IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MILKING ANIMALS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bowick and Thomas Gilbert Bowick, both of
Bedford, in the County of Bedford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MILKING ANIMALS."
Sealed the 16th December 1879, and dated the 18th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bowick and Thomas
Gilbert Bowick at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
June 1879.
THOMAS BOWICK and THOMAS GILBERT BOWICK, both of Bedford, in the County
of Bedford. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MILKING ANIMALS."
Our Invention consists in the construction of an apparatus whereby the exterior
of the teat or teats may be subjected to an alternately increased and diminished
pressure as in hand milking. In carrying out our Invention, we propose to
make the sheath or other contrivance for embracing or partly embracing the teat
or teats of two or more sections, one or more of the said sections being connected
to and actuated by a piston or pistons, sacks, or bellows driven by air or other-
wise. We also propose to attach a boxer or bunter to operate upon the udder in
imitation of the action of the calves head, to be actuated in a similar manner to the
above, and so arranged that it can be set in motion or stopped when required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Bowick and Thomas Gilbert Bowick in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th December 1879.
:
THOMAS BOWICK and THOMAS GILBERT BOWICK, both of Bedford, in the County
of Bedford. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MILKING ANIMALS."
This Invention relates to improvements in the milking apparatus for which one
of the present applicants obtained Letters Patent, dated December Eighteenth, One
thousand cight hundred and seventy eight, No. 5191, in which compressed air or
other fluid obtained from a force pump or its equivalent is employed for squeezing
the teats of the cow and discharging the milk therefrom, and consists, firstly, in a
novel construction of tent cup; and secondly, in the addition to the apparatus of a
bunter" or "boxer" to operate upon the udder in imitation of the action of the
head of the sucking calf.
68
In carrying out our Invention the sheath or other contrivance for embracing or
partly embracing each teat is formed of two or more sections, one of which is
actuated by a piston, sacks, or bellows worked by air or other impelling fluid.
The bunter consists of a plunger fitted to an air-tight box in connection with the
air pipe which leads from the force pump employed for working the teat cup
pistons.
As in the Patent above referred to the teat cups, and also the bunter, are fitted
to a radially slotted frame, which is supported from a yoke or band passed over
the back and haunches of the cow by means of straps or a suitable equivalent.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shown at Fig. 1 a plan view of the
apparatus fitted with four of our improved teat cups, and a central bunter or boxer
for pressing against the udder of a cow, and at Fig. 2 a sectional elevation of the
apparatus with a pump for supplying compressed air connected thereto.
Figures 3 shew in plan view and in vertical section detached views on an enlarged
scale of our improved teat cups.
A is the radially slotted frame for carrying the teat cups B, B, which are adjust-
able therein to bring them to the required positions relatively to each other for
receiving the cow's teats.
This frame A is supported from a yoke or band passed over the back and
haunches of the cow, and attached to the frame by straps C, C, or a suitable
equivalent.
The teat cups B consist of two segment-shaped pieces a, a¹, formed to fit against
the teat. The piece a is carried by the piston-rod of a piston or plunger b, which
works in a cylinder c, and to the head of this cylinder the segment shaped piece a'
is secured by the strap d. This strap. d is provided with a flange e, which serves
as a rest or support for the cup B when placed in the frame A.
A branch pipe f connects the rear end of the cylinder c with the pipe g, which is
common to all the branch pipes of the cups of the group. The pipe g joins with
the pipe h in connection with the air pump D, as shewn at Fig. 2.
The teat is inserted between the segment pieces a, a', and from them it receives
the requisite intermittent squeezing pressure during the milking operation. This
pressure is given by forcing air in pulsations into the cylinders c by means of the
pump D, the plungers or pistons 6 with the segment pieces a of the several teat
cups are thus driven forward and the segment pieces are caused to press momen-
tarily on the teats of the cow, and then relax their pressure, and thereby produce
automatically an action similar to that given by the hand of the milkmaid. The
milk as it is forced out will be received into any suitable receptacle.
"
In order to obtain a more rapid discharge of the milk from the teats the "bunter
or "boxer" is employed to press upon the udder during the milking action in the
same way that it is pressed upon by the head of the calf. This "bunter" or "boxer"
consists of a plunger E fitted at the upper end of a box E', which is connected by a

page_text: pipe with the compressed air supply pipe h. This plunger is shewn in Fig. 2 as
permanently attached to its box or case E¹ by a flexible sleeve of india rubber,
which sleeve is made sufficiently strong to resist the pressure of air admitted to the
milking apparatus from the air pump D. At or near the junction of the pipes i
and h is placed a cock j, by which the supply of compressed air to the box E' may
be cut off or admitted as required.
A modification of the bunter is shown at Fig. 4. In this case the plunger E is
a solid piston, against the under side of which the compressed air acts to propel it
forward.
Having now described the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus
for Milking Animals," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
we claim,―
First. The improved construction of teat cup for imparting intermittent pressure
or a milking action to the teats of animals, as herein described.
"
Secondly. The combination with automatic milking apparatus of a "bunter" or
"boxer," constructed and operating as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bowick, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
T ROWICK
T. BOWICK (10)