AU2006201850B2

AU2006201850B2 - A teat mounting

Info

Publication number: AU2006201850B2
Application number: AU2006201850A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bruce Douglas Reid
Original assignee: Stallion Ltd; Peach Teats Ltd
Current assignee: Stallion Ltd; Peach Teats Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-05
Filing date: 2006-05-03
Publication date: 2012-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-03
Also published as: AU2006201850A1; NZ539800A

Abstract

A teat mounting for mounting a feeding teat to an animal feeding device. The teat 5 mounting has a body (10) which has a threaded bore (11). The thread form is of a type which is compatible with the thread of a threaded animal feeding teat. The body (10) further includes a mounting flange (16) so that the body can be mounted with an outlet opening wall of an animal feeding device. The opening (0) in the wall (W) can be surrounded by an annular wall (T) which has a thread form onto which is threaded a cap 10 (20). The cap (20) has a central opening which engages over an end -of the body -(10) arrd sandwiches the flange (16) between an end of the annular wall (T) and the underside of the cap

Description

DH Ref: 499-17AU AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION & utrali FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name and Address STALLION PLASTICS LIMITED of Applicants: 73 Railway Road Palmerston North New Zealand PEACH TEATS LIMITED McIntyre's Lane R.D. 5 Hunterville New Zealand Actual Inventor(s): BRUCE DOUGLAS REID 283 Stoney Creek Road R D 10 Palmerston North New Zealand Address for Service: Don Hopkins & Associates C/- Spruson & Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33, St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Invention Title: A Teat Mounting The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method 2 TITLE OF THE INVENTION A TEAT MOUNTING 5 BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION This invention relates to a teat mounting. The use of rubber or rubber-like material teats for the feeding of small animals such as 10 calves is well known. In my New Zealand patent specifications 247058 and 293714 there is disclosed a feeding teat that has been marketed under the PEACH trade mark. The teat has been extremely successful. As with conventional teats, the PEACH teat can include at its mounting end, an external 15 peripherally extending flange that is adjacent a peripheral groove. Thus, the teat can be mounted in a "pull-through" type mounting where the feeding end of the teat is engaged through an opening in say the lid of a feeding bottle, the wall of a multiple teat feeding container (so-called "calfeteria") or a wall of an open manifold of a mobile feeder. 20 An innovate feature which is the subject of my New Zealand patent specification 504554 that has been incorporated in the PEACH teat is a thread formed at the mounting end of the teat. This enables the teat to be threaded into a suitably complementary opening in or associated with an opening in the types of feeding apparatus referred to above. 25 Another development for the mounting of a feeding teat is disclosed in New Zealand patent specification 260687 of Stallion Plastics Limited. According to this mounting arrangement, the flanged mounting end of the teat is located with an externally threaded turret and an annular type mounting ring which is internally threaded and is passed over 3 flange of the teat between the end of the turret and an inside surface of the ring so as to capture the mounting end of the teat in a sealed manner. A mounting arrangement of the type disclosed in patent specification 260687 is particularly useful for enclosed manifold type mobile feeders where it is not possible or is s difficult to pull the teat through an opening in the manifold wall. The end threaded teat which is the subject of New Zealand patent specification 504554 has proved to be extremely popular. While the teat can be constructed to give the user the option of pull-through mounting or screw- threaded mounting, the benefits of ease of the screw mounting cannot always be realised because of the ability to screw the to threaded end of the teat into a suitably configured opening in the feeding apparatus. Summary of the Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a teat mounting that can be fitted to feeding apparatus to facilitate mounting of an end threaded feeding teat. 15 Broadly according to one aspect of the invention there is provided a teat mounting including a body having a threaded bore therein, the thread being of a type compatible with the thread of a threaded feeding teat, the body including mounting means adapted to at least partially locate within an outlet turret protruding from a wall of an animal feeding device.

