Apparatus for separating milk and air from each other at an early stage in a pipe milking machine

An apparatus for separating milk and air from each other at an early stage in a pipe milking machine, said apparatus comprising a milker claw (1) and a pump assembly (10) in flow communication therewith and connected to a vacuum tube (5) and including a body element (13) provided with an inlet chamber (25, 26) for milk flowing into the pump assembly (10), and pump means for pumping milk into a normal-pressure milk pipe (4a) connected with assembly (10), said pump means comprising a milk pump consisting of a milk cylinder (15) and a pump piston (16, 16a) axially movable therein, as well as a vacuum pump consisting of an operating cylinder (18) and an operating piston (19) axially movable therein mutually adjacent and with the pump piston (16, 16a) and operating piston (19) coupled functionally with each other, characterized in that the inlet chamber (25, 26) is mounted substantially above the axis of the milk cylinder (15) in flow communication with the milk cylinder (15) whereby, in operation, milk and air flow in the state of vacuum from the claw (1) to the pump assembly (10), the milk only flowing essentially by the action of gravity, and that the pump assembly (10) uses the pump piston (16, 16a) for bringing the milk flowing gravitationally through the inlet chamber (25, 26) to the milk cylinder (15) upwards to said normal-pressure milk pipe (4a).