Connector for a teatcup to be attached to the teat of an animal to be milked, and a teatcup
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorAnna Andersson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector configured for receiving a cartridge for forming a teatcup where the cartridge includes an elongated sleeve and a barrel pre-mounted in the elongated sleeve and having an inner space for receiving a teat and the connector includes a lower base member and a shell extending from the lower base member and surrounding a receiving space for receiving the cartridge, the lower base member and the shell foringm one piece of a plastic material, and the shell being configured to extend along an axial length of the elongated sleeve at least to the upper end of the sleeve when the cartridge is received in the connector.
Claims16
A connector (2) for a teatcup to be attached to a teat of an animal to be milked, the connector (2) comprising:
- a lower base member (3);
- a shell (4) extending along a longitudinal central axis (x) from the lower base member (3);
- a metal sleeve (60) attached to and extending around an outer surface (61) of the shell (4),
- wherein the connector (2) is configured to receive a cartridge (1) comprising an elongated sleeve (8) and a barrel (9) pre-mounted in the elongated sleeve (8) and having an inner space (10) for receiving said teat,
- wherein the elongated sleeve (8) has axial length from a lower end (8″) of the elongated sleeve (8) to an upper end (8′) of the elongated sleeve (8),
- wherein the shell (4) defines a receiving space (5) for receiving the cartridge (1), the receiving space surrounding the longitudinal central axis (x),
- wherein the lower base member (3) and the shell (4) form one piece of a plastic material,
- wherein the shell (4) is configured to extend outside the elongated sleeve (8) along the axial length of the elongated sleeve (8) at least outside of an endmost part of the upper end (8′) of the elongated sleeve (8) when the cartridge (1) is received in the receiving space (5) of the connector (2),
- wherein the outer surface (61) comprises a depressed surface portion (62) extending around the shell (4) and wherein the metal sleeve (60) is arranged in the depressed surface portion (62), and
- wherein the shell (4) is tapering and the metal sleeve (60) is correspondingly tapering, and wherein the shell (4) is configured to permit the metal sleeve (60) to be pushed onto the shell (4) in a direction from the lower base member (3) upwards into the depressed surface portion (62) of the shell (4);
- and
- a pulse nipple (34) which extends downwardly from the lower base member (3) in parallel with the longitudinal central axis (x) in a manner to permit the lower base member (3) and the pulse nipple (34) to pass through the metal sleeve (60) when the metal sleeve (60) is pushed onto the shell (4) in the direction from the lower base member (3) upwards into the depressed surface portion (62) of the shell (4).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.