The present invention relates to milking clusters for connecting milking equipment to the teats of an animal to be milked and, more particularly, to a deflector device designed as a fixture or fitting for the claw of a milking cluster and configured to assist an associated teat cup of the cluster to fall into an inverted position in which it hangs downwardly from the claw, upon take off of the cluster from the teats.

Conventionally, milking equipment installed in a milking parlour comprises a milking point at each animal stall within the parlour. Each milking point includes a milking cluster of teat cups for connecting the milking equipment to the teats of an animal to be milked. In the case of cows, for example, each milking cluster has four teat cups. The cluster additionally comprises a claw or clawpiece which connects short pulse tubes and short milk tubes leading from the teat cups, respectively, to a long pulse tube coupled to a pulsator and a long milk tube connected to a milk collection system. Each teat cup comprises a rigid hollow shell supporting a resilient or flexible liner which has a barrel portion for engaging about a teat and which has, at its upper end, an head portion with a mouth through which the teat is engaged with the barrel of the liner. At the opposite discharge end of the teat cup, the liner communicates with a short milk tube which delivers milk extracted from an animal's teat to the claw where it is collected and delivered to the long milk tube. A short pulsator tube is connected at one end to the annular space or pulse chamber between the shell and the liner and at its opposite end, is connected, via a device on the claw to the long pulsation tube and a pulsator.

In preparation for connecting the milking cluster to the animal, the milking cluster should be arranged with the teat cups in an inverted position so that each teat cup can be picked up by an operator and connected to a teat of the animal when the claw is held beneath the teats of the animal.

Upon commencement of milking, vacuum is applied to the teat cups of a milking cluster at each milking point via the long milk tube, the claw and the short milk tubes for the purposes of extracting milk from the teat cups. This vacuum also leaks between the barrel of each liner and the engaged teat and is applied to a void formed about the teat in the head of a liner in order to capture the cup on the teat. Milking is performed by automatically and alternately applying vacuum and atmospheric pressure pulses produced by the pulsator to the pulse chamber of each teat cup in order to flex the liner and stimulate discharge of milk from the engaged teat. It is customary to apply these pneumatic pulses alternately to pairs of teat cups of a cluster, although pneumatic pulses may also be applied to all the teats of the milking cluster together followed by a short rest period before applying the pneumatic pulses again.

After completion of the milking cycle, the milking cluster at each milking point is withdrawn from the teats (commonly referred to as "take-off"), such as by an automatic cluster remover. Upon take-off, there is a risk that one or more teat cups of a milking cluster may, for some reason, become entangled and be prevented from falling over into an inverted position in which it hangs downwardly from the claw.

Entanglement of the teat cups of the milking cluster typically requires an operator to disentangle the teat cups and to move the teat cups into an inverted position in preparation for connecting the teat cups to the next animal to be milked. Disentangling the teat cups wastes significant time, particularly if the milking cluster is moved between a large number of animals during each time of day when the animals need to be milked.

Furthermore, upon take-off of the milking cluster from each animal, a treatment and cleansing cycle may optionally be implemented in which the teats are disinfected and the teat cup liners are flushed internally with disinfectant and water or other rinsing liquid and are dried with compressed air. To this end, teat cups may be fitted with injection nozzles for injecting treatment fluids into the heads of the liners as described in international publication No. WO 2005/043986. The treatment fluid is fed to the injection nozzles via a distributor on the claw. Alternatively, or in addition, treatment fluids may be supplied to each teat cup via a flushing valve disposed at the discharge end of the teat cup. In either event, upon take-off, the short milk tubes and teat cups should fall away from the centre line of the cluster so that the teat cups are inverted and hang from the claw with their heads downwardly in what is a rest or parked position. Flushing may be performed with the teat cups in this rest position. Consequently, liquid can escape through the head portions of the teat cups, since the teat cups are inverted.

However, entanglement of the short milk tubes and teat cups can result in the teat cups being in a partially upright position, in a head-up attitude, with the result that any treatment fluid used to flush the teat cup after take-off may not drain from the liner of the teat cup, as desired.

