Cleaning apparatus for milk conveying paths in animal milking machines
First Claim
1. In an animal milking machine wherein a vacuum line is connected with means for generating vacuum therein, apparatus for admitting into said line a flowable cleaning agent comprising a reservoir having an upper portion and a lower portion communicatively connected to said line;
- a metering device having a vessel extending into said upper portion and including an upper part and a lower part;
a source of dilutant;
valved conduit means connecting said source and said line with the upper part of said vessel;
a source of cleaning agent connected with said vessel so that cleaning agent flows into said vessel in response to evacuation of air from said vessel by way of said conduit means;
a first valve provided within said conduit means in said vessel and operative to seal said conduit means from said vessel when the supply of cleaning agent in said vessel rises to a predetermined level which increases the pressure head of the cleaning agent in said vessel;
said pressure head being a function of the positioning of said conduit means;
flow restrictor means provided in said vessel to admit atmospheric air and to thus raise the pressure in said vessel subsequent to sealing of said conduit means from said vessel; and
a second valve provided in said vessel and operative to permit said supply of cleaning agent to flow into said reservoir and thence into said line when the sum of the pressures in the interior of said vessel reaches a predetermined value which is greater than the pressure in said reservoir.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for admitting a cleaning agent into the vacuum line of an animal milking installation has a reservoir the lower portion of which communicates with an intake portion of the vacuum line, a metering device having a vessel which is installed in the upper portion of the reservoir, valved conduits which connect the vacuum line with a source of water and with the upper part of the vessel, a source of cleaning agent which is connected to and admits into the vessel cleaning agent when the vessel is connected to the vacuum line, a buoyant valve element which floats on the supply of cleaning agent in the vessel and seals the vessel from the vacuum line when the supply of cleaning agent in the vessel rises to a predetermined level, and a valve which allows the supply of cleaning agent to flow into the reservoir when the pressure differential between the interior of the vessel and the reservoir decreases to a predetermined value subsequent to sealing of the vacuum line from the interior of the vessel. The pressure differential decreases owing to the provision of a flow restricting orifice which connects the interior of the vessel with the surrounding atmosphere or with the interior of the reservoir.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. In an animal milking machine wherein a vacuum line is connected with means for generating vacuum therein, apparatus for admitting into said line a flowable cleaning agent comprising a reservoir having an upper portion and a lower portion communicatively connected to said line;
- a metering device having a vessel extending into said upper portion and including an upper part and a lower part;
a source of dilutant;
valved conduit means connecting said source and said line with the upper part of said vessel;
a source of cleaning agent connected with said vessel so that cleaning agent flows into said vessel in response to evacuation of air from said vessel by way of said conduit means;
a first valve provided within said conduit means in said vessel and operative to seal said conduit means from said vessel when the supply of cleaning agent in said vessel rises to a predetermined level which increases the pressure head of the cleaning agent in said vessel;
said pressure head being a function of the positioning of said conduit means;
flow restrictor means provided in said vessel to admit atmospheric air and to thus raise the pressure in said vessel subsequent to sealing of said conduit means from said vessel; and
a second valve provided in said vessel and operative to permit said supply of cleaning agent to flow into said reservoir and thence into said line when the sum of the pressures in the interior of said vessel reaches a predetermined value which is greater than the pressure in said reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- a metering device having a vessel extending into said upper portion and including an upper part and a lower part;
Specification