Abstract: A teat rubber for two-chamber milking cups is described in which the longitudinal stiffness of the teat rubber wall in the massage region associated with the teat is substantially higher than the stiffness of the teat rubber in the radially inwardly directed folding direction.

Abstract: A teat cup comprising a liner having movable thin-wall portions which are adapted to be differently pressurized is disclosed.

Abstract: A milking apparatus is described in which air is periodically introduced into the milking cups for the purpose of teat care and improved milk removal and in which a mutual separation of the udder quarters is effected in the collection chamber via a non-return valve arrangement to avoid back spray and reverse flow.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for machine milking utilizing milking cups the internal spaces of which are defined by teat rubbers for receiving the teats of an animal the inner spaces of the teat rubbers are connected via a duct and a milk collecting chamber to a source of partial vacuum while the teat rubbers are externally subjected to periodically varying pressure in order to produce periodic opening and collapsing of the teat rubber during respective suction and relaxation pulses of said periodically varying pressure in order to effect milking.A device including a valve member is provided in the duct between the teat rubbers and the source of partial vacuum, in particular in a wall of the milk collecting chamber and means are provided for controlling the position of this valve member in dependence on the actual quantity of milk flowing so as to define an air inlet for introducing air into the duct whereby to regulate the vacuum applied to the teats in a predeterminable inverse relationship to the flow of milk.

Abstract: Milking is carried out using milking cups each having a teat rubber liner in which the teat is received. Pressure is periodically applied to the outside of the liner to massage the teat and suction is applied to the milk discharge duct so that the milk is discharged therefrom. A valve in the milk discharge duct in the form of a section of rubber hose has a relatively more elastic zone on its surface and sits in a housing to which pressure is periodically applied during the massage pulse so that the elastic zone is indented to close at least the milk free cross section of the hose. The teats are thus periodically isolated from vacuum which is kinder to the teats and prevents reverse washing effects during the massage phase. In modifications the valve is placed at the end of the teat rubber and a series of massage cushions are used to sequentially massage the teat.