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to help prevent the entanglement of the short milk tubes and the teat cups upon take-off of the teat cups from an animal.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a deflector device for fitting to a milking cluster, the deflector device comprising a body part for supporting the deflector device on a claw of the milking cluster, and a bearing part for engaging with an inner side of a short milk tube connected to a teat cup of the milking cluster when the milking cluster is in a milking position in which the teat cup is connected to a teat of an animal to be milked.

The deflector device helps mitigate the risk of a short milk tube and/or a teat cup becoming entangled upon take-off, and the risk of a teat cup being held in a head up attitude.

The deflector device bears against an inner side of a short milk tube of the cluster when the cluster is disposed in a milking attitude, with the heads of the teat cups uppermost and the claw hanging downwardly from the short milk tubes, so that, upon take-off, the deflector tends to urge or guide the short milk tube and associated teat cup to fall away from the centre line of the cluster into an inverted position with the short milk tube and teat cup hanging downwardly from the claw.

The deflector device also helps prevent the teat cups from falling inwardly during take-off and resting over the top of the claw, where they cannot easily be connected to the next animal to be milked. Instead, the deflector device guides the teat cups to fall into the inverted position in preparation for connecting to the next animal to be milked, and the operator does not have to spend any time manually moving the teat cups into the inverted position.

The bearing part of the deflector device may have an arctuate cross section, to help capture the milk tubes when moving into the milking position so that the milk tubes bear against the bearing part. Furthermore, the bearing part may taper as it extends away from the claw.

Advantageously, the deflector device may be in the form of a spider adapted to be fixed to the top of the claw, and may have bearing parts in the form of leg portions arranged to bear against respective short milk tubes when the cluster is in a milking position. The leg portions may be in the form of hoops or loops.

The deflector device may further comprise an actuator portion configured to move the bearing part away from the centre line of the milking cluster, the movement configured to urge the short milk tube and associated teat cup to fall away from the centre line of the milking cluster into an inverted position with the short milk tube and teat cup hanging downwardly from the claw. Therefore, the actuator portion may be actuated upon take-off to help urge the short milk tube and associated teat cup into the inverted position, the correct position for applying the teat cups to the next animal to be milked, and so that any flushing of the teat cup that is implemented can take place correctly with treatment fluid draining out of the head of the teat cup.

Advantageously, the body part may comprise a hinge, and the actuator portion may comprise a lever that is connected to the bearing part. Accordingly, upon take-off, the lever may be moved to pivot the bearing part about the hinge so that the bearing part urges against the short milk tube to make the short milk tube and associated teat cup to fall away from the centre line of the milking cluster into an inverted position with the short milk tube and teat cup hanging downwardly from the claw. The lever may be connected to the bearing part at the hinge. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a milking cluster for connecting milking equipment to the teats of an animal to be milked, the milking cluster comprising the deflector device of the first aspect.

The milking cluster may comprise a plurality of teat cups engageable, via head ends of said teat cups, with teats of an animal to be milked and have milk discharge passageways at the opposite ends thereof, a claw coupled to said teat cups for collecting milk therefrom for onward delivery, the claw being connected to the discharge passageways of the teat cups by short milk tubes. The deflector device may be supported by the claw and the bearing part may be arranged to bear against a short milk tube when the cluster is in a milking position so as to urge the short milk tube and associated teat cup to fall into an inverted position with the short milk tube and associated teat cup hanging downwardly from the claw upon take-off of the teat cup from the animal.

The short milk tubes may have weaker sections at positions immediately adjacent to the claw so that, when a milking cycle is terminated and an automatic cluster remover attached to the claw is signalled to take-off the cluster from the animal's udder, the short milk tubes and teat cups naturally fall, about the weaker sections, into the rest position in which they hang downwardly from the claw.

When the teat cups fall into this downwardly hanging position, the short milk tubes may fold about their weaker sections to shut-off the milk tubes from the claw and prevent treatment fluid subsequently sprayed into the liners of the teat cups from contaminating the claw.

