Method and system employing a filter-detector for detecting mastitis in cows

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter casing of unitary construction and having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed parallel transparent faces, the axes of the inlet and outlet being parallel to each other and extending parallel to the opposed faces,
• a filter element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing means for sealing said open slot when the filter element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter element including a perforated filter area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• said filter element further comprising a unitary frame surrounding the edge of the perforated filter area to define therewith an inner area, and said unitary frame also includes an outer area which includes means for handling the filter element from outside of the casing,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located in the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter into said inner portion on the side thereof within the casing, and said outer portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portions exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter.

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter-detector casing of unitary construction and having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed parallel transparent faces, the axes of the inlet and outlet being parallel to each other and extending parallel to the opposed faces,
• a filter-detector element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing means for sealing said open slot when the filter-detector element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter-detector element including a perforated filter-detector area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• said filter-detector also including a bypass opening to assure the presence of a vacuum in the milk flow line,
• said filter-detector element further comprising a unitary frame surrounding the edge of the perforated filter area to define therewith an inner area, and said unitary frame also includes an outer area which includes means for handling the filter element from outside of the casing,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located n the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter-detector into said inner portion on the side thereof within the casing, and said outer portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portion exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector.

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter casing having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed transparent faces,
• a filter element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing means for sealing said open slot when the filter element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter element including a perforated filter area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located in the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter into an inner portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portion is exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter,
• and wherein said filter is dimensioned such that, when it is inserted into the open slot in the casing, a seepage passage is formed between the filter and the casing interior for cleaning fluid to pass through.

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter-detector casing having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed transparent faces,
• a filter-detector element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing means for sealing said open slot when the filter-detector element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter-detector element including a perforated filter-detector area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• said filter-detector also including a bypass opening to assure the presence of a vacuum in the milk flow line,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located in the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter-detector into an inner portion on the side thereof within the casing, and an outer portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portion is exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector,
• and wherein said filter-detector is dimensioned such that, when it is inserted into the open slot in the casing, a seepage passage is formed between the filter and the casing interior for cleaning fluid to pass through.

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter-detector casing having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed transparent faces,
• a filter-detector element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing means for sealing said open slot when the filter-detector element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter-detector element including a perforated filter-detector area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• said filter-detector also including a bypass opening to assure the presence of a vacuum in the milk flow line, and wherein the flow area of the bypass is approximately equal to the flow area through the said fluid inlet,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located in the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter-detector into an inner portion on the side thereof within the casing, and an outer portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portions exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector.

In a system for milking a cow and including a milk flow line connectable at one end to a cow's udder and connectable at its other end to a vacuum source, the improvement comprising:

• a filter-detector casing having a fluid inlet connectable to the milk flow line in communication with the cow and a fluid outlet connectable to a vacuum source, said casing having opposed transparent faces,
• a filter-detector element removably and reversibly insertable into an open slot in said casing and including sealing mean for sealing said open slot when the filter-detector element is positioned therein in either of said reversible positions,
• said filter-detector element including a perforated filter-detector area extending generally parallel to said opposed faces such that the said filter area is readily visible upon viewing through the opposed transparent faces,
• said filter-detector also including a bypass opening to assure the presence of a vacuum in the milk flow line, the bypass being defined by a wall raised above the level of the perforated area to thereby prevent sediment from washing from the perforated area into the bypass,
• the sealing means defining a continuous line located in the vicinity of the open slot and generally parallelling the edge of the slot, so as to divide the filter-detector into an inner portion on the side thereof within the casing, and an outer portion which is not exposed to the flow of liquid through the casing, and wherein the entire inner portion is exposed to liquid flowing through the casing from the inlet to the outlet in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector within the casing, and the outer portion remains outside of the seal line in either of the reversible positions of the filter-detector.