CA1130233A - Milking hose - Google Patents

Abstract

MILKING HOSE

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An elongated milking hose for a quarter milking machine. The milking hose has four elongated, flexible conduits, of which two conduits are connected to one another along a first common connecting segment, ex-tending parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hose. The two other conduits are each arranged on opposite sides of the first connecting segment of the two first conduits and extend parallel therewith and are each connected to the two first conduits along a second and third, and fourth and fifth connecting segment.

Description

MILKING HOSE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a milking hose for a quarter milking machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Due to udder illnesses which cannot be controlled, the need for a quarter milking machine has become increasingly clear. Such quarter milking machines have already been used for scientific tests in order to be able to separately examine the efficiency of the individual teats.
However, in the case of existing quarter milking machines, the teat is exposed to a vacuum which is too high due to the action principle of said conventional quarter milking machines, which resulted in abnormal changes of the teat. Only after the introduction of a milking cup having a relief valve which is controlled by the pulsator pressure and which during the relief cycle permits atmospheric air to enter inside of the milking cup, has a satisfactory quarter milking machine been worked out (see copending application Serial No. 334,977, filed concurrently herewith [Agent's Reference 8-548651 ] and entitled "Collecting Piece").
However, the difficulty of the quarter milking .
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machines consists in four hoses being required for the separate discharge of the milk from the individual teats and in two pulsator underpressure lines having to be additionally supplied during the operation of four milking cups in an alternate cycle. This results in a chaos of hoses and often in a considerable force being applied onto the collecting piece, in particular - when the hoses are reinforced due to an unfavorabl~
reciprocal position. This can result in the individual teats being milked to completion under different pressures and furthermore at the end of a complete milking operation in the occurrence of air leaks at the milking cup, possibly causing the milking cup to fall off from the teat.
Therefore the basic purpose of the invention is to provide the supply lines to a quarter milking col-lectiny piece such that the~ do not interfere with the milkiny operation.
This purpose is attainded by providing a milking hose for a quarter milking machine which is characterized by four flexible conduits, of which two conduits are connected along a first common connecting se~ment which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hose and by the two other conduits being each arranged on opposite sides of the first connecting segment of the two first conduits and parallel to same and, further, being connected to the two first conduits along a second and third and a fourth and fifth connecting segment.
From this, a total milking hose which consists of several conduits is formed, which in cross section has an approximately rhombic design. From this results a hose which as a whole is compact and which has different flexibility in two directions which are perpendicular with respect to one another. Thus the flexibility on the longer axis is less than in direction of the shorter ~3~ 33 axis of the rhombus. Due to this increased flexibility in one direction, it is possible for the hose as a whole to twist easily corresponding with all directions, since it ls flexible in all directions during a twist~
ing. The flexibility can be comparecl approximately to the flexibility of a leaf spring. The hose can be preferably designed such that passages are provided for transmitting the pulsator pressure, which passages are formed between the first, second and third conduit - 10 and the first, second and fourth cGncluit. Thus an arrangement of altogether six combined conduits is obtained. Thus one obtains as a whole an extremely compact hose arrangement. The convenience in handling of the milking tool is thus considerably improved. A
particularly preferable arrangement is obtained when the conduits are extruded in one piece with their re-spective connecting seyments.
According to a further solution to the set purpose, a milking hose for a quarter milking process is characterized by the hose which is manufactured in an extrusion method in one piece having four separate conduits ~ith a substantially equal inner cross section and the central longitudinal axes of the conduits are located substantially at the corners of an equilateral rhombus.
In such an arrangement, it is possible to preferably provide also a fifth and, if needed, a sixth conduit, each separate Erom the remaining conduits, the cross sections of which lie within the area defined by the equilateral rhombus.
Such a hose substantially simplifies the method of operation, since through only one operation r four to six lines can be connected approximately simul-taneously to one collecting piece or can be separated therefrom.

~a~3~2~33 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THF DRAWING
The invention will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the preferred exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional v:ie~ of a first embodiment of a hose embodying the invention; and Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a hose embodying the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference numeral l of Figure 1 identifies in general a first embodiment of a milking hose. The hose consists of four hoses 2,3,4 and 5 which are approximately identical in cross section and are con-nected to one another such that the hoses 3 and 4 are connected along a common centrally located longitudinally extending segment 6. The hoses 2 and 5 are éach con-nected to -the hoses 3 and ~ along two connecting segments 7,8 and 9,10 and on opposite sides thereoE.
The central axes of the hoses 2 and 5 lie in a plane containing the centrally located longitudinal segment 6.
The connecting segments 6 to 10 can as a whole be con-structed very thinly, so that the advantage results that the segments can be separated if needed along the longitudinal direction of the individual hoses, so that if needed at the ends of the milking hose 1, the in-dividual hoses 2 to 5 can be separately connected to the other lines. A further advantage is achieved in the arrangement illustrated in Figure l in that a space is provided between the connecting segments 6,7 and 8 and between the connecting segments 6,9 and 10 and is substantially triangular in cross section and can be used as additional conduits 11 and 12.
These conduits 11 and 12 can be utilized, for example, for transmitting the pulsator pressure to the milking ~3~3~

cup. An extremely compact, however, still extremely flexible hose arrangement with altogether six supply conduits or discharge conduits is achieved in this case. To better facilitate a connection of the pulsator-pressure connecting conduits to the conduits 11 and 12~ the ends to which the conduits 11 and 12 are to be connected must~ if needed, be adjusted to conform to the form of the conduits 11 and 12.
A second embodiment is illustrated in Figure 2, in which four milk discharge passageways 22 to 25 having approximately the same cross section and two pulsator pressure passageways 26 and 27 havin~ the same cross section, however, a reduced cross section compared with the cross section of the passageways 22 to 25, are formed in preferably a one piece~ elongated extruded member, wherein the center points of the passageways 22,26,27 and 25 lie in a first common plane, while the center points of the passayeways 22 and 24 lie in a second common plane perpendiaular -to the first plane. Furthermore, the center axes of the passageways 22 to 25 are located at the corners of a rhombus. The hose is particularly well suited to be fastened to a collecting piece in the form of a block connector plug.
If the milking hose is extruded in one piece, the house should consist preferably of a material, which is elastically deformable and has a quick recovery follow-ing a deformation thereof.
Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that varia-tions or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (2)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A milking hose arrangement for a quarter milking machine, said arrangement being of the type having at least four hose conduit means extending generally parallel with each other and including means for holding said conduits relatively close to each other, wherein said conduit means are so disposed and arranged that, in cross-section, the centerlines of four of said conduits generally coincide each with one corner of a rhombus; said means for holding said conduit means relatively close to each other being of the type of joinders between the conduit means, each joinder extending longitudinally of respective two adjacent conduit means in a continuous fashion, said joinders being so arranged that between any set of three mutually adjacent conduit means a separate passageway is provided, said intermediate passageway being adapted for use as a pulsator means receiving conduit.

2. A milking hose arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement being of the type of a single-piece extension molded unit.