Patent ID: 8820263

Claim:
A teatcup liner configured to be mounted in a shell ( 4 ) of a teatcup to be applied to a teat of an animal during a milking operation, and having a longitudinal shape extending along a longitudinal axis (x), the teatcup liner comprising: a barrel ( 2 ) having a length (L) along the longitudinal axis (x) and defining an inner space ( 21 ) for receiving the teat, wherein the barrel ( 2 ), in a rest state, has an inner barrel surface with a polygonal cross-sectional shape transversely to the longitudinal axis (x) along an entirety of the length (L) that defines the inner space ( 21 ) that receives the teat, the polygonal cross-sectional shape defining a plurality of corner portions ( 23 ) and a plurality of side portions ( 24 ), each side portion ( 24 ) connecting two of said corner portions ( 23 ), wherein, each of the side portions ( 24 ) has a first wall thickness (T 1 ) at least at a center part ( 28 ) of the side portion ( 24 ) along the length (L) of the barrel ( 2 ), each of the corner portions ( 23 ) has a second wall thickness (T 2 ) at least at the center part ( 26 ) of the corner portion ( 23 ) along the length (L) of the barrel ( 2 ), and the first wall thickness (T 1 ) is smaller than the second wall thickness (T 2 ), wherein each corner portion ( 23 ) comprises an inner surface ( 25 ) with a concave curvature facing the inner space ( 21 ) and having an inner radius (r) extending from the inner space ( 21 ) to the inner surface ( 25 ), wherein the inner radius (r) is equal for each corner portion ( 23 ) and the inner radius (r) of each of the corner portions ( 23 ) in the rest state is at least 4 mm at a center part ( 26 ) of the corner portion ( 23 ) such that the teat, when located within the polygonal cross-sectional shape, fills up the inner space during whole pulsation cycles during the milking operation, and wherein the first wall thickness of the side portions is in a range of 1 to 2.6 mm, and the second wall thickness of the corner portions is in a range of 2.3 to 6 mm.