The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 04, 2000
Filed:
Nov. 14, 1996
Cornelis van der Lely, CH-6300 Zug, CH;
Other;
Abstract
An apparatus for automatically milking animals provided with one or more automatic milking robots, teat cups and milking compartments. The teat cups are disposed on a carrier of a milking robot arm so as to be in their inoperative position, inclined relative to the vertical and when being connected to a teat of an animal to be milked, the teat cups are moved from their inclined positions into substantially vertical positions. The carrier includes a box-shaped housing for each teat cup, and each housing contains tubes providing a passageway for the pulsating vacuum and a further passageway for milk received from a teat wherein the passageways as a whole have U-shaped configuration within their housing, the 'U' portion being composed of a relatively flexible material whereas the portion of the passageways between the 'U' and the teat cup is composed of a relatively stiff material and is movable so as to extend from and be drawn into the corresponding housing. Each milking compartment has a dung gutter and a dung collecting member that in its upper aspect bears against the rear of an animal in the compartment and which is movable within limits with the animal. The collecting member includes a tracking device for tracking movements which communicates with a milking robot disposed in the compartment to cause the milking robot to move in a manner the that conforms to the animal's movements.