Milking apparatus and a method for presenting a teat cup for attaching to an animal

Apparatus for presenting a teat cup for attaching to a teat of an animal to be milked, the apparatus comprising:

• a platform defining an upwardly facing major surface for supporting an animal standing thereon during milking thereof,
• a support means mounted on the platform beneath the upwardly facing surface of the platform,
• a teat cup carrier for holding the teat cup, the teat cup carrier being mounted on the support means and being adapted for holding the teat cup beneath the animal in a ready state with the teat cup ready to be urged upwardly from the teat cup carrier for attaching to the teat of the animal,
• a communicating opening formed in the platform for accommodating the teat cup therethrough from the teat cup carrier, and
• a pair of closure elements coupled to the platform adjacent respective opposite side edges of the communicating opening, the closure elements being urgeable upwardly from a closed state closing the communicating opening to an open state providing access through the communicating opening to the teat cup,
• the closure elements forming a separating means for urging the hind legs of an animal standing on the platform apart as the closure elements are being urged from the closed state to the open state.

Apparatus for presenting a teat cup for attaching to a teat of an animal to be milked, the apparatus comprising:

• a support means adapted for mounting beneath an upwardly facing major surface of a platform on which an animal stands during milking thereof,
• a carriage mounted on the support means,
• a teat cup carrier for holding the teat cup, the teat cup carrier being mounted on the carriage and being adapted for holding the teat cup beneath the animal in a ready state with the teat cup ready to be urged upwardly from the teat cup carrier for attaching to the teat of the animal, the teat cup carrier being adapted to accommodate a vacuum hose therethrough extending from the teat cup, so that the vacuum hose can be pulled through the teat cup carrier when the teat cup is being urged from the teat cup carrier to an animal, and
• an urging means engageable with the vacuum hose extending from the teat cup, the urging means being pivotally mounted on the carriage and being pivotal from a first state to a second state for urging the vacuum hose through the teat cup carrier for in turn urging the teat cup from the teat of an animal.

Apparatus for presenting a teat cup for attaching to a teat of an animal to be milked, the apparatus comprising:

• a support means adapted for mounting beneath an upwardly facing major surface of a platform on which an animal stands during milking thereof,
• a teat cup carrier for holding the teat cup, the teat cup carrier being mounted on the support means and being selectively operable in a first state for holding the teat cup in a protected state, and in a second state for holding the teat cup beneath the animal in a ready state with the teat cup ready to be urged upwardly from the teat cup carrier for attaching to the teat of the animal, and
• a closure means for closing the open mouth of the teat cup when the teat cup carrier is in the first state and the teat cup is in the protected state, the closure means comprises a plug element for sealably engaging the open mouth of the teat cup, and being configured as a jetter for facilitating washing and/or rinsing of the teat cup,
• one of the teat cup carrier and the closure means being moveable relative to the other one of the teat cup carrier and the closure means between an engaged position with the closure means engaged in the open mouth of the teat cup, and a disengaged position with the closure means disengaged from the teat cup.