Advantageously, the deflector device is configured to bear on a short milk tube at a position between its weaker section and the teat cup and, preferably, at a position adjacent the weaker section.

The deflector device may be an individual deflector for each short milk tube, the deflector being supported by the claw at the proximal end of the short milk tube. For example, the deflector device may comprise a finger-like fitting secured about the short milk tube at the claw. It may comprise a part tubular portion clamping about the end of the short milk tube where it is connected to the claw and a bearing part projecting from the tubular part for engaging against the short milk tube when the cluster is in a milking attitude.

Each individual deflector may comprise an individual actuator portion, wherein the individual actuator portions are all connected to a single actuator device. The single actuator device may be configured to collectively actuate all the individual actuator portions. The single actuator device may for example be a string or a member at a centre of the claw. The string or member may be movable by an automatic cluster remover upon take-off.

The single actuator device may comprise a piston that is pneumatically actuable upon take-off to collectively actuate all the individual actuator portions. The piston may be the member, or the piston may be connected to the member or to the string. The piston may be mounted at the centre of the claw.

The individual actuator portions may each comprise a body portion in the form of a hinge that is mounted on a base plate of the deflector device. Alternatively, the hinges may be mounted directly to the claw.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figures 1 and 2 are is a perspective views of a milking cluster fitted with a deflector according to a first embodiment of the invention and respectively showing the cluster in a milking position and in rest or parked position where the milking cluster is inverted,

Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of the deflector fitted to the milking cluster of Figures 1 and 2, illustrating the deflector from opposite ends,

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of a milking cluster fitted with a deflector according to second embodiment of the invention, and respectively showing the cluster in a milking position and in rest or parked position where the milking cluster is inverted,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the blank for forming the second embodiment,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the blank of figure 7 when bent-up preparatory to installation,

Figures 9 and 10 are perspective views of a deflector according to a third embodiment of the invention for fitting to a milking cluster, respectively showing the deflector in an un-actuated position for when the milking cluster is a milking position, and in an actuated position for whilst the milking cluster is being removed from the animal, and

Figures 1 1 and 12 are perspective views of a deflector according to a fourth embodiment of the invention for fitting to a milking cluster, respectively showing the deflector in an un-actuated position for when the milking cluster is a milking position, and in an actuated position for whilst the milking cluster is being removed from the animal.

Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a milking cluster 1 of teat cups embodying the invention and for connecting milking equipment installed at a milking point of an animal stall within a milking parlour to the teats of an animal to be milked, It comprises four teat cups 2, a claw 3 having a nipple 4 for connecting the claw to a long milk tube (not shown) and a distributor 5 clamped to the top side of the claw for connecting the cluster to long pulsation tubes (not shown) supplying milking pulses from a pulsator. The teat cups 2 are each composed of a rigid outer shell 6, for example made of stainless steel or plastic, and a flexible liner 7 which has a barrel portion for engaging about a teat, and at its upper end has a head portion 8 with a mouth through which the teat is engagable with the barrel of the liner. At the opposite, discharge end 9 of the teat cup, the liner is integral with a flexible short milk tube 10 connecting the teat cup to nipples 1 1 on the top of the claw so that milk extracted from an animal's teats is delivered to the claw 3 from which the collected milk is supplied via the long milk tube to the milk line.

An annular space (not shown) between the shell 6 and the barrel of the liner 7 of each teat cup is called the pulse chamber and is connected via a short pulse tube 12 to the distributor 5 on the claw, via which vacuum and atmospheric pressure fed from the pulsator is automatically and alternately supplied to the pulse chambers of the four teat cups in order to flex the liners and stimulate milking of the engaged teats.

