

FIG. 5

is a top plan view of a second embodiment of barrel claw incorporating the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 6

is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the claw of

FIG. 5

taken substantially along line

6

—

6

of

FIG. 5

;

FIG. 7

is a transverse cross-sectional view through the embodiment of

FIG. 5

taken substantially along line

7

—

7

of

FIG. 5

; and

FIG. 8

is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the top portion of the embodiment of

FIG. 5

illustrating the manner in which the top unit of the claw is secured to the claw body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The claw

10

of

FIGS. 1-4

comprises two primary parts, namely a generally barrel-shaped body

12

and a combination vacuum distribution manifold and discharge spout unit

14

. The body

12

is hollow to present an internal, milk-receiving chamber

16

and is somewhat elongated so as to present a longitudinal axis

18

as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

. The body

12

includes a central cylindrical portion

20

and a pair of opposite, tapered end portions

22

and

24

that are each formed in the shape of a truncated cone. Opposite ends

26

and

28

of the body are smaller in diameter than the central portion

20

to give the body

12

its overall generally barrel-shaped configuration wherein the end portions

22

and

24

converge toward the respective ends

26

and

28

.

Preferably, the body

12

is constructed from stainless steel to provide a sturdy shell for the chamber

16

. A pair of circular observation windows

30

and

32

are provided at the two opposite ends

26

and

28

to permit the milking attendant to observe the milk flow within the chamber

16

from outside the body.

As illustrated in detail in

FIGS. 2 and 4

, each end

26

and

28

of the body has an annular rim of

26

a

or

28

a

of constant diameter. As shown in

FIG. 4

with respect to rim

26

a

each rim has an interior, annular, beveled surface

34

that progressively decreases in diameter as the central portion

20

of the body is approached. The window

30

is disposed within the rim

26

and has its own beveled circumferential edge

36

that is complementally received within the beveled surface

34

so that the window

30

is securely seated within the rim

26

. Preferably, the outermost face of the window

30

is flush with or slightly recessed from the corresponding outermost end surface of the rim

26

.

The beveled surface

34

and the beveled edge

36

are provided with corresponding, oppositely facing annular grooves

38

and

40

that are substantially registered with one another when the window

30

is fully seated within the rim

26

. A resilient, annular seal

42

of circular cross-sectional configuration is contained within the groove

40

of the window

30

and projects radially outwardly into the groove

38

of the rim

26

so as to yieldably retain the window

30

in place. Upon the application of sufficient manual pressure, the window

30

can be popped out of its seat for cleaning purposes and then readily replaced. Preferably, the windows

30

and

32

are constructed of clear plastic material, although they may also be constructed from glass.

The central portion

20

and the two conical end portions

22

and

24

include a top wall section broadly denoted by the numeral

44

and a bottom wall section broadly denoted by the numeral

46

, both of such wall sections extending from one end

26

of the body to the opposite end

28

thereof. Generally speaking, as viewed in

FIG. 3

, the top wall section

44

comprises the top half of the body, while the bottom wall section

46

comprises the bottom half of the body. The two top and bottom wall sections

44

and

46

are integrally joined with one another and blend in smoothly with one another without a seam.

The top wall section

44

includes four inlet openings

48

(detailed in

FIG. 4

) for admitting milk from the teats of a cow's udder into the chamber

16

. Two of the inlet openings

48

are disposed in the end potion

22

, and remaining two are disposed in the opposite end portion

24

. The inlet openings

48

are preferably located at about 30° degrees down from a top dead center position as viewed in FIG.

3

and extend radially through the conical top wall portion as viewed in a vertical plane as in FIG.

3

. The openings

48

also extend at right angles to the inclined wall of each conical portion

22

,

24

as viewed in a longitudinal vertical plane in

FIGS. 2 and 4

.

Each inlet opening

48

is circular and, as shown in detail in

FIG. 4

, releasably retains the outlet end

50

of a flexible, preferably rubber, tubular teat cup liner

52

. The teat cup liner

52

has an outer diameter corresponding substantially to the internal diameter of the opening

48

so that the liner can enter the opening

48

, but an annular flange

54

about the exterior of the outlet end

50

is enlarged with respect to the opening

48

so as to prevent the liner

52

from being readily pulled loose. An annular bead

56

on the liner

52

inboard of the outlet end

50

and outside of the body

12

is also of greater diameter than the opening

48

so as to prevent the liner

52

from projecting too far into the chamber

16

. Due to the conical nature of the end portions

22

and

24

and the attitude of the openings

48

, the teat cup liners

52

project generally outwardly and upwardly in an advantageous manner for receiving milk when the cups (not shown) associated with the liners

52

are secured to the teats of the cow's udder.

