Field

The present invention relates to a dip cup of the type used to treat or clean teats of animals such as cows, sheep and goats. More particularly the invention relates to a device for treating teats after milking.

Background

In order to reduce the risk of diseases such as mastitis, once teat cups of an automatic milking machine are removed from the teats, it is necessary to treat the teat with an agent which cleans and disinfects. This is often referred to as dipping and is ideally carried out immediately after milking. The aim of post-milking dipping is to remove contagious mastitis-causing pathogens that may have been deposited on the teat surface, including any that may enter the opened teat canal which is especially vulnerable after milking. Treatment agents or dip chemicals are also effective at killing bacteria present on any sores on the teats, promoting quicker healing.

It is also good dairy practice to clean teats prior to applying a milking machine and a different cleaning agent is used for this.

Dipping is performed manually using a dip cup. Dip cups are generally available as an injection moulded single component or as a multi part component typically comprising an inner cup shaped portion that is surrounded by an outer casing. Dip cups are conical or cup shaped, are dimensioned to receive a teat and have a body into which treatment agent is supplied from a reservoir, such as a drum or container, in sufficient quantities to coat the teat with the treatment agent.

Prior Art

An example of a dip cup is described in European Patent EP-B-2 482 640 (Ambic Equipment Limited). The dip cup described includes a cup for receiving an animal teat, with a baffle arranged to deflect treatment liquid in a desired direction around the inside of the cup. A splash-guard is described in European Patent Application EP-A-0 869 748 (BOUDREAU) includes a gun-like grip handle, a trigger mechanism and a control valve connected to a pressurized treatment agent supply.

A fixed in-line teat cup is sized to receive a predetermined volume of treatment agent from a proportioning valve sufficient for treating four teats of a cow. A generally toroidal overflow chamber receives displaced treatment agent sufficient to seal a teat thereby forcing treatment agent into the teat strep canal and epidermis.

Another example of a dip cup for a teat is shown in Figure 1 (PRIOR ART) which depicts a dip cup, for example of the type disclosed in US-A-2009/084324 (Ambic Equipment Limited). The dip cup depicted includes one or more reservoir chambers formed by a limited circumferential extension of the body of a cup portion of the dip cup to form one or more indentations on the inside of the cup portion.

Although generally successful, many existing types of dip cup were prone to spilling the treatment agent whose viscosity is typically less viscous than olive oil and slightly more viscous than water. This spillage that that occurred during manipulation of teat cups resulted in a waste of treatment agent which is expensive.

Many treatment agents have a viscosity similar to that of water 1 mPa s (millipascal second) ensures they are readily poured and pumped. However, the relatively low viscosities of treatment agents tend to result in spillage when the dip cup is inadvertently tilted which often occurs as it is passed from teat to teat or as the user walks from one cow to another.

A further example of a dip cup is shown in United States Patent US 7753006 B2 which discloses a dip cup with an overflow chamber.

The invention arose in order to overcome the problem of spillage of treatment agents from various types of dip cups.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a dip cup comprising: a body which receives a treatment agent from a supply line, the body is in the form of a generally conical well for receiving a teat to be treated; and a plurality of sub reservoirs that are connected by a fluid pathway to the well so that treatment agent passes between the sub-reservoirs and the well when the dip cup is tipped thereby avoiding spillage.

The invention advantageously prevents spillage and waste which would normally be encountered in milking parlours when the dip cup is tilted or even when it is inverted. As a user moves from teat to teat in order to treat each teat after lactation, any treatment agent present in the cup adheres to the cup wall and rather than spilling therefrom as the dip cup is tilted, the treatment agent flows from the well into the sub-reservoirs. In a particularly preferred embodiment the sub-reservoirs are bulbous or are otherwise arranged to have a large surface area in comparison to the well, to which treatment agent adheres when the dip cup is tilted or inverted and from which the treatment agent flows back into the well when the dip cup is returned to its correct orientation.

Another advantage of the invention is that, due to the shape of the generally conical wells, and as treatment agent is preferably delivered from a peripheral region from above the well (which may be a sub-reservoir and/or the fluid pathway), a sufficient amount of treatment agent is always retained on the wall of the well so as to ensure that substantially the entire surface of each teat inserted into the well in use is covered with the treatment agent.

