U.S. patent application number 11/441310 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-30 for rain gutter devices.
Invention is credited to Edmund G. III Lowrie.
Application Number | 20060265968 11/441310 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37461692 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060265968 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lowrie; Edmund G. III |
November 30, 2006 |
Rain gutter devices
Abstract
Gutter devices for keeping debris out of a gutter are
disclosed.
Inventors: |
Lowrie; Edmund G. III;
(Warrenville, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOWRIE, LANDO & ANASTASI
RIVERFRONT OFFICE
ONE MAIN STREET, ELEVENTH FLOOR
CAMBRIDGE
MA
02142
US
|
Family ID: |
37461692 |
Appl. No.: |
11/441310 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60684426 |
May 25, 2005 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D 13/064 20130101;
E04B 1/92 20130101; E04D 13/076 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/011 |
International
Class: |
E04D 13/00 20060101
E04D013/00 |
Claims
1. A gutter protection device comprising: an upper portion; a
substantially flat middle portion disposed adjacent to the upper
portion, the middle portion including a first plurality of
openings; and a lower portion disposed adjacent to the middle
portion, opposite the upper portion, the lower portion including a
first bend; a second plurality of openings in the lower portion;
and an engagement portion to engage a lip of the gutter.
2. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the
configuration of the first plurality of openings is different than
the configuration of the second plurality of openings.
3. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the upper
portion includes a second bend at an angle selected according to a
pitch of a roof proximate to which the gutter protection device is
to be installed.
4. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the upper
portion, the middle portion and the lower portion are sized so that
a part of the upper portion may be inserted under a lowest row of
shingles of the roof.
5. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the device is
sized, and the lower portion is shaped, so that the lower portion
rests on a lip of the gutter.
6. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the openings
are substantially vertical.
7. The gutter protection device of claim 1, wherein the gutter
protection device is of unitary construction.
8. The gutter protection device of claim 7, wherein the engagement
portion includes a plurality of clip segments to engage a lip of
the gutter above and below the lip.
9. A gutter protection device comprising: a first surface; a first
plurality of openings in the first surface; a second surface; a
second plurality of openings in the second surface; wherein the
configuration of the first plurality of openings is different than
the configuration of the second plurality of openings.
10. The gutter protection device of claim 9, wherein the first and
the second surfaces are not co-planar.
11. The gutter protection device of claim 9, wherein the first and
the second surface form an angle less than 90 degrees.
12. The gutter protection device of claim 9, further comprising an
engagement surface configured to engage a lip of a gutter.
13. A gutter protection device comprising: a first portion for
insertion under shingles of a roof; and a second portion to engage
a lip of a gutter, the second portion including a plurality of clip
segments; wherein the first and the second portion are of unitary
construction.
14. The gutter protection device of claim 13, wherein the
engagement portion is sized and configured to engage the lip above
and below the lip.
15. A method of keeping debris from a gutter, comprising steps of:
(a) installing a gutter protection device so that a portion of the
device engages a lip of the gutter; (b) permitting water to enter,
while keeping debris from, the gutter through a first mode of
filtering; and (c) permitting water to enter, while keeping debris
from, the gutter through a second mode of filtering.
17. The gutter protection device of claim 15, wherein the device
engages a top of the lip.
18. The gutter protection device of claim 16, wherein the device
further engages a bottom of the lip.
19. The gutter protection device of claim 16, wherein the device
further engages a side of the lip.
20. The gutter protection device of claim 15, wherein the device
engages a bottom of the lip.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/684,426,
entitled "RAIN GUTTER DEVICES," filed on May 25, 2005, which is
herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] This invention relates to rain gutters, and more
particularly to a device permitting water to flow into the gutter
while preventing debris from entering the gutter.
[0004] 2. Discussion of Related Art
[0005] Most residences and many commercial buildings have gutters
at the edge of the roof to collect water and direct the water away
from the building through a downspout. These gutters may be formed
of aluminum, copper, wood, steel or other materials. A problem
often arises, however, when debris such as tree leaves falls into
the gutter. The debris causes the downspouts to clog, preventing
the gutter system from performing as intended. While the problem is
easily remedied by cleaning the gutters, the added maintenance can
be frustrating.
[0006] A number of devices have been proposed to reduce or
eliminate the need to clean gutters. These devices have fallen into
two separate classes--screens and deflectors.
[0007] Gutter screens typically involve a fine or coarse screen
over the top of the gutter. Water flows into the gutter through the
screen, while the screen prevents debris from entering the
gutter.
