Milking system with positive pressure on thin liner

A method for milking a mammal, comprising:

• providing a teat cup having a thin-walled floppy liner having an upper end around a teat of the mammal, and a lower end communicating with a milking claw, and defining a milk flow passage within said liner, and a pulsation chamber outside said liner between said liner and said teat cup, said thin-walled floppy liner substantially conforming its shape to the teat and of itself providing substantially no load on the teat;
• supplying a negative first pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, through said claw to said milk flow passage at said lower end of said liner;
• providing a milking cycle having an on portion and an off portion, wherein milk is supplied from the lower tip of the teat through said milk flow passage to said claw during said on portion, and wherein said liner is collapsed and closed during said off portion to block milk flow;
• operating said thin-walled floppy liner as a pressure switch limiting the amount of negative pressure applied to the lower tip of the teat, by
• decreasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle to a negative second pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, wherein said second pressure is greater than said first pressure such that said second pressure provides lesser vacuum than the vacuum provided by said first pressure, such that said thin-walled floppy liner is closed and blocks communication of said negative first pressure to the lower tip of the teat and limits the amount of negative pressure applied to the lower tip of the teat to said negative second pressure acting on said thin-walled floppy liner engaging the lower tip of the teat, wherein milk flow from the lower tip of the teat within said thin-walled floppy liner increases the pressure within said thin walled floppy liner to equalize and slightly exceed the pressure in said pulsation chamber outside said thin-walled floppy liner to slightly open said milk flow passage until milk flow from the lower tip of the teat decreases to reduce the pressure within said thin-walled floppy liner such that the latter closes, said first and second pressures providing differential pressure across said thin-walled floppy liner during said on portion of said milking cycle, with the pressure in said pulsation chamber greater than the pressure supplied through said claw, and
• increasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said off portion of said milking cycle to a positive third pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to collapse said thin-walled floppy liner and tightly close said milking passage and to apply said positive third pressure along the teat by acting on said thin-walled floppy liner engaging the teat, said positive third pressure being uniformly applied along the teat including the lower tip of the teat and the barrel of the teat above the lower tip.

A method for milking a mammal, comprising in combination:

• providing a plurality of teat cups each having a liner around a respective teat of the mammal and defining a milk flow passage within said liner below the teat and a pulsation chamber outside said liner between said liner and said teat cup, said liner being a thin-walled floppy member substantially conforming its shape to the teat, and of itself providing substantially no load on the teat, said milk flow passage supplying milk to a milking claw which also receives milk from milk flow passages of other liners of other teat cups;
• supplying substantially constant negative pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure through said claw to said milk flow passage;
• providing a milking cycle having an on portion and an off portion, wherein milk is supplied to said claw during said on portion, and implementing said milking cycle by
• increasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said off portion of said milking cycle to a positive pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to increase the pressure applied to the teat and collapse and fully close said liner below the teat, said positive pressure being uniformly applied along the teat including the lower tip of the teat and the barrel of the teat above the lower tip,
• decreasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle to a negative pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to decrease the pressure applied to the teat but maintaining a differential pressure across said liner such that the pressure in said pulsation chamber is greater than said substantially constant negative pressure supplied through said claw such that said pressure in said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle provides lesser vacuum than the vacuum provided by said substantially constant negative pressure supplied through said claw, such that said liner only partially opens, with minimum volume change below the teat.
• increasing the pressure again in said pulsation chamber and repeating the cycle.

Apparatus for milking a mammal, comprising:

• a teat cup having a thin-walled floppy liner having an upper end around a teat of the mammal, and a lower end communicating with a milking claw, and defining a milk flow passage within said thin-walled floppy liner, and a pulsation chamber outside said thin-walled floppy liner between said thin-walled floppy liner and said teat cup, said thin-walled floppy liner substantially conforming its shape to the teat and of itself providing substantially no load on the teat;
• means supplying a negative first pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, through said claw to said milk flow passage at said lower end of said thin-walled floppy liner;
• cycling means providing a milking cycle having an on portion and an off portion, wherein milk is supplied from the lower tip of the teat through said milk flow passage to said claw during said on portion, and wherein said thin-walled floppy liner is collapsed and closed during said off portion to block milk flow;
• means operating said thin-walled floppy liner as a pressure switch limiting the amount of negative pressure applied to the lower tip of the test, comprising
• means applying a negative second pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle, wherein said second pressure is greater than said first pressure such that said second pressure provides lesser vacuum than the vacuum provided by said first pressure, such that said thin-walled floppy liner is closed and blocks communication of said negative first pressure to the lower tip of the teat and limits the amount of negative pressure applied to the lower tip of the teat to said negative second pressure acting on said thin-walled floppy liner engaging the lower tip of the teat, wherein milk flow from the lower tip of the teat within said thin-walled floppy liner increases the pressure within said thin-walled floppy liner to equalize and slightly exceed the pressure in said pulsation chamber outside said thin-walled floppy liner to slightly open said milk flow passage until milk flow from the lower tip of the teat decreases to reduce the pressure within said thin-walled floppy liner such that the latter closes, said first and second pressures providing differential pressure across said thin-walled floppy liner during said on portion of said milking cycle, with the pressure in said pulsation chamber greater than the pressure supplied through said claw, and
• means applying a positive third pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to said pulsation chamber during said off portion of said milking cycle to collapse and close said thin walled floppy liner and tightly close said milking passage and to apply said positive third pressure along the teat by acting on said thin-walled floppy liner engaging the teat, said positive third pressure being uniformly applied along the teat including the lower tip of the teat and the barrel of the teat above the lower tip.

Apparatus for milking a mammal, comprising in combination:

• a plurality of teat cups each having a liner around a respective teat of the mammal and defining a milk flow passage within said liner below the teat and a pulsation chamber outside said liner between said liner and said teat cup, said liner being a thin-walled floppy member substantially conforming its shape to the teat, and of itself providing substantially no load on the teat;
• a milking claw receiving milk from the milk flow passages of said teat cups;
• means supplying substantially constant negative pressure below atmospheric pressure, through said claw to said milk flow passages;
• cycling means providing a milking cycle having an on portion and an off portion, wherein milk is supplied to said claw during said on portion, comprising
• means increasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said off portion of said milking cycle to a positive pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to increase the pressure applied to the teat and collapse and fully close said liner below the teat, said positive pressure being uniformly applied along the teat including the lower tip of the teat and the barrel of the teat above the lower tip,
• means decreasing the pressure in said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle to a negative pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to decrease the pressure applied to the teat but maintaining a differential pressure across said liner such that the pressure in said pulsation chamber is greater than said substantially constant negative pressure supplied through said claw such that said pressure in said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle provides lesser vacuum than the vacuum provided by said substantially constant negative pressure supplied through said claw, such that said liner only partially opens, with minimum volume change below the teat.

Apparatus for milking a mammal, comprising in combination:

• a teat cup having a liner around a teat of the mammal and defining a milk flow passage within said liner and a pulsation chamber outside said liner between said liner and said teat cup, said liner being a thin-walled floppy member substantially conforming its shape to the teat, and of itself providing substantially no load on the teat;
• a first pressure source supplying negative pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to said milk flow passage;
• cycling means providing a milking cycle having an on portion and an off portion, wherein milk is supplied from the teat during said on portion;
• a second pressure source supplying negative pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to said pulsation chamber during said on portion of said milking cycle;
• a third pressure source supplying positive pressure, relative to atmospheric pressure, to said pulsation chamber during said off portion of said milking cycle, said positive pressure from said third pressure source being uniformly applied along the teat including the lower tip of the teat and the barrel of the teat above the lower tip.