The top wall section

44

has a centrally located hole

58

. An upstanding, annular boss

60

circumscribes the hole

58

in radially spaced relation thereto. Around the outside of the boss

60

is disposed a wire formed retainer

62

having four petal-like loops

64

projecting radially outwardly from the axis of the hole

58

, and a central, generally circular hub portion

66

that embraces and grips the boss

60

. The teat cup liner

52

from each opening

48

projects upwardly through and beyond the corresponding loop

64

of the retainer

62

, such loops

64

not only serving to confine and control the liners

52

but also to effectively shut them off by a crimping action at the completion of the milking operation when the cups have dropped from the teats and the liners

52

have been draped over and are hanging downwardly from the loops

64

.

The hole

58

in the top wall section of the claw body receives and supports an upstanding extraction tube

68

that preferably takes the form of the extraction tube disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,211. The extraction tube

68

has a lowermost intake end

70

situated near the interior surface of the bottom wall portion

46

of the claw body but spaced slightly upwardly therefrom by virtue of a plurality of feet

72

. The upper end of the extraction tube

68

projects slightly through and beyond the hole

58

and is outwardly flared to a small extent. Preferably it is formed of plastic material to reduce weight.

The extraction tube

68

comprises a part of the outlet assembly of the claw

10

that is partially integrated into the combination manifold and spout unit

14

. In addition to the extraction tube

68

, the outlet assembly also includes a generally radially extending, rigid spout

74

formed of metal or plastic material or the like, such spout

74

having an internal, right angle passage

76

that communicates with the extraction tube

68

. The radially outermost end of the spout

74

is adapted to be received by and inserted into the end of a flexible main discharge line

78

shown in phantom lines in FIG.

1

. The line

78

leads to a point of downstream delivery for the milk and communicates a suction pressure from such downstream delivery site to the interior of the collecting chamber

16

and thence to the teats of the cow's udder via the liners

52

.

The spout

74

has a depending, integral collar

80

of annular configuration that is adapted to be coaxially received by and within the boss

60

on the claw body

12

.

The collar

80

and the boss

60

are provided with quarter turn, intermeshing threads

82

that permit the combination spout and manifold unit

14

to be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the body

12

. Furthermore, because of the quarter turn nature of the threads

82

, the spout and manifold unit

14

can be secured to the body with the spout

74

in any one of four radially projecting positions, i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis

18

of the barrel in either of two positions (one of which is shown in FIG.

1

), or parallel to the axis

18

projecting in either of two opposite directions. In this manner, the operator can readily orient the spout

74

and the viewing windows

30

,

32

in the best manner to suit the particular style of milking parlor involved.

FIGS. 2 and 3

illustrate that the top wall section

44

of the body has an annular ledge

84

that circumscribes the hole

58

inboard of the upstanding boss

60

. A downwardly facing, annular groove

86

in the bottom face of the collar

80

partially overlies the ledge

84

and partially overlies the hole

58

. Within the groove

86

is disposed an annular seal

88

that makes sealing engagement with the ledge

84

and the upper edge extremity of the extraction tube

68

when the spout and manifold unit

14

is secured down in place by the intermeshing threads

82

of the collar

80

and the boss

60

. A rigid loop

90

projects upwardly from the top of the spout

74

.

The combination spout and manifold unit

14

also includes a pair of vacuum manifolds

92

and

94

integrally joined to the spout

74

on opposite sides of the latter as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

. The manifolds

92

and

94

are structurally secured to and integrated with the exterior of the spout

74

but are not in communication with the passage

76

of the spout or the extraction tube

68

.

The function of the manifolds

92

and

94

is to distribute pulsating negative and positive pressure to pulsation chambers of the teat cups so as to alternately squeeze and relax the liners during the milling action. As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, each manifold

92

,

94

includes its own inlet port

96

in the nature of a tubular fitting that is adapted to receive a corresponding hose

100

(see

FIG. 1

) leading to a source of pulsating pressure. Each inlet port

96

,

98

communicates with its own internal bore

102

,

104

that is axially aligned with the respective port

96

or

98

. The bores

102

and

104

do not communicate with one another within the manifold

92

and

94

. Correspondingly, each manifold has its own pair of vacuum ports to its corresponding pair of teat cups, i.e., the manifold

92

has a pair of vacuum ports

106

and

108

communicating with the bore

102

, while the manifold

94

has a pair of vacuum ports

110

and

112

communicating with the bore

104

.

