• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A rain gutter guard assembly for preventing accumulation of debris in a gutter while directing water from the roof into the gutter is provided.The guard includes a body with an upper flat planar portion that is positioned under the shingles to hold the guard in place. A lower planar body portion extends over the gutter channel. A longitudinally extending flexible panel between the upper and lower panels provides a twisting ability to the guard. The nose of the guard mates with the top front lip of a gutter. The gutter guard clip incorporates a snap-lock feature to secure the gutter guard to the gutter while maintaining the proper placement and alignment of the gutter guard. The clip also features an anti-runoff ledge to prevent water flowing from the gutter guard from being diverted by the clip off the front of the gutter, rather than into the gutter. The clip includes a self-positioning ledge on the bottom of the clip to correctly position the clip on the gutter. The gutter guard assembly further includes a universal end cap that can be applied to either end of the gutter guard. The cap prevents birds and other animals from entering the gutter/gutter guard channel.
    公开号:CA2267738A1
    申请号:C2267738
    申请日:1999-03-30
    公开日:1999-09-30
    发明作者:Robert D. Dressler
    申请人:Amerimax Home Products Inc；
    IPC主号:E04D13-076
    专利说明:
    SOLID TOP RAIN GUTTER GUARD ASSEMBLY Field of the Invention The present invention is in the field of rain gutters, and more particularly in the area of debris guards for rain gutters and assemblies thereof. Background of the Invention Buildings with pitched roofs typically have attached rain gutters, which are used to collect water from the roof and direct the water away from the building through one or more downspouts. Gutters often are installed at a longitudinal slope, with the lower end towards the downspout. However, these rain gutters often become clogged with leaves, pine needles, twigs, and other debris. It is also not uncommon for birds, squirrels, or other vermin to build nests in the gutter, which obstruct the flow of water. When gutters become clogged or blocked, they cannot function properly. Oftentimes rain water becomes misdirected or overflows the gutter, which can damage the fascia adjacent the gutter, as well as other parts of the building.Various devices have been developed with the goal of shielding the rain gutters from these obstructions, while maintaining the water collecting and transporting function of the gutter. However, some of these devices may themselves become clogged with debris. For example, U. S. Patent No.5, 640, 809 to Iannelli discloses a rain gutter shield having a plurality of perforations along a trough in the shield. Rain water flows from the roof, across the shield, into the trough, and through the perforations before entering the gutter. The disadvantage of this design is that the perforations may become clogged with accumulated debris. The devices disclosed in U. S. Patent No.5,459,965 to Meckstroth, U. S. Patent No. 5,305,562 to Sapia, and U. S. Patent No. 5,457,916, similarly have this disadvantage. Another disadvantage of many gutter shield devices is that they are inflexible, and thus cannot accommodate varying pitches of roofs and/or do not compensate for a gutter that progressively slopes towards a downspout and thus is at a varying distance from the roof edge. U.S. Patent No. 4,404,775 to Demartini discloses a shield device installed without a clip for one particular roof pitch and roof/gutter distance, and with a clip to secure the shield for a second roof/gutter distance. However, there is no disclosure that the assembly can accommodate a wide range of roof pitches and gutter slopes, while maintaining a uniform shield-gutter position. Another disadvantage of some gutter shield devices is that they are difficult or impossible to affix to existing installed gutters, i. e. to retrofit. For example, to utilize the curved shield disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,016,404 to Briggs on an existing gutter would require that the gutter be removed and reinstalled partially under the soffit of the roof. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a gutter guard assembly that will direct water into the gutter while preventing debris from entering the gutter.