[0008] Deflector devices do not include any internal screens or
other openings through which water can pass. Instead, the deflector
has a curved edge. Water and debris passes over the top of the
surface of the deflector. The surface tension of the water forces
the water to follow the curved edge and flow back into a gutter.
Debris, however, flows off of the curved edge and over the edge of
the gutter. Such deflector devices are described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,404,775. In many cases, a bottom edge of the deflector rests on
the lip of the gutter. The bottom edge of the deflector is held to
the main body (and the curved edge) by longitudinal segments. Water
flows over the curved edge of the deflector and into the gutter,
falling between the longitudinal segments. The bottom edge is
secured to the gutter using a clip, attached underneath the bottom
edge, which hooks into the lip of the gutter. In some commercial
embodiments, the water passes over more than one curved edge. Each
curved edge functions as above, hopefully having water fall into
the gutter (between the longitudinal segments attaching the curved
edge to the lower curved edge or lower part of the deflector, which
rests on the lip of the gutter) by following one of the curved
edges.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,631 shows a unique device that includes
both a screen-like portion with a unique shaped hole, and also has
a bend (or curved) section where water follows the curve into the
gutter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings, are not intended to be drawn to
scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical
component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by
a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be
labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of a gutter device
according to the present invention, as installed.
[0012] FIG. 1B illustrates another embodiment of a gutter device
according to the present invention, as installed.
[0013] FIG. 1C illustrates another embodiment of a gutter device
according to the present invention, as installed.
[0014] FIG. 1D illustrates another embodiment of a gutter device
according to the present invention, as installed.
[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a gutter device according to the
embodiment shown in FIG. 1C.
[0016] FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a waffle cut
opening of FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a punch opening of FIG.
1C.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] This invention is not limited in its application to the
details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth
in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or
of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and
terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including,"
"comprising," or "having," "containing", "involving", and
variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed
thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
[0019] In most cases, screens have proven inadequate for keeping
gutters free of debris. Generally, the screens permit too much
debris to flow through the screen openings into the gutter. In
addition, screens sometimes collect debris, and water flows over
the debris and, therefore, over the edge of the gutter.
Accordingly, gutter screens have reduced, but not eliminated, the
need for cleaning of gutters.
[0020] Debris deflectors have also proved inadequate. By relying
entirely on the surface tension of the water, the gutter deflectors
are not sufficiently efficient. Accordingly, for particularly heavy
rains, the water flows over the edge of the deflector and over the
lip of the gutter--the water never enters the gutter and the gutter
fails. In addition, the deflector devices currently available
cannot be used on steep roofs. Even if the device were installed on
a steep roof, water would pass over the device so quickly that it
would, again, flow over the edge of the lip of the gutter and
straight down to the ground.
[0021] U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,631, naming Edmund Lowrie as inventor
and issued on Jan. 25, 2000, which is hereby fully incorporated
herein by reference, addresses these deficiencies by showing
embodiments using both types of mechanisms.
[0022] The particular embodiments shown in that application,
however, have the gutter protector installed so that the bottom lip
rests on the bar hangers or gutter nails/spikes for the gutter.
This can be problematic because (i) hangers may not be uniform from
gutter system to gutter system; (ii) hangers may not be spaced well
on a particular house for installation; (iii) installation of the
system requires careful attention to the spacing of gutter
protector from the edge of the gutter; and (iv) the system is not a
closed system, that is, it is not a system that appears to create a
substantially enclosed surface among the gutter, fascia and
protector. A closed system can be desirable in some contexts where
there is a large amount of small debris or where wind, tree
branches or ice may exert pressure on the protector increasing the
chance of movement after installation. Certain embodiments of the
present invention may address one or more of these issues.
[0023] FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of a gutter protector 10,
according to the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A,
the gutter protector 10 is installed on a gutter 15. The gutter 15
is attached to a fascia board 14a. To hold a front lip 15a of the
gutter 15 up, a bar hanger 16 is installed. The bar hanger is
shaped to wrap into the front lip 15a of the gutter 15, and is
nailed to the fascia board at 16a. The gutter 15 is located at a
level below the roofing board 14b and shingles 19.
[0024] The gutter protector 10 includes an upper portion 12a that
is tucked underneath the shingles 19, and on top of the roof board
14b. If the gutter system includes flashing (not shown), the gutter
protector 10 may be installed on top of the flashing as well. Thus,
the upper portion 12a of the gutter protector is designed to extend
up under the roof a predetermined amount, such as 3 inches. The
amount may be selected to assure that the gutter protector remains
secure under the shingle, but not so far that it is difficult to
install or runs into nails from the shingles.