The short milk tubes 10 have weaker sections 13 at positions immediately above the nipples 1 1 connecting the short milk tubes to the claw so that, when a milking cycle is terminated, which is detected via a milk flow metre of the stall control unit as a reduction of milk flow below a predetermined level, an automatic cluster remover attached to the loop 14 of the cluster support ring 15 is signalled to take off the cluster from the cow's udder,. When take-off occurs, the cluster hangs from a cable attached to the ring 15 and the teat cups naturally tend to fall into a position in which they hang downwardly from the short milk tubes 10, in an inverted position, with their heads 8 downwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 2. When the teat cups fall into this downwardly hanging position, the short milk tubes are folded about their weaker sections 13 which serve to shut-off the short milk tubes from the claw 3 and prevent treatment fluid sprayed upwardly into the liners 7 from contaminating the claw.

Exiting internally into the head 8 of each liner 7 is an injection nozzle (not shown) for injecting treatment fluid internally into the liner. It is designed so as to direct fluid sprayed from the nozzle inwardly and towards the interior of the barrel of the liner. These nozzles are supplied with treatment fluid for sanitizing the teats, upon take-off, and disinfecting and rinsing the teat cups when the latter fall into their downwardly hanging position, by small diameter flexible tubes 16 connected to a treatment fluid distributor 5a clamped to the top of the claw underneath the pulse distributor 5. Disposed at the proximal ends of the short milk tubes adjoining the claw 3 and so as to be supported on the claw by means of the nipples 1 1 connecting the short milk tubes to the claw, are four individual finger-like deflector devices 17 for controlling the orientation of the short milk tubes 10. These deflector devices serve to direct or urge the short milk tubes away from the centre line of the cluster so that, upon take-off, the teat cups 2 fall into an inverted position with their heads 8 hanging downwardly, as illustrated in Figure 2, and prevent the teat cup being entangled in a head up position. Each deflector comprises a part tubular clamping portion 18 having a bearing portion 19 of tapered arcuate cross-section projecting therefrom. The part tubular portion 18 is designed to clamp about the proximal end of a short milk tube 10 where it fits over the nipple 1 1 . The tubular portion is configured to terminate immediately below and adjacent to weaker section 13 of the associated short milk tube. It resiliently clamps about the tube and nipple and has lips 20 on opposite sides of the resiliently adjustable gap 21 in the tubular portion for facilitating the manipulation of the deflector when clamping it about the short milk tube (see Figs 3 and 4). In the installed position, the bearing portion 19 of the deflector projects from the tubular portion 18 along the inner side of the associated short milk tube 10 when the cluster is in its milking position, as illustrated in Figure 1. It is designed to be engagable with the short milk tube at a position between the discharge end 9 of the teat cup and the weaker section 13 when the cluster is in this milking position. The deflector has a small flange 22 at its end adjacent the claw 3 and which bears on top of the claw in the installed position of the deflector. It also has a small tag or barb 23 formed on the internal periphery of the part tubular portion 18 at its end adjacent the flange which, when the deflector is installed, digs into the flexible material of the short milk tube to retain the deflector in its installed position. The tag 23 is designed to prevent the deflector from riding up the tube away from the claw and also from turning about the short milk tube.

The deflector may be molded from resilient plastics material.

When the milking cluster fitted with the individual deflectors 17 is in a milking position, as illustrated in Figure 1 , in which the teat cups 2 are engaged with the teats of an animal to be milked, the heads 8 of the teat cups are uppermost and the claw 3 hangs downwardly from the short milk tubes 10. In this milking position the bearing portions 19 of the individual deflectors bear against the inner sides of the short milk tubes above the weaker sections 13 of these tubes. Upon take-off, the bearing portions 19, by bearing on the short milk tubes between their weaker sections and the discharge ends 9 of teat cups, serve to urge or guide the short milk tubes to fall away from the centre line of the cluster 1 into rest positions in which the short milk tubes and the teat cups hang downwardly from the claw 3 about the weaker sections 13 of the short milk tubes and the teat cups are in inverted positions with their heads 8 directed downwardly. Hence, the deflectors 17 mitigate the risk of the short milk tubes becoming entangled and/or the teats cups falling inwardly on the claw 3. This means that the teat cups fall into an inverted (head-down) position for any flushing operations that may be required, and that the milking cluster is presented to the operator in an arranged manner ready for the next milking, saving time via not having to un- entangle the cluster.