    It is another object of the invention to provide a gutter guard assembly that can accommodate varying gutter to roof edge distances.It is a further object of the invention to provide a roof gutter guard assembly that is easily installed, decorative, and sturdy. Brief Summary of the Invention A rain gutter guard assembly for preventing accumulation of debris in a gutter while directing water from the roof into the gutter is provided. The guard includes a body with an upper flat planar portion that is positioned under the shingles to hold the guard in place. A lower planar body portion extends over the gutter channel. A longitudinally extending flexible panel between the upper and lower panels provides a twisting ability to the guard. The nose of the guard mates with the top front lip of a gutter. The gutter guard clip incorporates a snap-lock feature to secure the 1 S gutter guard to the gutter while maintaining the proper placement and alignment of the gutter guard. The clip also features an anti-runoff ledge to prevent water flowing from the gutter guard from being diverted by the clip off the front of the gutter, rather than into the gutter. The clip includes a self positioning ledge on the bottom of the clip to correctly position the clip on the gutter. The gutter guard assembly further includes a universal end cap that can be applied to either end of the gutter guard. The cap prevents birds and other animals from entering the gutter/ gutter guard channel. Benefits of the gutter guard assembly described herein include (1) preventing roof water from siphoning, migrating, or splashing over the back of the gutter, which could cause the fascia to stain or rot; (2) eliminating snow and ice build-up in the rain gutter, thereby further minimizing rain gutter problems;(3) keeping out birds and other animals, as well as their nests and debris; and (4) providing a guard that is removable for access to the gutter, if necessary. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the gutter guard and the gutter guard clip, attached to a gutter. Figures 2a and 2b are side elevational and top plan views, respectively, of a preferred embodiment of the gutter guard clip of the gutter guard assembly. Figures 3a and 3b are side elevational and front elevational views, respectively, of a preferred embodiment of the universal end cap of the gutter guard assembly.Figure 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the gutter guard, gutter guard clip, and end cap installed onto a standard gutter. Figure 5 is a side elevational, sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the gutter cover assembly installed onto a building and standard gutter. Detailed Description of the Invention The Gutter Guard As shown in Figure 1, the gutter guard 10 includes a substantially planar body portion 11 which has an upper planar body portion 12 and a lower planar body portion 14, which are joined by a longitudinally extending flexible panel 16 therebetween. The upper body portion 12 should be of a width sufficient to be inserted under the shingles to assist in retaining the gutter guard assembly in place, as discussed below. This width can vary from about one to ten inches, and is preferably about 4 inches. The lower planar body portion 14 should be of sufficient width to cover the width of a gutter channel, preferably from about one to six inches, preferably about 2.75 inches in width. The flexible panel 16 is preferably about 0.5 inches in width, although its width can vary as long as the panel functions as described herein. The gutter guard can be provided in any length convenient for installation, such as about 5 or 12 foot lengths. One or more shingle lock ridges 18 (two are shown in the Figures) extend longitudinally along the top surface of upper planar body 12. The ridges 18 are directed at an acute angle to planar body 12 and have a pointed, rather than smooth, tip. The ridges 18 preferably extend about 0.05 inches from the surface of the planar body. The upper planar body 12 may include one or more marking lines 20 (two are shown in the Figures) extending longitudinally along the top surface of upper planar body 12. The lines 20 may be used as guides when cutting upper planar body 12 to reduce its width, if necessary. One or more diffuser ribs 22 extend longitudinally along the top surface of lower planar body 14. These ribs act to evenly distribute water longitudinally over the surface of gutter cover 10 to enhance capillary action directing water into the rain gutter, preventing rain water overrun off the front of the gutter.