In some embodiments, the supply line, or an end thereof may be comprised by, extend through, be located within, be defined by, or connect to a handle of the body. For example, the supply line may comprise a hose or conduit with an end connected to an end of a handle with an internal passage extending from the hose or conduit to the interior of the body (such as to the well, the fluid pathway and/or one or more sub-reservoirs.

The supply line may open into and/or deliver treatment agent directly into the well, or into the fluid pathway, into one or more of the sub-reservoirs, and/or into any other part of the body in fluid communication with the interior of the well.

In some embodiments, a pressurising means, such as a pump, is arranged to force treatment agent along the supply line towards and/or into the body. The pressurising means is preferably located at, and/or connected to an end of the supply line distal from the dip cup body. In alternative embodiments the pressurising means may be comprised by the supply line or the dip cup.

A deflector may be arranged adjacent where the supply line enters the interior of the body to deflect pressurised treatment agent away from the opening of the well 12 and/or around the interior of the body. Such a deflector may be in the form of a curved plate.

The body is in the form of a well and a plurality of sub-reservoirs connected thereto by a fluid pathway. The body may additionally comprise one or more handles, one of which may comprise, connect to, define, or otherwise relate to the supply line as described above. The body may additionally comprise one or more clips or other means for supporting itself.

In preferred embodiments, the well is generally or substantially at the centre of the body, for example, the well may be at the centre of the body within a horizontal plane when the body is held upright (with the opening of the well facing upwards). The plurality of sub reservoirs may surround and/or be located on opposite sides of the well (preferably within a horizontal plane when the body is held upright), this may advantageously allow treatment agent to flow from the well into a sub-reservoir when the dip cup is tipped in any direction.

In particularly preferred embodiments the body comprises a central open-topped portion which defines the well and flange extending therefrom which defines the fluid pathway and which supports the plurality of sub-reservoirs. The flange preferably extends from an upper part of the central well-defining portion, preferably proximate and/or adjacent the open top of the well which preferably defines the opening of the well. The supply line (and/or a handle related to the supply line as described above) may extend from the flange. The sub-reservoirs are preferably arranged above, or extending upwards from, the flange when the dip cup is held upright, this may advantageously ensure that treatment agent flows from the sub-reservoirs into the well when the dip cup is held upright.

Ideally the body of the dip cup has an indent or cut away portion defined on some, or each lateral face or edge thereof so as to define a waist which may assist in separating the teats of an animal in use. For example, the body may comprise a flange as described above with a pair of indents in opposite edges thereof. In use, two teats on opposite sides of a teat being treated may be arranged and held within the indents in the flange such that they do not obstruct a user in use. Such arrangements have been found to be of particular benefit when using the dip cup because they enable the user to locate the dip cup to one side of a teat, move the teats apart and thereby offer the cup to the teat adjacent to the one which is moved aside of the cut away portion.

In some embodiments of the dip cup is provided in two portions: an upper portion which may house, define, support, and/or comprise the plurality of sub-reservoirs, and a lower portion which may house, define, support, and/or comprise the well (or base or lower portion thereof), one or more clips, one or more handles and/or point the supply line (or point to which the supply line is connected). In particularly preferred embodiments, the upper portion defines the lip of the opening of the well, the top of a flange surrounding the opening, and a plurality up sub-reservoirs extending upwards from the flange; and the lower portion defines the bottom of the flange, the remainder of the well (which protrudes below the well), one or more handles, and the point to which the supply line connects.

Preferably the upper and lower portions inter-engage and a gasket is located between them in order to prevent leakage from between the upper and lower portions of the dip cup. The upper and lower portions may be releasably interconnected to as to allow the body to be opened, for example in order to facilitate cleaning the interior of the dip cup.

The interior of the body may be substantially hollow, and may thereby define the interior of the well, the sub-reservoirs and the fluid pathway, and may comprise an opening defining the opening of the well.

Ideally the supply line is defined in the handle and delivers treatment agent. A pressurising means, such as pump is ideally also connected in line in order to force treatment agent from a reservoir or tank at the distal end of the supply line to the dip cup.

A trigger device, valve, pump, and/or other pressuring means may be used to control or limit the amount of treatment agent that is delivered to the dip cup via the supply line. Optionally a dispensing means is provided in order to dispense the treatment agent. Where a dispensing means is employed a pump may also be provided in order to maintain a sufficient pressure head.