FIG. 1

shows an exemplary pulsation line

114

in phantom lines connected to the vacuum port

110

.

In use the claw

10

is oriented with the axis

18

of the claw body extending in a horizontal plane. The extraction tube

68

is inserted into one of the open ends of the body

26

or

28

, then rotated into place in the top wall

44

, and then the combination spout and manifold unit

14

is secured in place. As earlier mentioned, the radial position of the spout

74

relative to the axis

18

can be varied to best suit the conditions at hand and the style of the milking parlor involved. There are four sets of quarter turn threads

82

at the hole

58

. Thus, the unit

14

can be attached to the claw body

12

with the spout

74

in any one of four different radial positions. Once the unit

14

is secured in place, the teat cup liners

52

are inserted into the openings

48

where they are retained in place by the flanges

54

. The discharge line

78

is fitted onto the spout

74

, the manifold vacuum supply hoses

100

are fitted onto ports

96

and

98

, and the pulsation lines

114

are fitted onto the vacuum ports

106

,

108

,

110

and

112

.

When the system is energized, a vacuum pump associated with the discharge line

78

creates a negative pressure within the chamber

16

which is in turn transmitted to the teat cup liners

52

so that the teat cups may be attached by suction to the teats of the cow's udder. Activation of the pulsation system causes alternating positive and negative pressure to be experienced within the manifolds

92

and

94

, which in turn impart a pulsating action to the pulsation chambers that surround the teat cup liners within the teat cups. Thus, milk begins to flow from the cow's udder into the chamber

16

, whereupon it is drawn up through the extraction tube

68

via the intake

70

and into the discharge line

78

for delivery to a downstream collection device.

It is important to note that during assembly, installation and removal of the claw

10

, the claw body

12

is designed to fit comfortably in the user's hand due to the tapered end portions

22

and

24

of the body. The final diameter of the body at its opposite ends

26

and

28

is selected to be of such a diameter that the body can be readily grasped by the user from any direction in the area of the conical end portions

22

and

24

. However, by having the central portion

20

of the claw body enlarged with respect to the opposite ends

26

,

28

, the volumetric capacity of the claw can be increased without sacrificing ergonomics. Thus, the claw is rendered somewhat more stable and smooth operating due to the shape of the unit and the larger volume of milk that it can contain at any one time. Furthermore, the sloping walls of the end portions as shown in the cross-sectional view of

FIG. 2

contribute to smooth, laminar flow of the milk within the chamber

16

towards the extraction tube

68

. This also steadies the claw during operation to increase productivity and reduce the negative effects of turbulence that might otherwise be induced in the flow.

Due to the inclination of the top wall section

44

in the tapered end portions, the teat cup liners

52

can project from the claw body at the proper angle for approaching the teats of the cow's udder thus reducing liner slips due to poor alignment. This, too, encourages smooth flow by avoiding accidental crimping of the liners

52

that might obstruct the proper flow of milk.

By having the manifolds

92

,

94

and the spout

74

integrated into a common unit as part of the outlet assembly for the claw, the set up and disassembly of the claw are simplified, as well as cleaning and maintenance. Additionally, with the windows

30

and

32

retained by the seals

42

instead of by clips or other hardware, the claw body presents a clean, smooth overall configuration that is conducive to handling and clean up. While the seals

42

retain the windows

30

and

32

with sufficient resistance during operation, they can be readily “popped out” manually during clean up if desired. It will be noted that due to the mating bevels on the windows and the rims

26

a

,

28

a

, the negative pressure within the chamber

16

during operation simply tends to seat the windows

30

and

32

even more snugly into their proper positions within the rims

26

a

,

28

a.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 5-8

show a second embodiment

200

of a milking claw constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The claw

200

is similar in many respects to the claw

10

, the primary differences residing in the manner in which the teat cup liners are attached to the claw and the combination spout and manifold unit is secured to the claw body. Thus, the claw

200

will be described primarily with respect to the differences between it and the first embodiment, with the understanding that common features between the two embodiments are disclosed with respect to the first embodiment.

As with the first embodiment, the claw

200

has a tapered claw body

202

having a cylindrical central portion

204

and opposite end portions

206

and

208

that are conical to present a tapering configuration. As shown I

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the internal chamber

210

of the claw body

202

has four milk inlets

220

located in the top wall section

222

of the body. Two of the inlet openings

220

are located in the tapered end portion

206

and the other two are located in the tapered end portion

208

. The inlet openings

220

communicate with four rigid, tubular nipples

224

that are welded to the top wall section

222

externally of the body in the tapered end portions

206

and

208

. Each rigid nipple

224

intersects the sloping wall of the tapered portion

206

or

208

at a substantially 90° degree angle to such surface so as to project outwardly and upwardly therefrom at approximately 30°-40° degrees from the vertical as viewed both in a longitudinal vertical plane in

FIG. 6 and a

transverse vertical plane in FIG.