In Figures 5 and 6 illustrating a milking cluster 1 fitted with the second embodiment of deflector device 25, which is illustrated in blank form in Figure 7 and in a bent-up form, ready for use, in Figure 8, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts to those of the milking cluster 1 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The deflector device 25 is of spider-like form and comprises a central body part 26 having clamping and guide holes 27, 28 for fitting to a clamping screw and guide pin (not shown) projecting from the top of the claw 3 to enable the deflector device to be clamped in position below the distributors 5, 5a, with the aid of the usual clamping nut 16. Projecting from the central body part of the deflector, at equally spaced positions thereabout, are four hoops or looped shaped legs 29. In the operative position of the deflector device, the legs 29 are formed upwardly as illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 8.

The deflector device may be moulded from resilient plastics materials, if desirable, with the looped shaped legs 29 having cores of resilient wire.

As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, in the installed position of the deflector device 25, which has its body part clamped to the top of the claw below the distributors 5, 5a, the looped shaped legs 29 project upwardly from the claw and, in the milking position of the cluster, the upper ends of the loops resiliently bear against the inner sides of the short milk tubes 10 above their weaker sections 13 and between the weaker sections and the discharge ends 9 of the teat cups. Upon take-off, the upper ends of the legs 29, resiliently bearing against the short milk tubes, serve to urge the short milk tubes to fall away from the centre line of the cluster into the rest position in which the short milk tubes and the teat cups 2 hang down from the claw about the weaker sections 13 of the short milk tubes, and the teat cups are in inverted positions with their heads directed downwardly. Similarly to the first embodiment, the deflector device of Figures 5 - 8 mitigates the risk of the short milk tubes 10 and/or teat cups 2 becoming entangled so that one or more of the teat cups fails to hang head downwardly and is caught in a head up or partially head up position preventing the teat cup from properly draining when the teat cups are flushed at the end of a milking cycle.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a deflector device 30 according to a third embodiment. The deflector device 30 is for fitting to a milking cluster in a similar manner as the deflector devices of the second embodiment, and a guide hole 35 similar to the guide hole 27 of the second embodiment is visible in Fig. 10.

The deflector device 30 comprises a base plate 31 provided with eight hinges 33 that are fixed to the base plate around the periphery of the base plate. The deflector device 30 also comprises four individual deflectors. Each individual deflector comprises a lever 32 and a bearing part 34 that is connected to the lever 32 at two of the hinges 33, the two hinges 33 constituting two body parts of the individual deflector.

The levers 32 of the individual deflectors extend towards a centre of the base plate 31 and, as shown in Fig. 9, lie against the base plate 31 to prevent the individual deflectors from moving any closer towards one another.

The deflector device 30 further comprises a single actuator device in the form of a member 38 that has a loop 40 at one end and has two washers 36 and 37 that are spaced apart from one another at an end of the member 38 opposite the loop 40. The single actuator device is at the centre of the base plate 31 . When the deflector device 30 is fitted to a claw of a milking cluster, the single actuator device will be positioned at the centre of the claw.

The washers 36 and 37 are positioned at opposing sides of each lever 32, such that the ends of the levers 32 are captured between the washers 36 and 37. Therefore, the member 38 is movable along a centre line of the deflector device / claw to pivot the levers away from the base plate 31 , as shown in Fig. 10. In this embodiment, the member 38 is moved by a string of an automatic cluster remover that is connected to the loop 40, the string pulling upon the loop 40 to pivot the levers away from the base plate 31 upon take-off. Alternatively, the base plate 31 may be provided with a pneumatic chamber at the hole 35, the member 38 being a piston that is pneumatically driven out from the pneumatic chamber to pivot the levers away from the base plate 31 upon take-off.