In some embodiments the well has a rim formed around its upper periphery. The rim preferably surrounds an opening between the interior of the body (which defines the interior of the well, the fluid pathway and the sub-reservoirs) and its exterior. The rim is preferably substantially horizontal and in an upper surface of the body when the dip cup is held upright. In preferred embodiments, the sub-reservoirs are located on the opposite side of the rim to the interior of the well and are located partially or entirely above the rim when the dip cup is upright (for example, when the opening of the well is horizontal and facing upwards).

Drainage channels are provided between the at least one reservoir so that any treatment agent retained in the reservoir so that it drains into the well. Preferably the drainage channels through which the treatment agent flows from the reservoir to the well are shaped to direct treatment agent to the well. Such drainage channels may be comprised by the fluid pathway, or may be arranged to facilitate the draining of treatment agent from the fluid pathway into the well when the dip cup is upright.

A preferred shape of the, or each, drainage channel is in the form of a spout so as to encourage flow from a larger area into the well. Ideally the spout is in the form of an indentation in the wall of the well tapering from a relatively narrow and/or shallow end towards the wells base to a relatively deep and/or wide end at the wells upper end, such a spout is sometimes referred to as a kettle spout.

Preferably two spouts (such as‘kettle’ spouts) are provided on opposite sides or faces of the well, each connects the well to different sides of at least one reservoir.

In preferred embodiments, the dip cup comprises two, three or preferably four sub reservoirs. Such sub-reservoirs may be defined by the upper portion of the body, may be arranged partially or entirely above the well or upper rim thereof, and/or may be supported on or extend upwards from a flange of the body. The sub-reservoirs are ideally inter-connected one to another so as to permit liquid to pass therebetween (for example, as the orientation to which a dip cup is tilted changes). The sub-reservoirs may be interconnected by the fluid pathway which connects them to the well, and/or may be interconnected by other conduits.

The plurality of sub-reservoirs may be considered together to define a single reservoir of the body and the dip cup. Such a reservoir being in the form of multiple sub-reservoirs instead of a single reservoir advantageously increases its surface area to volume ratio, thereby increasing the amount of treatment agent which adheres to the interior wall of the reservoir.

The sub reservoirs and the interior of the fluid pathway preferably comprises rounded or chamfered edges so as to facilitate the movement of treatment agent over their interior surfaces.

The well is generally or substantially conical. In preferred embodiments the well comprises a substantially frusto-conical upper portion (extending downwards from its opening when the dip cup is held upright) and a base opposite its opening at the narrow end of the frusto conical portion. The base is preferably rounded and may be generally or substantially hemispherical.

Preferably the angle defined by the generally conical well (or frusto-conical portion thereof) - hereinafter referred to as the conical angle - is between 4 ^Q to 40 ^Q , preferably between 6 ^Q to 30 ^Q and most preferably between 8 ^Q to 20 ^Q . The reason why it is desired to have the conical angle within these ranges is so that the treatment agent is able to drain quickly into the reservoir when the dip cup is tipped or inverted. Likewise, the relatively steep sides of the well ensure the treatment agent drains from the at least one reservoir into the well when the dip cup is returned to its correct orientation.

The fluid pathway connects the sub-reservoirs to the well and may optionally interconnect the different sub-reservoirs to each other. The fluid pathway preferably connects the sub-reservoirs to an upper portion of the well proximate and/or adjacent to its opening and/or lip.

In preferred embodiments the fluid pathway is in the form of an interior cavity of the body which the sub reservoirs and the well (and optionally the supply line) open into. In particularly preferred embodiments the opening between the interior of the well and the fluid pathway extends around a full circumference of a portion of the wells wall, in such embodiments it is advantageously impossible for treatment agent to run along the wall of the well from its base to the opening without entering the opening of the fluid pathway. Such an opening is preferably proximate and/or adjacent to the opening of the well. For example, the fluid pathway may surround the well slightly below its opening and an annular opening may be formed all the way around the interior of the well such that the wells wall is not continuous between its base and its lip.

The fluid pathway may be generally or substantially horizontal when the dip cup is held upright (for example, when the rim or opening of the well is horizontal and facing upwards). For example, the fluid pathway may be a generally or substantially flat cavity protruding horizontally outwards from the dip cup when the dip cup is upright. In some embodiments, the fluid pathway may be defined by the interior of a flange of the body.

