Improvements in Teat Oups for Milking Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Teat Oups for Milking Machines.
I, ALEXANDER SHIELS, of 190 Bath Street, Glasgow, Scotland, M.B., C.M.,
B.Sc., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention relates to teat cups for use in connection with milking machines,
and it has for its object to improve their construction, and, at the same time,
render them more natural and efficient in their action.
The present invention is a further development of the pulsating teat cup
described in the Specification of Shiels & Elliot's prior Patent No. 9547 of 1891.
In carrying out my present invention, I prefer to make the teat cup of india-
rubber, or similar elastic material, throughout. The rubber is moulded, preferably,
into the form, in outside view, of a Scotch thistle, i.e., it has a lower expanded
part of bulb formation, with a narrow neck, on which is supported an expanded
rim or beading. This rim or beading grips, when the teat cup is fitted in place,
the root of the cow's teat.
The tube leading from the vacuum apparatus and milk receptacle, is connected
to the lower end of the teat cup. The joint may be formed by a metal nipple,
which has ribs or corrugations on it, and is divided into two parts by a collar or
washer. The nipple is pushed into the opening at the bottom of the teat cup, and
the rubber tube connection is pushed over its projecting end. By using the
nipple-joint, a simple and efficient junction is made.
The walls of the teat cup are, preferably, thicker in the body than at the neck
part, and at this part the interior surface is corrugated, ribbed or otherwise
roughened. One or more, (preferably two), grooves are or may be cut or moulded
in the interior surfaces of the neck for the purpose of allowing the said neck, when
suction is taking place, collapsing or moving inwards freely so as to press the cow's
teat in a manner similar to hand milking.
The interior surface of the rim, instead of being in line with the interior surface
of the neck, is out of line therewith, for the purpose of allowing the neck to move
independently of the rim and vice versa. To effect this, the rubber is so moulded or
cut that a circular groove or channel, in a horizontal plane, is left between the
top of the neck, which latter is rounded off into a shape somewhat similar to that
of the tip of the tongue, and the rim. As the rubber walls are thinner at the
bottom of the said groove or channel than at any other part, it follows that, when
the neck is drawn inwards or compressed during periods of maximum pulsation,
the rim does not move to the same extent as the neck, but tends more or less to
retain its place and shape. In short, the thin connection for the neck serves as
a hinge for said neck to work or move on. As the rim grips the root of the teat,
there is no necessity for causing it to pulsate.
After each compression, which takes place during periods of maximum pulsation,
the rubber teat cup, of its own elasticity, expands again, and the sudden expansion
draws up some of the warm milk in the pipe connection, and washes it about the
cow's teat, so that the teat is kept constantly moist and warm.
The roughened neck serves, in its action, to rub or slightly irritate the teat, and
thereby produces the same effect as the papillæ of the tongue of a calf. This
action causes the cow to nart more freely with its milk.

page_text: The teat cups, instead of being made of rubber throughout, may be made of a
combination of wood, glass, horn or metal, and rubber or like elastic material.
Dated this 1st day of March 1893.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,-
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Teat Cups for Milking Machines.
I, ALEXANDER SHIELS, of 190 Bath Street, Glasgow, M.B., C.M., B.Sc., do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to teat cups for use in connection with milking machines,
and it has for its object to improve their construction, and, at the same time, render
them more natural and efficient in their action.
The present invention is a further development of the pulsating teat cup described
in the Specification of Shiels & Elliot's prior Patent No. 9547 of 1891.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a teat cup on the line - of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is
a cross section on the line x-x¹ Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modified form of the cup on the line y-y Fig. 4
and Fig. 4 is a cross section in the line y', y', Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a view of a nipple.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same parts.
in carrying out my present invention, I prefer to make the teat cup a of india-
rubber, or similar elastic material, throughout. The rubber may be moulded as
shown at Figs. 1 and 2, into the form, in outside view, of a Scotch thistle, i.e. it
has a lower expanded part a¹ of bulb formation, with a narrow neck a on which is
supported an expanded rim or beading b. This rim or beading grips, when the
teat cup is fitted in place, the root of the cow's teat.
The tube leading from the vacuum apparatus and milk receptacle, is connected to
the lower end of the teat cup. The joint may be formed by a metal nipple c (Fig. 5)
which has ribs or corrugations c¹ on it, and is divided into two parts by a collar or
washer c. The end of the nipple is pushed into the opening at the bottom of
the teat cup, and the rubber tube connection is pushed over its projecting end c*.
By using the nipple joint, a simple and efficient junction is made.
The walls of the teat cup are, preferably, made thicker in the body than at the
neck part, and, at this part, the interior surface is corrugated, ribbed or otherwise
roughened as shown at g. One or more, (preferably two), grooves d are, or may be,
cut or moulded in the interior surface of the neck for the purpose of allowing the
said neck, when suction is taking place, collapsing or moving inwards freely so as to
press the cow's teat in a manner similar to hand milking.
The interior surface of the rim b, instead of being in line with the interior surface
of the neck, may, as shown in Fig. 1, be out of line therewith, for the purpose of
allowing the neck to move independently of the rim and vice versa. To effect this,
the rubber is so moulded or cut that a circular groove or channel e, in a horizontal
plane, is left between the top of the neck, which latter is rounded off into a shape
somewhat similar to that of the tip of the tongue, and forms a lip i, and the rim.
As the rubber walls are thinner at the bottom of the said groove or channel than
at.any other part, it follows that, when the neck is drawn inwards or compressed
during periods of maximum pulsation, the rim does not move to the same extent as
the neck, but tends more or less to retain its place and shape. In short, the thin

page_text: connection, f, for the neck serves as a hinge for said neck to work or move on.
As the rim grips the root of the teat, there is no necessity. for causing it to
pulsate.
After each compression, which takes place during periods of maximum pulsation,
the rubber teat cup, of its own elasticity, expands again, and the sudden expansion
draws up some of the warm milk in the pipe connection, and washes it about the
cows teat, so that the teat is kept constantly moist and warm.
The roughened neck serves, in its action, to rub or slightly irritate the teat, and
thereby produces the same effect as the papillæ of the tongue of a calf. This action
causes the cow to part more freely with its milk.
The teat cups instead of being made of rubber throughout, may be made partly
of wood, glass, horn or metal, and partly of rubber or like elastic material.
In the modified form shown at Figs. 3 and 4 the teat cup is made of a slightly
tapered or conic shape and the corrugations g almost cover its whole internal
surface. As will be seen the rim b is made thicker than that at Fig. 1 and the
groove his narrower.
If desired the teat cups may be made of cylindrical shape or partly cylindrical
and partly conical shape.
If desired three or four channels d may be made in the teat cup.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
1. A teat cup, made of rubber or similar elastic material and having one or more
vertical grooves or channels (d), substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
set forth.
2. A teat cup made of rubber or its equivalent having a circular groove or
channel (e) so cut or made in it that an internal lip is formed, substantially as and
for the purpose herein before set forth.
3. A teat cup made substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
4. A teat cup made substantially as herein before described with reference to
Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 1st day of December 1893.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.