Teat cup cleaning device and method
AssigneeMaasland N.V.
InventorsKarel Van Den Berg, Gerard Mostert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A teat cup cleaning device comprises a heating chamber provided with a discharge outlet that is closable by a valve and arranged for connection to a teat cup. A filling device is arranged for filling the heating chamber with an amount of cleaning liquid and retaining a given quantity of gas. The chamber is provided with a heating arrangement arranged to heat the contents of the heating chamber to a temperature T higher than the boiling point Tk of the cleaning liquid at ambient pressure. On operation of the valve superheated cleaning liquid is discharged to clean a teat cup.
Claims23
Teat cup cleaning device comprising:
- a pressurizable heating chamber configured to contain a superheated liquid, the pressurizable heating chamber having a discharge outlet and a valve, wherein the valve is configured to close the discharge outlet, and the discharge outlet releases directly into at least one teat cup;
- a sealing edge for sealing the teat cup cleaning device onto the at least one teat cup
- a filling device for filling the heating chamber with an amount of cleaning liquid;
- a gas retention arrangement for maintaining a predetermined quantity of gas within the heating chamber on filling the heating chamber with the amount of cleaning liquid;
- a valve controlling element, arranged to open the valve;
- and
- a heating arrangement for heating the contents of the heating chamber to a predetermined condition having a temperature T higher than a boiling point Tk of the cleaning liquid at ambient pressure such that the liquid is superheated liquid upon opening of the valve of the heating arrangement;
- wherein valve when opened releases at least the superheated liquid via the discharge outlet into the teat cup.
Method of cleaning a teat cup, comprising:
- providing a pressurizable heating chamber having a discharge outlet closable by a valve, the discharge outlet releasing directly into at least one teat cup;
- sealing the heating chamber to the at least one teat cup;
- supplying an amount of cleaning liquid to the pressurizable heating chamber sufficient to maintain a predetermined quantity of gas within the heating chamber;
- closing the heating chamber;
- heating the cleaning liquid in the heating chamber to a condition with a temperature T that is higher than a boiling point Tk of the cleaning liquid at ambient pressure such that cleaning liquid becomes a superheated liquid;
- and
- opening the valve and directing the superheated liquid of the heating chamber via the discharge outlet into the at least one teat cup.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.