The fluid pathway may comprise a sloping lower surface and/or one or more drains such as spouts, such that when the dip cup is substantially upright, treatment agent drains from the fluid pathway into the well.

The fluid pathway is preferably located adjacent but below the horizontal plane of the rim or opening of the well when the dip cup is upright.

The sub-reservoirs may be in the form of alcoves or bulges in the wall of the fluid pathway, thereby defining volumes for treatment agent to flow into. The sub reservoirs are preferably above the fluid pathway when the dip cup is held upright and as such may be formed from alcoves or bulges in the upper wall of the fluid pathway. Therefore, treatment agent will only flow out of the well into the sub reservoirs when the dip cup is tilted away from its upright arrangement. The supply line may open into the fluid pathway through an aperture in the lower surface of the fluid pathway’s interior wall.

Ideally the surface finish of the well and surfaces in the dip cup are formed from a material whose properties ensure the effects of surface tension of the treatment agent are sufficient that the treatment agent adheres to the interior well surface and flows to the at least one reservoir in preference to spilling from the well. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided system comprising a dip cup according to the first aspect of the invention described above and further comprising: a monitoring means for monitoring an amount of treatment agent dispensed; a memory for recording the total amount of treatment agent dispensed; a processor for determining when a user defined threshold value has been reached and triggers a prompt to be sent to transmitter which transmits a reorder signal to a remote receiver.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is an overall view of an example of a PRIOR ART dip cup connected to a bottle dispenser;

Figure 2 is an overall isometric view of a dip cup according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the dip cup shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the dip cup shown in Figure 2 showing internal details of the dip cup;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the dip cup shown in Figure 2 showing external features of the dip cup;

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the lower portion of the dip cup shown in Figure 2 with its upper portion removed;

Figure 7 is an inverted isometric view of the upper portion of the dip cup shown in figure 2 with its lower portion removed, depicting internal surfaces of four sub reservoirs; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatical representation of a system which includes the dip cup shown in Figures 2 to 7.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

Referring to Figure 1 , which shows an embodiment of a PRIOR ART teat bottle 1 , which comprises: a dip cup consisting of an upper teat receiving well 2 atop a bottle 3 which in use receives teat treatment agent. A screw neck connector 4 connects the teat receiving well 2 to the bottle 3 in an off-axis manner so as to ease use. A clip 5 enables the bottle 1 to be slung from a user’s belt or hung on a hook when not in use.

Treatment agent from the bottle 3 is delivered to the receiving well 2 via a delivery tube (not shown) and then out of delivery nozzle 6 from where the treatment agent is squirted around rim 7 of the receiving well 2.

In use the teat (not shown) is submerged in the treatment agent. The bottle 3 is squeezed which displaces a volume of the treatment agent, causing the level of liquid to rise within the well 2. If too much treatment agent is used it overflows from the open of the dip cup 1. However, it is important that the level of treatment agent is sufficient to enable the whole of the teat to be submerged and treated in the receiving well 2.

Problems with the aforementioned combined bottle and dip cup are that, especially when cold, the plastics material becomes stiff, requiring substantial repeated effort from a user in order to pump treatment agent into the well of the dip cup.

Where there are many tens or even hundreds of cows, this repeated squeezing can give rise to muscle cramp or even repetitive strain injury.

Another problem has been that when the dip cup is tilted its contents spill and so are wasted.

The invention overcomes the aforementioned problem by providing an improved dip cup 10. Referring to Figures 2 to 4 there is shown a dip cup 10 which is in the form of a well 12 supported on a handle 14. A delivery line 16 delivers treatment agent from a drum 22 and is connected to the handle 14 by way of a threaded collar 18. Referring briefly to Figure 8 the delivery line 16 is in turn connected to a pump 20 which pumps treatment agent that is stored in drum 22. Sensing and control equipment may be employed in order to monitor the amount of treatment agent in the drum as described in detail below with reference to Figure 8.

Figures 2 to 7 show a dip cup 10 according to the present invention. The dip cup comprises a body 10 comprising a well 12 and four sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d which are connected to the well 12 by a fluid pathway. The body further comprises a handle 16 which connects to a supply line 14 for delivery of a treatment agent to its interior, and a clip 14.

