Abstract: A treatment composition for treating or preventing bovine mastitis, the treatment composition characterized in that it includes at least two components which have an isoelectric point of or above substantially 6.8 and is extracted from milk, or a milk derived substance.

Abstract: An instrument for use with fluid which includes a mixing element, and a container to hold the fluid to be mixed, characterised in that the mixing element includes a sensor that assists to measure a parameter of fluid.

Abstract: A treatment composition for treating or preventing bovine mastitis, the treatment composition characterised in that it includes at least two components which have an isoelectric point of or above substantially 6.8 and is extracted from milk, or a milk derived substance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a medicament including a treatment composition in combination with at least one anti-inflammatory composition, characterised in that the treatment composition is extracted from whole milk, processed milk or milk derived substance, and wherein the treatment composition contains a cationic fraction which includes two or more components of the whole milk, processed milk or milk derived substance with an isoelectric point of or greater than substantially 6.8.

Abstract: A medicament for the treatment or prevention of a microbial infection or an associated condition in a low oxygen environment characterised in that the medicament includes an extended acting oxygen generating system.

Abstract: A robotic milking system includes a stall wherein dairy animals enter one at a time to be milked automatically. A holding tank receives successive measures of milk from successive dairy animals. Separation devices receive the successive measures of milk from the holding tank to separate components from the milk.

Abstract: A milking parlor (70) has a flushing channel (122) along a zigzag rump rail (124) for flushing cow manure (108) therealong. The rump rail is a continuous tubular conduit having upper portions thereof (146) cut-out (148) at end segments (132, 134, 136) to provide open-top gutter channels (138) receiving manure therein and interdigitated with closed-top flow channels (140) in side segments (126, 128, 130) conducting and passing the manure.

Abstract: A milking parlor has a platform receiving cows and having a plurality of spaced stall dividers defining milking stalls therebetween, each stall divider having a milking cluster including a claw and teat cups. A cluster drop and lift retractor, provided by a detacher cylinder, raises the cluster to an up position above the platform ready for attachment of the teat cups to the teats of a cow in a respective stall, and lowers the cluster to a down position below the platform after detachment of the teat cups from the teats of the cow. A cluster prelift control and sequence actuates the retractor to raise the cluster to the up position prior to milking such that when the dairyman operator is ready to milk the cow, the milking cluster is already in the up position and ready for attachment of the teat cups to the teats of the cow, without the dairyman operator having to bend down to lift the milking cluster from the down position.

Abstract: A milking system for milking a mammal such as a cow includes a source of vacuum applying vacuum through a conduit system to a plurality of milking clusters, each cluster having a plurality of teat cups supplying milk to a claw in response to pulsation vacuum controlled by a pulsator in the conduit system. The conduit system has a first portion upstream of the pulsator and applying vacuum from the source of vacuum to the pulsator. The conduit system has a second portion downstream of the pulsator and applying pulsation vacuum to the teat cups. The vacuum in the upstream portion of the conduit system is subject to fluctuation due to pulsation vacuum in the downstream portion. A vacuum fluctuation suppression filter is provided in the upstream portion of the conduit system attenuating the noted vacuum fluctuation.

Abstract: A beverage dispenser transponder identification system includes a pourer spout for insertion into a bottle containing a beverage, the pourer spout having an electromagnetically actuated stopper valve for dispensing the beverage, the pourer spout having an rf receive/transmit antenna connected to an identification transponder circuit. An actuator is provided by an activator ring for insertion around the pourer spout and has a driver coil for actuating the stopper valve, an rf transmit antenna connected to an oscillator, and an rf receive antenna connected to a decoder. The rf transmit antenna broadcasts an rf signal to the rf receive/transmit antenna which is conducted to the identification transponder circuit which sends an identification signal to the rf receive/transmit antenna which is broadcast to the rf receive antenna and received by the decoder to identify the pourer spout.

Abstract: A dispensing apparatus having a refrigerated compartment for receiving a plurality of bottle cartridges containing bottle container. A bottle latching mechanism holds the bottles within the cartridge as the cartridge and bottle containers are inserted into the refrigerated compartment. A bottle lifting mechanism located proximate the end of the rows of multiple cartridges lifts the bottles upward until the top bottle rolls onto a sloped dispensing platform where a person can remove the bottle from the dispensing apparatus by pressing a lever to allow a bottle to roll past a flexible window and out of the bottle dispenser to a position where a person can pick up the bottle.

Abstract: A milking machine of a kind having a milk line to a milk receiver through which a vacuum is drawn, the machine being operable in (i) a milking mode and in (ii) a cleaning mode, wherein there is provided a cleaning line for cleaning fluid into the milk line, and wherein, when the machine is in its cleaning mode, cleaning fluid pooling and/or pooled in the cleaning line is caused to move (wholly or in part) under the action of a gas (e.g. ambient air) impulse into the pooling and/or pooled cleaning fluid from the cleaning line into the milk line and preferably the milk receiver. In moving from the cleaning line into the milk line which is of greater cross-section the fluid under the action of a transition zone flaring from the smaller conduit into the larger conduit, and a transition zone flushing flow flaring means flares to the surface of the milk line.

