Back to results
US 5,291,853 AGranted
Top unloaded milking claw
AssigneeDEC International, Inc.
InventorsGary C. Steingraber, Paul D. Thompson, Terrence J. Mullen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeDEC International, Inc.
InventorsGary C. Steingraber, Paul D. Thompson, Terrence J. Mullen
Estimating the term…
A top unloading milking claw (10) includes a high-impact transparent plastic lower bowl (12) and a stainless steel upper top (14). The claw has a plurality of deflectors (50, 52, 54, 56) on the inner surface (48) of the lower bowl (12) and spaced radially outwardly of the vertical riser outlet tube (28) by an annular gap (58) therebetween. The deflectors (50, 52, 54, 56) reduce tangential velocity of milk flow along the inner surface (48) of the bowl (12) by intercepting such tangential milk flow and redirecting the intercepted milk flow inwardly and downwardly along the inner surface (48) toward the bottom of the bowl (12) to fill the space (38) between the lower end (36) of the outlet tube (28) and the bottom of the bowl (12), to maximize the air pressure differential across the surface of the milk, between the ambient air pressure within the claw and the vacuum within the outlet tube, to maximize milk flow capacity of the claw ( 10). An acceleration surface (94) having a bell-shaped curve extends from the bottom of the bowl (12) upwardly into the outlet tube (28) and provides uniform acceleration of the milk as it enters the outlet tube (28), to minimize shear stress and energy loss as the milk is directed to flow upwardly through the outlet tube (28).
A top unloading milking claw comprising a lower bowl, an upper top closing said bowl, at least one inlet in said top directing incoming milk flow into said bowl, a vertical riser outlet tube extending from said top downwardly into said bowl and having an upper section connected to a vacuum source for drawing milk from said bowl, and having a lower section with a lower end adjacent the bottom of said bowl and spaced therefrom by a small space through which milk flows from said bowl into said outlet tube, wherein said upper top has a central aperture therethrough, and wherein said outlet tube comprises a continuous integral hollow cylinder extending through said aperture and having inner and outer cylindrical sidewalls and extending from said lower section within said bowl upwardly through said aperture to said upper section exterior of and projecting above said top.
A top unloading milking claw comprising a lower bowl, a stainless steel upper top closing said bowl, said top having a central aperture therethrough, at least one inlet in said top directing incoming milk flow into said bowl, a stainless steel vertical riser outlet tube comprising a continuous integral hollow cylinder extending through said aperture and having inner and outer cylindrical sidewalls and extending from said top downwardly into said bowl and having an upper section connected to a vacuum source for drawing milk from said bowl, and having a lower section with a lower end adjacent the bottom of said bowl and spaced therefrom by a small space through which milk flows from said bowl into said outlet tube, said inner and outer cylindrical sidewalls extending from said lower section within said bowl upwardly through said aperture to said upper section exterior of and projecting above said top.
A top unloading milking claw comprising a lower bowl, an upper top closing said bowl, at least one inlet in said top directing incoming milk flow tangentially along the inner surface of said bowl, a vertical riser outlet tube extending from said top downwardly into said bowl and having an upper section connected to a vacuum source for drawing milk from said bowl, and having a lower section with a lower end adjacent the bottom of said bowl and spaced therefrom by a small space through which milk flows from said bowl into said outlet tube, at least one deflector reducing tangential velocity of milk flow along said inner surface of said bowl.
A top unloading milking claw comprising a lower bowl, an upper top closing said bowl, at least one inlet in said top directing incoming milk flow into said bowl, a vertical riser outlet tube extending from said top downwardly into said bowl and having an upper section connected to a vacuum source for drawing milk from said bowl, and having a lower cylindrical sidewall section with a lower end adjacent the bottom of said bowl and spaced therefrom by a small space through which milk flows from said bowl into said outlet tube, an acceleration surface extending from said bottom of said bowl upwardly into said outlet tube and spaced radially inwardly of said cylindrical sidewall section by an annulus therebetween,
A top unloading milking claw comprising a lower bowl, an upper top closing said bowl, at least one inlet in said top directing incoming milk flow into said bowl, a vertical riser outlet tube extending from said top downwardly into said bowl and having an upper section connected to a vacuum source for drawing milk from said bowl, and having a lower section with a lower end adjacent the bottom of said bowl and spaced therefrom by a small space through which milk flows from said bowl into said outlet tube, an acceleration surface having a bell-shaped curve and extending from said bottom of said bowl upwardly into said outlet tube a given distance above said lower end of said outlet tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.