The body 10 comprises a central generally conical well 12 defining portion and a flange extending from the well defining portion adjacent the lip of the well defining portion. The flange is hollow and defines the fluid pathway intermediate the well 12 and the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d as well as the annular opening in the side of the well into the fluid pathway. The four sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d are in the form of upwards projecting indents in the upper surface of the flange which are located above the rim of the well 12 when the dip cup 10 is upright. When the dip cup 10 is tilted treatment agent within the well 12 flows around and along the walls of the well 12 into the fluid pathway defined by the flange through the annular aperture towards the sub-reservoirs rather than out of the well 12.

Referring to Figure 2, which shows an overall view of the dip cup 10 there is shown the body 10 of the dip cup which receives a treatment agent (not shown) through a supply line 14 via handle 16. The body is in the form of a conical well 12 which is shaped to receive a teat (not shown) to be treated with the treatment agent and a flange supporting four sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d which together define a reservoir 13.

The well 12 comprises a fluid guide channel, such as a kettle spout or drain 21 , shown in Figure 4, to the fluid pathway defined by the interior of the flange so as to facilitate the flow of treatment agent between the interior of the well 12 and the reservoir 13 (or in an alternative embedment a series of four sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d) which is defined by the upper surface of the flange. This avoids spillage of the expensive treatment agent.

Referring briefly to Figure 5, which is a plan view of an upper portion of the invention and shows the reservoir 13 divided into 4 separate sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d respectively. The four sub-reservoirs 13a to 13d are interconnected by the interior of the flange so that treatment agent is able to flow between them. The walls of the sub-reservoirs 13a to 13d are rounded in order to provide a larger surface area over which the treatment agent may flow and to which the treatment agent may adhere, and therefore the sub-reservoirs 13a to 13d act as a reservoir which releases a latent supply of treatment agent when the dip cup restored to its correct orientation after tipping.

The body of the dip cup 10 is in two halves, a lower half 1 1 b, shown in Figure 6, and an upper half 1 1 b, shown in Figure 7. The lower half 1 1 b defines the lower half of the flange, the lower portion and base of the well 12, the clip 15 and the handle 16; and the upper half 1 1 a defines the four sub reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, the lip of the well, a deflector 40, and clips 17 for securing the two halves together

A gasket 30 is arranged between the upper and lower halves 1 1 a, 1 1 b of the body. Gasket 30 is formed from a silicone rubber and is located in a stepped recess defined by inner recess wall 29a and outer recess wall 29b of the flange. Gasket 30 acts to seal the upper portion 1 1 a with the lower portion 1 1 b such that treatment agent is unable to flow out of the fluid pathway of the flange through the seam around its perimeter.

The combination of material properties of the material forming the dip cup inner surface, the conical angle of the well and the viscosity of the treatment agent, that is expected in a normal temperature range of say -5 ^Q C and 45 ^Q C, together ensure that an optimum is reached between sufficient adhesion to the walls of the well 12 whilst also ensuring sufficient flow of the treatment agent so as to continually coat and recoat the well walls as the dip cup 10 is tipped. Therefore, rather than spill treatment agent the invention ensures that excess treatment agent flows from the well 12 into the fluid pathway and the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d where it is temporarily contained and from where it returns to the well 12 of the dip cup 10 via the fluid pathway and the channel 21.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the lower half 1 1 b of the body 10 showing the interior of the fluid pathway defined by the flange. It shows in greater detail the relationship of fluid entry port 24 through which treatment agent from the supply line 14 through the handle 16 passes and flows into the well 12. The treatment agent is delivered from the drum 22 via supply line 14 into the interior of the dip cup 10 under pressure so it impinges upon curved deflector plate 40 extending downwards from the upper half 1 1 a of the body, which tends to disperse the treatment agent around the rim of the well 12. When this occurs some of the treatment agent enters the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d but the majority flows into the well cup 12. The relatively small amount of treatment agent that enters the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d trickles into the well cup over a time period of 10 to 30 seconds when the dip cup 10 is held upright due to the slight slope of the lower surface of the fluid pathway defined by the flange.