The bearing parts 34 act in a similar manner to the bearing parts 29 of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 8 but, due to the levers 32, are pivoted about the hinges 33 from an unactuated position (shown in Fig. 9) to an actuated position (shown in Fig. 10) during take-off of the milking cluster from an animal at the end of milking the animal. This pivoting urges the bearing parts 29 against the short milk tubes during take-off to help move the short milk tubes and associated teat cups into an inverted position.

The deflector device 30 may be formed from any suitable materials, for example metals or plastics, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In an alternative to the third embodiment, the base plate 31 could be omitted and the hinges 33 could be connected directly to a claw of a milking cluster, with the levers 32 resting directly against the claw in the unactuated position, rather than against the base plate 31 .

In the context of the milking cluster shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the deflector device 30 could for example be mounted in between the claw 3 and the distributor 5, with the distributor 5 being mounted to the member 38 and being movable therewith. Alternatively, the deflector device 30 could be supported on the claw 3 by the distributor 5, with the base plate 31 mounted on the distributor 5, such that the distributor 5 is in between the claw 3 and the deflector device 30.

Figures 1 1 and 12 illustrate a deflector device 42 according to a fourth embodiment. The deflector device 42 is for fitting to a milking cluster in a similar manner as the deflector device of the first embodiment. As shown in Figs. 1 1 and 12, the milking cluster comprises a claw 50 with nipples 52 for connecting short milk tubes, similar to the nipples 1 1 of Fig. 1 .

The deflector device 42 comprises four individual deflectors. Each individual deflector comprises a support member 44 and a bearing part 46 that is connected to the support member 44 at a hinge 45, the hinge 45 and support member 44 constituting body parts of the individual deflector.

The individual deflectors are connected to the claw 50 by the support members 44, and the bearing parts 46 are pivotable about the support members 44 by way of the hinges 45.

The deflector device 42 further comprises a single actuator device in the form of a member 62 that has a loop 60 at one end and has two washers 64 and 65 that are spaced apart from one another at an end of the member 62 opposite the loop 60. The single actuator device is at the centre of the claw 50.

The washers 64 and 65 are positioned at opposing sides of each bearing part 46, such that the ends 47 of the bearing parts are captured between the washers 64 and 65. Therefore, the member 62 is movable along a centre line of the deflector device / claw to pivot the bearing parts 46 about the hinges 45, as shown in Fig. 12.

In this embodiment, the member 64 is moved by a string of an automatic cluster remover that is connected to the loop 60, the string pulling upon the loop 40 to pivot the bearing parts 46 about the hinges 45 upon take-off. Alternatively, the claw 50 may be provided with a pneumatic chamber at the hole 54, the member 62 being a piston that is pneumatically driven out from the pneumatic chamber to pivot the bearing parts 46 about the hinges 45.

The bearing parts 46 act in a similar manner to the individual deflector devices 17 of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but, due to movement of the member 62, are pivoted about the hinges 45 from an unactuated position (shown in Fig. 1 1 ) to an actuated position (shown in Fig. 12) during take-off of the milking cluster from an animal at the end of milking the animal. This pivoting urges the bearing parts 46 against the short milk tubes during take-off to help move the short milk tubes and associated teat cups into an inverted position.

In the context of the milking cluster shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the deflector device 42 could for example be mounted in between the claw 3 and the distributor 5, with the distributor 5 being mounted to the member 62 and being movable therewith. Alternatively, the distributor 5 could be placed in between the claw 5 and the washer 65, such that in the unactuated position the washer 65 rests against the distributor 5, and is raised therefrom when moving to the actuated position.

Whilst particular embodiments have been described, it will be understood that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, whilst the deflector devices have been specifically described in relation to use with short milk tubes having weaker sections 13 defining shut-off signs, it will be understood by the skilled person that these deflector devices may also be used with clusters having other forms of shut-off devices associated with the short milk tubes, such as, where the short milk tubes, when folded downwardly in the rest position, cooperate with specially designed free ends of the claw nipples 1 1 , to serve as shut-off points.