[0025] The gutter protector 10 further includes a middle portion
12b. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the middle portion
12b includes two sets of openings 11a, through which water may fall
as indicated by the arrows 13a. The middle portion 12b also
includes a ridge 11b (other embodiments omit this ridge, of
course). This ridge slows the flow of water over the gutter
protector 10, causing additional water to flow through holes
11a.
[0026] The gutter protector 10 also includes an arcuate bend 12c
and a lower portion 12d. As indicated by arrows 13a, water may flow
over the arcuate bend 12c. Surface tension causes the water to
follow the bend, along the lower portion 12d of the gutter
protector 10, and ultimately into the gutter 15. The bottom-most
portion 17a of the gutter protector 10 rests on the bar hanger
16.
[0027] The arrow 13a indicates how water flows through and around
the gutter protector 10 into the gutter 15. Debris, such as leaves,
13b is generally too large to flow through the openings 11a and is
not held by surface tension of the water to flow around arcuate
bend 12c. Accordingly, debris 13b flows off of the edge of the
gutter protector 10, over the lip 15a of the gutter 15 and to the
ground.
[0028] In this example, the bottom 17a of gutter protection device
10 is folded to form a double-thickness (in this example) flat
portion 100 that rests on bar hanger 16 and touches a portion 107
of gutter 15. For water to enter the gutter, it needs to pass
through one or more openings (e.g., slots) at the point of entry
(e.g., at 100 in FIG. 1A).
[0029] In this particular embodiment, two types of openings are
included within the gutter protector 10. One type has a depressed
portion, as described with reference to FIG. 3A below. The other
are a series of simple holes or slots located at 100. The
difference in hole configurations, although not necessary for all
embodiments, takes advantage of the different functions, e.g.,
filtering on a flat surface versus permitting water to enter the
gutter after it has been filtered by adhesion.
[0030] The bottom portion 17a may be sized so that, when a gutter
protector is installed at a proper horizontal distance on the
gutter (e.g., left to right in FIG. 1A), the bottom portion 17a is
engaged with (e.g., touching) the lip of the gutter 107. This
particular embodiment therefore has the advantage of providing a
mechanical mechanism to properly space the gutter protector 10 so
that debris e.g., 13b, falls over the outside edge of the lip of
the gutter, while water follows the arcuate bend and falls into the
gutter at 100. In the prior art Lowrie patent, proper horizontal
positioning relative to the gutter required skill on the part of
the installer and was, therefore, also more vulnerable to an
improper installation.
[0031] In this particular example, the bottom portion 17a engages
the lip 107 of the gutter in a manner permitting the bottom portion
to be located at least slightly underneath the lip. In such an
embodiment, the bottom portion further serves to hold the lower
portion of the gutter protector down in the gutter and reduces, for
example, the risk of strong winds or branches from lifting (or
bending) the bottom portion up out of the gutter. Such a device may
be installed without the use of clips attached to gutter and
protector, although clips of course may also be used to further
reduce such risks.
[0032] FIG. 1B shows another embodiment of the present inventions,
where like reference numerals represent like aspects of the device.
In this embodiment, the bottom portion 101 of the gutter protector
10 rests on top of the upper lip of the gutter 15a. In this design,
the bend between the middle portion and the lower portion is
reduced and is less likely to filter debris. In this embodiment,
openings 102a and 102b (described in greater detail with reference
to FIG. 3B) are located in the lower portion of the gutter
protector 10 and permit water to enter the gutter. This particular
configuration may be less preferred, however. Because adhesion has
not fully filtered debris, debris may be caught on the portion of
the openings 102a, 102b that project out from the gutter.
[0033] In an alternative design, these openings may be positioned
in the same manner, but turned upside down and with the metal
projecting into the gutter rather than out. In this configuration,
each such opening would filter water (by adhesion) into the gutter
while debris falls down outside of the gutter.
[0034] In this embodiment, the bottom portion 101 is configured to
line up (or be just short) of the outside of the top of the gutter
lip. This configuration again permits a straightforward alignment
of gutter protector and gutter. To secure the gutter protector,
however, a clip (not shown) may be used or screws/pop rivets
drilled through the bottom portion of the protector and the
gutter.
[0035] FIG. 1C shows another embodiment of the present inventions,
where like reference numerals again represent like aspects of the
device. In this embodiment, a lower portion 104 of the protector 10
again rests on top of the lip 15a of the gutter. In this
embodiment, the gutter protector device is made from a sheet of
aluminum coil, bent into the shape shown (excluding downward
extending segment 103), with holes then punched into the device. In
this configuration, the lower portion 104 is double bent and flat,
i.e., without section 103. Before installation (either at the site
or at the place of manufacture), the lower portion may periodically
along the length of the protector be cut in two places with the
segment of the lower portion that is between the cuts bent
downward, as shown at 103 of FIG. 1C. The spaced downward segments
allow the gutter protection device to be consistently, reproducably
be positioned relative to the lip of the gutter.
