Patent ID: 6857389

Claim:
A teat cup assembly, comprising: a tubular sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface defining a sleeve bore between first and second open sleeve ends, the outer surface of the tubular sleeve defining an upper end portion and a lower end portion thereof; a milk receiving cup having a portion configured to be operatively coupled to the lower end portion of the tubular sleeve; and a liner member including: a head portion including an upper teat chamber defined with a cylindrical wall having an outer exposed surface, an intermediate wall extending substantially orthogonally inward from the cylindrical wall and an upper diaphragm wall laterally extending inward from the cylindrical wall having a central opening defined by the upper seal wall, the cylindrical wall of the head portion including a cylindrical retaining extension configured to cooperate with and be coupled to the upper end portion of the tubular sleeve; and a tubular elongate inflation portion including side walls with opposite first and second ends defining a liner bore longitudinally along a length of the tubular elongate inflation portion with opposite first and second open ends, the first end integrally interconnected and extending from the intermediate wall of the head portion with the first open end opening into the upper teat chamber, the second end of the tubular elongate inflation portion being a free end; wherein the tubular elongate inflation portion is configured to be inserted through the sleeve bore so that the cylindrical retaining extension is disposed around the upper end portion of the tubular sleeves, the tubular elongate inflation portion configured to be placed in tension as the free end of the tubular elongate inflation portion is invertedly drawn around the lower end portion of the tubular sleeve with the portion of the milk receiving cup capturing the inverted free end between an outer surface of the lower end portion with an interference fit.