Abstract: A claw for connecting teat cups to a milk line of a milking machine has a plurality of individual chambers with a milk inlet leading from a teat cup into each chamber and an outlet leading from each chamber to a common chamber in the milk line, the inlets, outlets and chambers being positioned and shaped to give a swirling or vortex action to fluid in the chambers that the normal direction of flow of fluid from the teat cups to the milk line cannot be easily reversed thus substantially preventing back flow of milk to the teat cups and cross flow of milk between teat cups.A rapid flow of fluid from any of the outlets will tend to induce an increase in flow velocity of air passing from an air inlet to the milk line which in turn will tend to increase a parallel flow outwardly from each of the other outlets.

Abstract: Milking method and apparatus in which a diaphragm (8,29,39) interposed between a chamber (12,30,34) through which pulsation vacuum is applied to the outer cavity of a set of teat cups through a valve (11,6a, 7a, 33) and a further chamber (9) which is connected to the inner milking cavity of the teat cups so that the vacuum in the outer chamber is controlled by the valve (11,6a, 7a, 33) so as not to exceed and preferably to be equal to the vacuum in the milking cavity of the teat cup. The apparatus is provided in the milking machine claw and may be associated with one or two pulsators in that claw. Further valves (8,10a) prevent back flow from the claw to the teat cups.

Abstract: A pulsator valve has a valve body comprising a base and a cap with a diaphragm edge-mounted therebetween. Internally, the base is divided into inner and outer chambers by an annular valve seat with which one surface of the diaphragm cooperates to form an annular valve. The outer chamber has an atmosphere connection and the inner chamber has a valve connection to a source of subatmospheric pressure and a further connection. A valve element for the valve connection is carried by the diaphragm. Pulsating pressure is applied to the opposite surface of the diaphragm to connect the further connection either with the atmosphere connection or with the valve connection. At least one of the valve connections and the annular connection is closed in all positions of the diaphragm to prevent air flow between the atmosphere connection and the valve connection.

Abstract: A pulsator valve for a milking machine is disclosed which includes a pressure-limiting restriction applied to the air passage at an output connection to the teet cups. The pulsator is provided with a valve member of substantially flat annular form arranged to seat on an annularly surfaced valve seat within the pulsator valve and the pressure-limiting restriction is an orifice within this valve member arranged to seat downwardly on a valve seat around the output connection during outward air-flow from the pulsator valve so that the orifice is aligned with the output connection.