7

. In this manner, the rigid nipples

224

advantageously project toward the four teats of the cow's udder to facilitate the milking process. As illustrated in

FIGS. 5 and 7

in phantom lines, teat cup liners

226

fit onto and over the rigid nipples

224

to establish communication between the teat cups and the collecting chamber

210

. By having the rigid nipples

224

disposed at right angles to the intersecting surfaces of the claw body, attachment of the nipples

224

to the body by welding during the manufacturing process is simplified.

The combination spout and manifold unit

228

of the second embodiment differs somewhat from that of the first embodiment. While the unit

228

includes a spout

230

and a pair of manifolds

232

and

234

that are virtually identical to the corresponding components of the first embodiment, this integrated unit

228

is attached to the body

202

in a different manner. In this respect, it will be noted that the body

202

has an internal, upstanding bolt

236

that is welded to the interior surface of the bottom wall section

238

in vertical registration with the hole

240

in the top wall section

222

. The bolt

236

projects axially upwardly through the extraction tube

242

, through and beyond the hole

240

, and upwardly through and beyond the spout

230

. The upper end of the bolt

236

receives a threaded nut

244

having the loop

246

rigidly integrated therewith. Thus, the nut

244

clamps down against the spout and manifold unit

228

when the unit is situated on top of the body

202

, whereby to removably hold the unit

228

in place.

The claw

200

does not use quarter turn threads between the upstanding boss

248

on the claw body and the depending collar

250

(

FIG. 8

) on the spout and manifold unit

228

. Instead, the boss

248

and the collar

250

are each segmented so as to present alternating, vertically extending tabs and slots. As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 8

, the upstanding tabs of the boss

248

are denoted by the numeral

248

a

, while the adjacent slots are denoted by the numeral

248

b

. Correspondingly, the depending tabs of the collar

250

are designated by the numeral

250

a

, while the slots of the collar are denoted by the numeral

250

b

. The tabs and slots

248

a

,

248

b

and

250

a

,

250

b

are all located at the same radial distance from the upright axis of the hole

240

such that the alternating tabs and slots can be interfitted beside one another when the claw is fully assembled as perhaps shown best in the top plan view of FIG.

5

. By loosening the nut

244

, the spout and manifold unit

228

can be raised sufficiently to disengage the tabs and slots so as to permit the unit to be rotated about the axis of the bolt

236

to a different location. Thus, the spout

230

can be selectively oriented in a number of radial positions relative to the upright axis of the extraction tube

242

and the longitudinal axis

252

of the claw body. Tightening down of the nut

244

after such orientation of the spout

230

once again firmly secures the unit

228

in its proper position.

The hole

240

in the top wall section of the claw body is enlarged somewhat compared to the hole

58

associated with the first embodiment. Moreover, the interior annular extremity of the boss

248

and the hole

240

has a chamfered surface

254

that defines a seat for an annular, truncated cone-shaped seal

256

that becomes wedged between the bottom of the spout unit

228

and the reducing diameter of the chamfered surface

254

. The seal

254

has an internal central bore

256

a

that receives the upright bolt

236

. In addition, the bore

256

a

snugly receives the upper flared end of the extraction tube

242

to maintain an effective seal between those two separate components when the claw is fully assembled. It will be noted that the boss

248

effectively defines a receiving socket for the seal

256

, the lower tapering extremity of the seal

256

being complementally chamfered with respect to the chamfer

254

of the boss

248

.

The manner of use of the claw

200

is substantially similar to that of the claw

10

, with the certain exceptions noted above caused by constructional differences. It will be appreciated that while the claws

10

and

200

represent preferred embodiments of the present invention, obvious modifications in these exemplary embodiments could readily be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, certain principles of the present invention are not limited to a top unloading claw. In addition, certain features of one embodiment could be readily substituted for certain features of the other, without incorporating all of such features. For example, the claw

10

could be provided with the segmented boss and collar of the second embodiment, along with the upstanding bolt

236

and clamping nut

244

, without also incorporating the rigid nipples

224

. Likewise, the rigid nipples of the claw

200

could be retained while utilizing the concept of four sets of quarter turn threads found in the first embodiment. It will be seen that many variations can be made in the exemplary embodiments illustrated herein without departing from the spirit of the present invention.