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US 5,222,965 AGranted
Teat knife
OwnerDonald Haughtoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A simplified unitary teat knife is formed of stainless steel rod with a knurled knob on one end and an eye on the other. The eye is flattened and enlarged relative to the rod of the knife and the edges of the eye are sharpened so as to provide cutting surfaces for removal of obstructions within the milk duct as the tool is rotated within the duct by manual manipulation of the knurled knob.
Claims3
A teat knife for removing scar tissue, cysts and tumors that protrude from the interior wall of a teat milk duct that includes:
- an elongated rod of given diameter having a longitudinal axis, a manipulating knob at its proximal end and an eye portion integral with the rod at its distal end being centered upon said longitudinal axis;
- said eye portion having opposed flat top and bottom surfaces, the dimension across said top and bottom surfaces being less than the diameter of the rod and two opposed arcuate-shaped side surfaces, the maximum dimension between said side surfaces when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to said longitudinal axis being greater than the diameter of said rod;
- an elongated opening formed in said eye portion that is centered along the longitudinal axis of said rod, said opening having opposed longitudinally extended side walls passing through the top and bottom surfaces of the eye portion to establish two rigid side members on either side of said opening;
- and
- a cutting edge formed between at least one side wall of the opening and the outer surface of one of said rigid members, whereby the rigid side members of the eye portion laterally extend the interior wall of the milk duct and scar tissue, cysts, tumors and the like protruding from the interior wall pass into the elongated opening of the eye portion and are cut away by said cutting edge as the rod is rotated.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.