Abstract: A method of curing meat, or other food products, using nitrogen dioxide gas. In a preferred method, the food product is exposed to nitrogen dioxide gas at a concentration in excess of 0.4 ppm. The nitrogen dioxide gas reacts with moisture in the food product to produce nitrous acid which diffuses throughout the product to cure the product and produce the pink "cured" color pigment. In an alternate method, the nitrogen dioxide gas is dissolved in water to produce a solution containing nitrous acid, and the solution is injected into the food product to produce the cured color pigment.

Abstract: A conveyor for moving the strand from a sausage making machine has J-hooks extending downwardly from a continuous chain conveyor. The conveyor picks up the loops of the strand at a loading station immediately adjacent the discharge end of the machine, and conveys the loops to a processing station for smoking or the like. The conveyor then moves the loops to an unloading station for removal of the strand from the conveyor, whereupon the conveyor downstream of the unloading station returns to the loading station to pick up additional product. A conveyor take-up mechanism is located immediately downstream from the loading station to permit the conveyor to cease movement at the loading station (while the casing on the machine is being replenished) while the conveyor can continue movement in the processing area. Sensors and controls interconnect the machine and the conveyor to coordinate the operational functions of each.

Abstract: An air vent plug (70, 90, 94) is provided for insertion through the wall (12) of the milk tube portion (14) of a teatcup liner (16) used with a teatcup assembly (18) for milking a mammal (20). The air vent plug has an outer flange (72) exterior of and engaging the outer surface of the liner, a barrel (74) extending through the wall of the liner, an inner tip (76) interior of the liner, and a vent passage (78) extending from the outer flange inwardly through the barrel and the inner tip. The vent passage has a first calibrated diameter (80) at the outer face, and a second larger formed diameter (82) inwardly thereof. The different diameters meet at a transition shoulder (84) which faces away from the air inlet opening (87).

Abstract: A teatcup liner is provided by an elongated, flexible, generally tubular liner (104) extending along a longitudinal axis (105). The liner has an upper section (106) for mounting to a teatcup, a mouthpiece chamber (107) having a shoulder (108) below the upper section, and a barrel (110) below the shoulder. The barrel has alternating exterior and interior axially extending flutes (112) and (114). The mouthpiece chamber shoulder is fluteless along both its exterior (116) and interior (118).

Abstract: A food product mold includes a movable wall within the cavity of the mold for altering the shape or volume of the cavity. An operating mechanism interconnected with the movable wall moves the wall to various positions within the cavity. The operating mechanism includes at least one shaft rotatably mounted to and extending through the mold, a cam member mounted to the shaft and engageable with the wall, and a shaft rotating mechanism for selectively imparting rotation to the shaft to selectively engage the cam member with the wall for moving the wall within the cavity to vary the volume of the cavity. Various mold inserts may also be added to the mold cavity for varying the size and shape of the processed food products.

Abstract: In a milking cluster (10) for a dairy animal (12), a milk hose positioner (62) bears against the parlor curb (24) and supports the milk hose (48) and applies in combination with the milk hose (48) a forward force to the milking claw (28) to better balance weight distribution on the teats (16). The positioner (62) stays on the milk hose (48) when the teatcups (34) are removed from the teats (16) and the milking cluster (10) is moved from its milking position. The positioner can move forwardly and laterally to accommodate animal movement.

Abstract: In a milking parlor having a plurality of stalls for simultaneously milking a plurality of cows, and an identification station for identifying cows passing serially therethrough, an identification correction method compares produced milk weight values and expected milk weight values in a given milking, and performs a correction by shifting at least one or more of the expected milk weight values relative to the produced milk weight values by at least one stall number, to provide accurate cow identification when there is a misidentified or nonidentified cow, such as a cow having a missing identification tag.

Abstract: A food processing method and system, including a continuous cooker/chiller conveyor system (24) for meat products such as hot dogs and the like, is provided with an automatic unloader (36) having a first discharge transfer mode (FIGS. 1 and 2) automatically transferring the food product (22) to an automatic transfer member (38) for conveyance to a packaging line (32, 34), and a second discharge holding mode (FIGS. 3 and 4) holding the food product (22) on rack-off discharge arms (54, 56) until manually removed. In the event of an interruption in the packaging line (32, 34), rather than automatically transferring the food product (22) from the automatic unloader (36) to the transfer member (38), a rack-off procedure is instituted and the food product (22) is manually unloaded from the automatic unloader (36) and manually transferred to a holding rack (44, 46) on a temporary basis until resumption of operation of the packaging line (32, 34).