[0036] In the embodiment of FIG. 1C, after the arcuate bend, a
bottom portion of the protector is slanted with respect to vertical
as shown in FIG. 1C and unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1B. This
slanting permits greater filtering of debris and water, through
adhesion. In this embodiment, two rows of openings 102a, 102b,
allow water to enter the gutter. In this configuration (i.e.,
slanting away from vertical) the opening congiration of 102a, 102b,
with a portion of the gutter protector extending outward assists in
collection water to enter the gutter, particularly where water flow
is great. Other hole configurations may be used and additional
holes could be provided for this embodiment as well, e.g., holes or
slots at the lowermost bend of the lower portion (e.g., comparable
to slots 100 of FIG. 1A).
[0037] FIG. 1D shows another embodiment of the present inventions,
where like reference numerals again represent like aspects of the
device. As for FIG. 1C, the bottom portion includes a double bend
to form a flat lower portion 105. In this example, however, the
flat portion is bent upward. As for the example of FIG. 1C, as
initially manufactured, the flat lower portion does not include a
downward portion 106. Before insallation, along the length of a
segment, two slits can be made and the segment between the slits
bent downward. In this example, however, the tight double bend
indicated at 105 may also be unbent to some degree, e.g., at a
right angle. The bends of the lower portion 105 may be sized so
that the vertical part of segment 106 is sized to allow the
horizontal portion of 106 to extend underneath the lip 15a of the
gutter. In this example, not only is there a mechanical interface
for assisting with proper alignment of gutter protector and gutter,
in addition the segment 106 can assist in holding the gutter
protector in place with respect to the lip of the gutter, without
the use of additional clips (although such clips could be
used).
[0038] Such segments may, but need not, be positioned over
hangers.
[0039] The process of forming or attaching a mechanical interface
(in this particular example, the cutting and bending or segments
106 of a lower portion 105) may be done at the point of manufacture
where quality control and uniformity is easier to maintain. In the
alternative, such cutting (done with snips) and bending can be done
in the field, which permits locating of the segments 106 and any
appropriate location. In another alternative, some may be
positioned at manufacture (and snapped off where desired in the
field) and new or additional ones added wherever desired at the
time of installation in the field.
[0040] The above examples illustrate various aspects of the present
inventions, and it is intended that various aspects of one
embodiment may be applied in the context of other embodiments.
[0041] FIG. 2 is an alternate perspective view of a gutter
protector 20 in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 1D. The
upper portion may be asserted uunder the shingles, or otherwise
configured for installation. At the upper most point, a complete
bend assists in providing rigidity to the protector and a rounded
edge to ease insertion under shingles.
[0042] Two rows 21, 22 of openings are included in a middle portion
of the protector 20. In this example, the middle portion is
substantially flat.
[0043] An arcuate bend 23 is configured so that, when installed,
the portion below is bent back past the vertical. The arcuate bend
may be relatively sharp, such as one formed by an aluminum
brake.
[0044] The lower portion include two rows of openings of the type
described with reference to FIG. 3B, below. The rows include
openings that are offset with respect to each other, in a manner
such that any straight line down the lower portion will encounter
at least one opening. Of course other configurations (or additional
rows) of openings can be used.
[0045] The bottom 24 of the lower portion is bent to the horizontal
(when installed) and bent again upward and back, to form a
double-thickness of aluminum (or other material). An internal
segment 25a, 25b is cut at the sides and bent down with the bend
between 25a, 25b also unbent.
[0046] This particular embodiment is formed of 0.019'' or 0.024''
gauge aluminum, although other thicknesses or materials may be
used. The length of the gutter protector 20 is about 7 inches. The
lower portion is about 1 inches in length.
[0047] The top edge of the gutter protector 20 has a double bend.
The bend 25 is about 3/4 inch in length, and makes the top edge of
the gutter protector more rigid than if the bend were omitted. In
addition, the bend can serve to assist in keeping the gutter
protection device 10 from sliding out from under the shingles,
after installation. The bend 25 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 is bent
downward, although a bend in the other direction would serve the
same purpose.
[0048] The length of the bottom of the lower portion (e.g., of
section 25b or 25a) is 3/4 inches.
[0049] The embodiment of FIG. 2 is made of a common stock of coiled
aluminum, commonly available at job sites. The embodiment of FIG. 2
may be readily manufactured using an aluminum brake. An aluminum
brake may be used to place folds and bends into aluminum, as known
by one of skill in the art.