    Lower body portion 14 ends in curved nose 24 which in turn ends in C-shaped tip 26. The gutter guard 10 can be made of a variety of suitable materials, including metal or plastic. Suitable metals include aluminum, copper, and steel.Plastic is the preferred material for the gutter guard 10. The upper planar body portion 12, lower planar body portion 14, curved nose 24 and tip 26 are preferably made of rigid plastic such as 40 mil (0.040") UV protected polyvinyl chloride) (PVC). Flexible panel 16 is also preferably made of plastic, such as PVC. The gutter guard 10 preferably is fabricated as an integral piece and can be manufactured by roll forming, press break, or extruding. The Gutter Guard Clip The gutter guard clip 30, illustrated in detail in Figures 2a and 2b, includes a substantially flat body portion 32 having a C-shaped gutter attachment end 34. This end 34 is a snap-lock that will secure the gutter guard to the gutter while maintaining the proper placement and alignment of the gutter guard, as further described below. A tooth 36 protrudes into the mouth of the C-shaped end 34. A rib 38 extends at an angle, preferably about 75°, away from the guard attachment end, from the body 32. The rib functions as an anti-runoff ledge to prevent water flowing from the gutter cover from being diverted by the clip off the front of the gutter, rather than into the gutter. The gutter attachment end 39 of the body 32 is adapted with means to fasten the clip to the gutter, such as an aperture 40 through which a screw or rivet can be passed. A self positioning ledge 42 extends from the bottom of the clip to correctly position the clip to the gutter. The gutter guard clip 30 can be formed from aluminum or plastic, and is preferably made of UV protected rigid PVC. The gutter guard clip 30 can be made by a variety of standard fabrication techniques, including extrusion, injection molding, machining, or die casting. The Universal End Cap The universal end cap 50, illustrated in detail in Figures 3a and 3b, is designed to be used either on the left end or the right end of an installed gutter guard 10. End cap 50 includes a trapezoidal shaped body portion 52 defined by bottom edge 54, longer side edge 56, shorter side edge 58 and top edge 60. Amounting plate 62 is perpendicularly centered on the top edge of the end cap.The end cap SO can be made from rigid plastic, aluminum, steel, or copper, and 1 S is preferably made from a rigid plastic such as 40 mil PVC. The end cap is sized to fit onto the side of the gutter guard, as described below and shown in Figure 5. The end cap can be made by methods of fabrication known in the art such as injection molding, stamping, and extruding. The preferred method of fabrication is injection molding. Installation Figures 1, 4, and 5 illustrate the method of installation of the gutter guard assembly. In Figure 5, the building 70 includes fascia 72 which is attached to the end of a rafter (not shown) and roof 74. Shingles 78 are fastened to the sloping roof 74, and, as shown, extend out over the fascia 72. The fascia 72 may be, for example, '/2 inch thick wood board. Although not shown, a metal or plastic drip edge may be installed on roof 74.A gutter 80 is installed in a typical manner, such as by using a spike and ferrule or other gutter hanging system (not shown) fastening the vertically extending inner wall 82 of the gutter to the fascia 72. The gutter also includes a curved outer wall 84 which has a U-shaped free end 86 with its open side facing towards the inner wall 82. The free end 86 in turn is tipped with a smaller U-shaped tip 88 with its open side facing away from the inner wall 82. The gutter guard is installed with the upper planar body portion 12 inserted between the shingles 78 and the roof 74 (or a previously installed drip edge). The planar portion will lie generally flat upon the roof or drip edge.Shingle lock ridges 18 will engage the under side of the shingles 78 and retain the gutter guard in place. The gutter guard 10 preferably is installed so that flexible panel 16 extends over the edge of the roof or previously installed drip edge. With an appropriately sized gutter and gutter guard, the curved nose portion 24 of the gutter guard 10 will rest against the U-shaped end 86 of the gutter. Because the flexible panel 16 provides a twisting flexibility to the gutter guard, the nose portion 24 of the gutter guard will substantially align with the gutter even if the gutter slopes along the length of the roof edge. Clip s 3 0 are arranged intermittently along the length of the gutter guard 10 to hold the gutter guard 10 to the gutter. The clip s are first attached to the U-shaped end 86 of the gutter with screws, rivets or other fastening means (not shown) passed through aperture 40. The self positioning ledge 42 preferably rests against the U-shaped tip 88 of the gutter. The C-shaped tip 26 of the gutter guard mates inside the C-shaped end 34 of the clip. The springiness of the clip 30 allows the C-shaped end 34 to snap lock so as to be retained in place. The tooth 36 also helps retain the C-shaped tip 26 of the gutter guard. The rib 38 functions to prevent rollback of water off the clip. The universal end cap 50 preferably is attached by rivets or screws through the top ledge of the universal end cap 50 into the gutter guard cover 10.
