447,629. Milking-machines. AKTIEBOLAGET SEPARATOR, 8, Fleminggatan, Stockholm. Feb. 27, 1935, No. 6256. Convention date, Feb. 28, 1934. [Class 84] In a cow-milking machine in which the milk is conveyed under vacuum from the teat cups 7, Fig. 1, to a releaser 4, the releaser has its filling and emptying regulated from the place of milking by a valve 6 opening the releaser to atmosphere at a point remote from the place of milking to avoid contamination of the milk. As shown, the control valve 6 has an operating handle 24a, Fig. 3, and consists of a body 8 having a nipple 11 connected by a pipe 11 to the vacuum pipe 1, a nipple 12 connected by a hose 12a to the teat cups 7, nipples 13, 14 connected through pipes 13a, 14a to nipples 39, 40 respectively in the upper part of a milk collecting vessel 15, a nipple 16 connected to the releaser through pipes 16a, 3, a nipple 17 connected through pipe 17a to a nipple 49 in the lower part of vessel 15 and a channel 27 communicating with the milk pipe 2. Pivotally mounted on body 8 by means of a hollow shaft 24 communicating with nipple 11 is a valve disc 10 having recesses 18-22 by which the nipples are connected. The disc 10 can be turned to four positions in each of which it is fixed by a lock 25. In the first position, Fig. 6, nipples 11, 14 are connected by shaft 24 and a recess 20 and the vessel 15 is evacuated and milk is drawn into it from the teat cups 7 through pipe 12a, nipple 12, recess 19 in disc 10, nipple 17, pipe 17a and nipple 49. The quantity of milk produced is measured by a spring balance 15a from which vessel 15 is suspended. In the next stage, Fig. 7, the releaser 4 is connected to vacuum by alignment of recess 20 with nipple 16 and milk is drawn into it from vessel 15 by a recess 22 connecting nipple 17 with channel 27 and thus pipe 17a with pipe 2. The vessel 15 is simultaneously connected with the atmosphere by a recess 19 connecting nipple 14 with a channel 26 opening to the outside air. In the next stage, Fig. 8, the releaser 4 is disconnected from vacuum and an automatic valve 5 thereupon operates to connect it to the atmosphere and cause discharge of the milk therefrom. The valve 5 consists of a casing 28, Fig. 9, in which is a valve body 29 co-operating with a seating 31 and of only slightly less cross sectional area than the valve chamber to effect a throttling of the air flowing through the chamber. A small aperture 32 allows a little air to pass into pipe 3 when the valve is closed, sufficient to increase the pressure in pipe 3 when the vacuum is cut off to allow valve body to fall and open the valve. For cleaning the apparatus, the milk pipe 2 is disconnected from releaser 4 and connected to a supply of steam &c. which flows to the vessel 15 through recess 21 and pipe 17a and leaves through pipe 13a recess 22 pipe 12a and the teat cups 7. Nipple 14 is simultaneously connected by a recess 18 to a passage 51 leading to the atmosphere so that steam &c. can discharge through and clean nipples 40, 14 and pipe 14a. The releaser 4 consists of a cylindrical glass &c. wall 33, Fig. 10, with a bottom 34 and a cover 35 held together by a central tube 36 and a nut 37. A rubber ball 43 in tube 36 rises with the milk and closes nipple 40. A cap 47 holds the ball 43 up from the outlet 42. A non-return valve 45 at the bottom end is held on its seat by atmospheric pressure and is released to allow discharge of the milk when pressure within the releaser increases. The vessel 15 resembles the releaser 4 but has at the bottom end a branch pipe 48, Fig. 1, with a nipple 49 for hose 17a and a sampling cock 50. The cap 47 is omitted to allow the ball 43 to shut pipe 48 when the milk has drained off.