Treatment agent flows from the well 12 to the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d when the dip cup 10 is tipped or inverted and flows to the well 12 from the sub reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d when the dip cup 10 is returned to its normal upright state in use. This is because it is important because the level of liquid has to be sufficient to enable the whole of the teat to be submerged in the treatment liquid whilst not overfilling the cup to the extent that the teat displaces treatment agent from the well 12. In effect therefore the inner surface of the well 12 effectively extends from the base, in a continuous manner, to the reservoir walls before the lip of the opening of the well 12. If the level of treatment agent is high in the well 12, as the dip cup 10 is placed around a teat and the teat lowered into the treatment agent, any displaced liquid tends to rise up into the sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d, rather than spill from the dip cup 10, thereby further reducing spillage and waste.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the dip cup 10 with the upper half 1 1 a of the body attached to the lower half 1 1 b. Figure 5 shows external features of the dip cup 10 including the narrowing of the flange of body along a pair of its opposite lateral edges.

Figure 6 is an overall view of the lower portion 11 b of the dip cup 10 with the upper portion 1 1 a removed. Figure 6 shows the handle 16 and a clip 15 and shows strengthening ribs 23 and the location and size of clip hook 15. Also shown are the well 12 and the relationship between inner recess wall 29a and outer recess wall 29b.

Figure 7 is an isometric view of interior of the upper portion 1 1 a of the body of the dip cup 10 removed from the lower portion 1 1 b. Figure 7 depicts internal surfaces of the four sub-reservoirs 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d. There is also shown the well rim 32 and a deflector plate 40 which disperses pressurised treatment agent around the well rim.

The dip cup 10 will now be described in use with reference to Figure 8 in which a user (not shown) is offering the dip cup to a cow’s udder (not shown). In order to operate the dip cup 10, a user introduces an appropriate quantity of treatment agent into the well 12 of the dip cup by for example squeezing the trigger of the delivery line 14 and positions the dip cup 10 under the teat to be treated whilst at the same time moving an adjacent teat with a lateral edge of the flange of the body of the cup 10 so as to separate teats and make space to receive a teat. The dip cup 10 is raised to immerse the teat in the treatment agent and then lowered the operation is repeated with the remaining other three teats.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the foregoing Figures and specific reference to Figure 8 which shows a diagrammatical overview of a system which includes the dip cup. Figure 8 is a diagrammatical representation of a system 100 which includes the invention shown in Figures 2 to 7 and a dispenser 23, a pump 20, a storage drum 22 and a sensing means 102 which senses the level of treatment agent in the drum. The system 100 measures and records the amount of treatment agent that has been dispensed.

A monitoring means 103 includes a memory 105 which records the total amount of treatment agent dispensed. When the volume of treatment agent drops below a predetermined volume processor 104 determines that a user defined threshold value has been reached and triggers a prompt to be sent to transmitter 106 from where a reorder signal is sent to a remote receiver 108 which may be at a supplier’s depot. The reorder signal includes the name and address of the user, the type of treatment agent required, a delivery deadline and a quantity request.

These details may or may not need to be verified by a purchaser in order to place an order but once the order is placed an instruction is sent to an inventory manager or stock control system 110 which may be in a warehouse. Printer 1 12 prints an order, an address form and an invoice. The signals referred to may be transmitted via wireless, hardwire connection or as a short messaging service (SMS) to a remote mobile communication device.

A sacrificial stub or edge (not shown) may be provided in order to protect the dip cup for example when it is suspended and rubs against a surface such as a wall or floor. The invention has been described by way of example only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the aforementioned embodiments without departing from the scope of protection as defined in the claims.

Parts List

1 PRIOR ART dip cup

2 upper teat receiving well

3 lower bottle

4 screw neck connector

5 clip

6 delivery nozzle

7 rim

10 dip cup

1 1 a upper portion

1 1 b lower portion

12 well

13 reservoir

13a sub-reservoir

13b sub-reservoir

13c sub-reservoir

13d sub-reservoir

14 handle

15 hook

16 delivery line

17 clip

18 threaded neck collar

19 connecting line or hose pump

channel or kettle spout

strengthening rib

entry port

a inner recess wall

b outer recess wall

gasket

deflector

trigger

0 system

2 sensing means

3 monitoring means

4 processor

5 memory

6 transmitter

8 remote receiver

0 inventory management means/stock controller2 printer