NZ763624B2 - A teatcup liner and a teatcup - Google Patents

Abstract

teatcup to be attached to the teat of an animal and a teatcup liner (1) to be mounted in a shell (2) of the teatcup are disclosed. The teatcup liner comprises a barrel (3) enclosing an inner space (7) for receiving the teat. The barrel comprises a lower section (3') and an upper section (3") adjoining the lower section. The barrel has a polygonal cross-sectional shape, defining a plurality of side portions (18) and a plurality of corner portions (19), each connecting two of the side portions. Each side portion has a side wall thickness at a centre line of the side portion. Each corner portion has a corner wall thickness at a centre line of the corner portion. The corner wall thickness is thicker than the side wall thickness along the barrel. The corner wall thickness decreases along the upper section of the barrel towards the lower section, but remains thicker than the side wall thickness at the lower end of the upper section of the barrel.

Claims (21)

What We Claim Is:

1. A teatcup liner configured to be d in a shell of a teatcup to be attached to the teat of an animal to be milked, the 5 teatcup liner comprising: an elongated shape extending along a longitudinal central axis; and a barrel having a length along the longitudinal central axis and enclosing an inner space for receiving the teat, 10 wherein the barrel comprises a lower section and an upper section along the udinal central axis, the lower section adjoining the upper section, n the barrel, in a rest state, has a polygonal cross-sectional shape transversely to the longitudinal 15 central axis, the nal cross-sectional shape defining a plurality of side portions and a plurality of corner portions, each corner portion connecting two of said side portions, wherein each of the side portions has a side wall 20 thickness at least at a udinal centre line of the side portion along the length of the barrel, wherein each of the corner portions has a corner wall thickness at least at a longitudinal centre line of the corner portion along the length of the 25 barrel, wherein the corner wall thickness is thicker than the side wall thickness along the length of the barrel, n the corner wall thickness 30 decreases along the upper section towards the lower section of the barrel with the corner wall thickness remaining thicker than the side wall thickness at a lower end of the upper section of the barrel.

2. The teatcup liner ing to claim 1, wherein the upper section of the barrel extends along at most 40% of the length of the barrel. 5

3. The teatcup liner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the corner wall thickness is nt along the lower section of the

4. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 10 wherein the side wall thickness is constant along the upper section and the lower section of the barrel.

5. The p liner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower section of the barrel extends along at least 60% 15 of the length of the barrel.

6. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the side portions in the rest state has a convex ure towards the inner space and the longitudinal central 20 axis along the length of the barrel.

7. The p liner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each of the corner portions in the rest state comprises an inner surface facing the inner space and having a concave 25 curvature towards the inner space with an inner radius, which extends from the inner space to the inner surface and is in the rest state at least 4 mm at the longitudinal centre line of the corner portion. 30

8. The teatcup liner according to claim 7, wherein the inner radius of each of the corner portions at the longitudinal centre line decreases from the upper section towards a lower end of the teatcup liner. 35

9. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the length of the barrel lies in the interval 90-130 mm.

10. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the teatcup liner comprises an outlet portion adjoining the lower section of the barrel, and a mouthpiece portion comprising a lip defining a teat opening to the inner space.

11. The teatcup liner according to claim 10, wherein the outlet n has engagement means configured for ment with the shell. 10

12. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the polygonal cross-sectional shape is a triangular crosssectional shape defining three of the side portions and three of the corner portions. 15

13. The teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper section of the barrel extends along at most 25% of the length of the barrel.

14. A teatcup ured to be attached to the teat of the animal 20 to be milked, the p comprising the shell and the teatcup liner according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or 13.

15. The teatcup according to claim 14, n the teatcup liner comprises an outlet portion adjoining the lower n of the 25 barrel and the outlet portion comprises an engagement part engaged with the shell.

16. A teatcup configured to be attached to a teat of an animal to be milked, the teatcup comprising: 30 a shell; and a teatcup liner mounted in the shell, the teatcup liner comprising: an elongated shape ing along a longitudinal central axis, 35 a barrel having a length along the longitudinal central axis and enclosing an inner space for receiving the teat, and an outlet portion adjoining the lower n of the barrel, and a mouthpiece portion comprising a lip defining a teat opening to the inner space and an engagement part d with the shell, wherein the barrel comprises a lower section and an upper section along the longitudinal central axis, the lower 5 section adjoining the upper section, the upper section of the barrel extending along at most 40% of the length of the barrel and the lower section of the barrel extending along at least 60% of the length of the barrel, wherein the barrel, in a rest state, has a polygonal 10 cross-sectional shape transversely to the longitudinal central axis, the polygonal cross-sectional shape defining a plurality of side portions and a plurality of corner portions, each corner portion connecting two of said side portions, wherein each of the side portions has a side wall 15 ess at least at a udinal center line of the side portion along the length of the barrel, each of the side portions in the rest state having a convex curvature towards the inner space and the longitudinal central axis along the length of the barrel, wherein each of the corner ns has a corner wall 20 thickness at least at a longitudinal center line of the corner portion along the length of the barrel, each of the corner portions in the rest state comprising an inner surface facing the inner space and having a concave curvature towards the inner space with an inner radius, 25 n the corner wall ess is thicker than the side wall thickness along the length of the barrel, and wherein the corner wall thickness decreases along the upper section towards the lower section of the barrel with the corner wall thickness remaining thicker than the side wall 30 thickness at a lower end of the upper section of the barrel.

17. The teatcup according to claim 16, n, the corner wall thickness is constant along the lower n of the barrel, and 35 the side wall thickness is constant along the length of the barrel in both the upper section and the lower section of the barrel.

18. The teatcup ing to claim 16 or 17, n the upper section of the barrel extends along at most 25% of the length of the barrel. 5

19. A teatcup liner according to claim 1, substantially as herein described and exemplified.

20. A teatcup according to claim 14, substantially as herein described and exemplified.

21. A teatcup according to claim 16, substantially as herein described and exemplified.