4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following more detailed description of the invention according to one preferred embodiment, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 Figure 1 is an elevation view of the teat mounting, Figure 2 is an end elevation in the direction of arrow A of Figure 1, 10 Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting on line I-1 of Figure 1, Figure 4 is an end view in the direction of arrow B of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a plan view of a cap suitable for use with the teat mounting of Figures 15 1-4, Figure 6 is a plan view of the reverse side of the cap of Figure 5, Figure 7 is a section on line 11-11 of Figure 6, and 20 Figure 8 is an illustration of the teat mounting in use with the cap and mounting a feeding teat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 25 In the preferred form of the invention the mounting 10 is moulded as a one-piece unit from a suitable plastics material such as HDPE. While in the following mounting 10 is described as a separate unit to cap 20, the preferred form of the invention is that 5 The mounting 10 is of generally annular shape with the internal wall surface of the through bore provided with a thread form 11. As shown in Figure 3, the thread start 12 is blended into the surface 13 which forms the tapered mouth 14 into which, in use, the 5 leading end of the threaded portion of a feeding teat F is introduced. The external surface of the mouth 14 is also provided with a tapered surface 15. This surface 15 merges into a peripheral flange 16. At the intersection of the surface 15 and flange 16 at spaced distances co-axial with the central axis L, is a series of recesses 17. 10 Extending from the other end of the mounting 10, the external surface 18 is slightly tapered away from the centre line L to merge with a shoulder 19 which projects from the flange 16. 15 In the preferred form of the mounting 10, the mounting is designed for fitting with an annular wall or turret T that will be co-axial with and project from an outlet opening 0 formed in the wall W of say the feeding container of an animal feeder or the manifold (open or closed) on a mobile animal feeder. 20 in use, the mounting 10 will be inserted into the turret T such that the shoulder 19 and flange 16 engage (preferably firmly and possibly with an interference fit) into the end of the turret. The flange 16 thus engages against the end surface T' of the turret T. To hold the mounting 10 in place there is provided a cap 20 that has a side wall 21, the 25 internal surface of which is provided with a thread form 22. This thread form 22 is complementary to a thread form on the exterior wall surface of the turret T. The end wall 24 of the cap 20 is provided with an opening 25 which has an inwardly tapered wall surface 26. The dimensions of the opening 25 and wall 26 are commensurate with the 6 On the inside surface of the wall 24 is a projecting rib or the like 27. This rib 27 is concentric with the centre line L' of the cap 20. This provides a sealing edge as will hereinafter be apparent. 5 A plurality of ribs 28 are formed on the side wall 21 of the cap so as to provide grip for a person screwing the cap onto or from a turret T. With the mounting 10 in place in the turret T the cap 20 can be screwed onto the turret 10 and tightened down until the sealing rib 27 engages with the flange 16. Thus, the cap 20 sandwiches the flange 16 between the inside surface and rib 27 of the wall 24 and the end surface T' of the turret T. The mounting 10 is thus fixed in position in the turret T against movement both axially and rotationally. 15 However, in the preferred form flange 16 is fixed to the cap 20 so that the resultant unit of mounting 10 and cap 20 is fastened as a unit to the turret T. Also in the preferred form a seal (not shown) sits between the flange 16 and top edge of the turret T. Other sealing arrangements will, however, be apparent to the skilled person. 20 As a consequence, the threaded end of a teat can be screwed into the mounting 10. Thus, in a straightforward manner, a turret type mounting with screw-on cap normally used to sandwich the flange of a teat to fix the teat in position, can be converted into a mounting able to receive the threaded end of a screw-in teat.

Claims

1. A teat mounting including a body having a threaded bore therein, the thread being of a type compatible with the thread of a threaded feeding teat, the body 5 including mounting means adapted to at least partially locate within an outlet turret protruding from a wall of an animal feeding device.

2. A teat mounting as claimed in claim I wherein the body is of annular form. 10

3. A teat mounting as claimed in claim 2 wherein the bore has a tapered mouth into which the thread start of the thread is blended.

4. A teat mounting as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the mounting is means includes a flange which projects from a peripheral outer wall of the body.

5. A teat mounting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the mounting means further includes a shoulder which is located transverse to the flange. 20

6. A teat mounting as claimed in claim 3 wherein an external surface of the mouth is outwardly tapered away from a distal end of the mouth to a flange which projects from a peripheral outer surface of the body.

7. A teat mounting as claimed in claim 6 wherein at the intersection of the 25 tapered external surface and the flange there is provided a plurality of recesses.

8. A teat mounting as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings. 30

9. An animal feeding device incorporating an outlet opening, a turret in the form of an annular wall spaced from and coaxial with the opening, a teat mounting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 the body of which is at least partially located within the confines of the annular wall and a cap removably fastened to the annular wall, said cap having an opening aligned with the bore of the teat mounting. 35 8

10. The animal feeding device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the annular wall has a thread with which a thread of the cap is engaged.

11. The animal feeding device as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein a 5 threaded part of the feeding teat is removably engaged in the threaded bore and an inlet of the feeding teat is in communication with the outlet opening.

12. The animal feeding device as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the mounting means is engaged between an end of the annular wall and a surface 10 of the cap.

13. The animal feeding device as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein a part of the body of the teat mounting is engaged within the cap opening. is

14. An animal feeding device as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A teat mounting assembly including an outlet opening in a wall of a container or manifold (open or closed) of an animal feeder, a turret in the form of an 20 annular wall projecting from a surface of the wall of the feeder and surrounding the outlet opening, the body of a teat mounting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 engaged in the annular wall such that an end thereof engages with the feeder wall adjacent the outlet opening and a cap removably engaged on the annular wall, the cap having an opening in which a part of the teat mounting body is engaged, the mounting means of the teat 25 mounting body being sandwiched between the cap and an end of the annular wall.

16. A teat mounting assembly as claimed in claim 15 wherein the cap opening, the threaded bore of the teat mounting and the outlet opening are substantially coaxial. 30

17. A teat mounting assembly as claimed in claims 15 or 16 wherein the cap is screw threaded onto the annular wall. 9

18. A teat mounting assembly as claimed in claim 17 wherein the cap has a plurality of ribs formed on a side wall of the cap. Dated 12 December 2011 s Stallion Plastics Limited Partnership Peach Teats Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON & FERGUSON