    权利要求:
    Claims (14)
    [1] 1. A roof gutter guard for extending over a roof gutter mounted upon a roof to prevent debris from accumulating in the gutter, comprising:a substantially planar body portion including an upper longitudinally extending body panel, a lower longitudinally extending body panel, and a longitudinally extending flexible panel disposed between the two body panels so that the body panels can twist relative to each other; and a curved nose portion extending from the lower body panel wherein the upper body panel is attached to the roof and the lower body panel and the curved nose portion extend over substantially the width of the gutter, and wherein at least one of the upper body panel and lower body panel is more rigid than the flexible panel.
    [2] 2. The guard of claim 1 wherein the flexible panel is formed from a flexible polymer.
    [3] 3. The guard of claim 2 wherein the flexible polymer is a poly(vinyl chloride).
    [4] 4. The guard of claim 1 wherein one or both of the body panels is formed from a rigid polymer.
    [5] 5. The guard of claim 4 wherein the rigid polymer is a poly(vinyl chloride).
    [6] 6. The gutter guard of claim 1, further comprising longitudinally extending diffuser ribs on the lower body panel that diffuse water longitudinally along the gutter guard.
    [7] 7. A gutter guard clip for attachment to the gutter guard of claim 1 for holding the gutter guard to the gutter, comprising:gutter attachment means; and gutter guard snap lock attachment means for attaching to the curved nose portion of the gutter guard.
    [8] 8. A gutter guard assembly for attachment of a gutter guard to a gutter installed near a building roof, comprising:i) a gutter guard including a substantially planar body portion including an upper longitudinally extending body panel, a lower longitudinally extending body panel, and a longitudinally extending flexible panel disposed between the two body panels so that the body panels can twist relative to each other and a curved nose portion extending from the lower body panel, wherein the upper body panel is attached to the roof and the lower body panel and the curved nose portion extend over substantially the width of the gutter; and ii) a gutter guard clip having attachment means to the gutter and snap lock means to attach to the gutter guard.
    [9] 9. The gutter guard assembly of claim 8, further including an end cap that can fit to either end of the gutter guard.
    [10] 10. A gutter guard attachment clip for attaching a gutter having a U-shaped end to a gutter guard having a curved nose portion and a C-shaped tip, comprising;a gutter attachment end with means to attach the clip to the gutter U-shaped end; and
    [11] 11 a C-shaped gutter guard attachment end, wherein the C-shaped gutter guard tip nests inside the C-shaped attachment end.11. The gutter guard attachment clip of claim 10, further comprising an angularly projecting rib that deflects water from the clip into the gutter.
    [12] 12. The roof gutter guard of claim 1 further comprising a longitudinally extending C-shaped tip extending from the curved nose portion.
    [13] 13. The roof gutter guard of claim 1 wherein the flexible panel has a width of approximately one-half inch.
    [14] 14. The roof gutter guard of claim 13 wherein the upper longitudinally extending body panel has width between about 1 and 10 inches and the lower longitudinally extending body panel has width between about 1 and 6 inches.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    AU2004212514B2|2003-10-02|2006-04-13|Westbrook, Ron Mr|Automatic Gravitational Leaf Ejecting Gutter System|
    US7677504B2|2006-08-03|2010-03-16|R & B Wagner, Inc.|Gutter cover clip|
    法律状态:
    1999-03-30| EEER| Examination request|
    2002-04-02| FZDE| Dead|
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US5223498A| true| 1998-03-31|1998-03-31||
    US09/052,234||1998-03-31||
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