Patent ID: 8342124

Claim:
A method of cleaning a plurality of teat cups, the method comprising the sequential steps of: with a robotic manipulation device, grasping each of a plurality of teat cups, located in a rest position in a teat cup magazine and moving the grasped teat cups to teats of a cow; with a teat cup retraction system, returning the teat cups from the teats of the cow to the rest position in the teat cup magazine; with the robotic manipulation device, moving the teat cups from the teat cup magazine to a cleaning implement, and cleaning the teat cups, wherein the robotic manipulation device deposits the teat cups, in turn and individually, in sealing engagement on respective wash nozzles of the cleaning implement; and with the teat cup retraction system, returning the teat cups from the cleaning implement to the rest position within the teat cup magazine.