Patent ID: 8555811

Claim:
A system for cleaning teats of milk-producing animals, wherein the animals are housed in a parlor area and the teats are cleaned or disinfected before a milking operation is started, the system comprising: a disinfectant solution source provided at the parlor area; a hand-held applicator having a housing volume within which one or more scrubbing elements are positioned for engaging a teat of the milk-producing animal having been inserted in the volume for cleaning; a pump and tube in fluid communication with the hand-held applicator and the disinfectant solution source for delivering the disinfectant solution to the housing volume of the hand-held applicator; a controller, in electrical communication with the hand-held applicator and the pump, that is configured to initiate the actuation of the scrubbing elements and delivery of the disinfectant solution to the hand-held applicator as the scrubbing elements are actuated; and, wherein the scrubbing elements include a first rotatable brush disposed in the housing for engaging an end of the teat through which milk is released, and the brush includes an array of bristles including a first set of bristles having a first radial length and a second set of bristles that have a second radial length that is longer than the first radial length; wherein the disinfectant solution delivered to the hand-held applicator is an aqueous chlorine dioxide solution that contains about 100 ppm to 200 ppm by volume of chlorine dioxide, and has a viscosity and/or vapor pressure that is substantially equal to water.