[0050] The openings 21, 22 may be formed using a standard waffle
cut machine, such as the TRIM A SLITTER, with perforation
attachment, available from Vanmark, Inc., of Framingham Hills,
Mich. This type of machine is known in the art, although typically
used for the entirely different purpose of creating ventilation
holes in soffit material. The openings 21, 22 of the embodiment of
FIG. 2 are described in greater detail below. Of course, regular
holes of any shape may be used, to a somewhat different effect.
[0051] The openings 26 may be made by using a perforation punch to
cut and fold the metal out, or in, to form a protruding or
retracting cup. In the embodiment shown, the cup extends outward to
catch water. In another embodiment, the punch can be inverted and
extend inward, so that water will follow (e.g., by adhesion) the
inwardly bent portion while debris falls away.
[0052] Of course, other methods of manufacturing gutter protectors
according to the present invention are possible. In addition, the
gutter protectors according to the present invention may be made of
one of a variety of different materials, such as vinyl, plastic and
copper.
[0053] For easy installation, the gutter protector 20 may be formed
in units having a predetermined length, such as 6 feet. This would
permit manageable lengths of gutter protectors to be installed.
During installation, the seams of the gutter protector units simply
could be overlapped and cut to size using snips.
[0054] A gutter protector according to the above embodiments
illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2 may be installed in the following manner.
The upper portion 12a of the gutter protector 10 is slid up under
shingles 19, slightly too far. The lower part of gutter protector
is then positioned at an appropriate height with respect to the
gutter and the protector is slid out until the lower portion of the
protector is properly engaged with the gutter.
[0055] The openings illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 can be formed
in any of a variety of ways. In particular, screens with any of a
variety of opening sizes may be used; punched holes of any shape or
size may be used; and any of a variety of other openings could be
used.
[0056] A particularly advantageous opening is the waffle cut
opening illustrated in FIG. 3A. For this type of opening, a portion
31 of the gutter protector 30 is pushed down. This leaves an
opening 32, through which water can flow. A similar opening is
present on the opposite side of the depressed portion 31, but is
not illustrated because of the perspective of FIG. 3A.
[0057] Because the opening 32 is substantially vertical (i.e., a
profile of the opening is substantially perpendicular to the
surface 30), a top view does not permit the opening to be seen.
Instead, the top view shows only the material of the gutter
protector 30 and the depressed portion 31.
[0058] The waffle cut openings are also substantially improved over
openings currently used. In particular, water can flow through the
openings 32, but the depression 31 prevents materials from falling
into the gutter or from getting stuck into the hole. Thus, the
opening illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B reduces the amount of debris
falling into the gutter which can clog the gutter and also reduces
the amount of debris gathering on top of the gutter protector.
[0059] While the opening illustrated in FIG. 3A is generally
rectangular (corresponding to waffle cuts produced by currently
available machines), a variety of other shapes and configurations
can be used to the same effect. For example, in the embodiments of
FIGS. 1 and 2, the waffle cuts are illustrated as running so that
the length of the openings is transverse to the flow of water over
the gutter system, indicated by arrows 13a and 26, respectively.
This has a tendency to increase the amount of water that can flow
into the gutter through the opening. In the alternative, however,
the opening length can run parallel to the direction of the water.
Water may still flow through the opening. By locating the opening
generally parallel to the flow of water, however, the tendency of
debris to get stuck in the opening can be reduced. In particular,
debris is more likely to encounter an up-slope part of the
depressed portion 31. The debris is, therefore, more likely to
follow the up-slope, and continue on off the edge of the gutter
protector.
[0060] In addition, shapes other than a rectangular depression can
be used, such as circles, squares or triangles. The depression may
also form only one opening (at one side of the depression), two
openings (as in FIG. 3A), or more openings. In addition, the
portion 31 could be raised rather than depressed.
[0061] FIG. 3B illustrates openings designed for advantageous use
on a surface slanted further than vertical when installed. The
opening may be formed by punching a portion 33a of the aluminum
(where that is the material being used) out, leaving behind it an
opening 33b. The portion 33a will serve to funnel water into the
gutter but, since debris was filtered, the risk of debris catching
on the projections or being caught and channeled into the gutter.
As described above, however, other opening configurations may be
used such as standard holes (while, in some embodiments, waffle cut
holes or the like may be used here, they are not as necessary in a
setting where the surface is slanted past vertical and the weight
of object will cause them to tend to fall away from the
protector).
[0062] Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment
of the invention, various modifications and improvements will
readily occur to those skilled in the art and are intended to be
within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing
description is by way of example only and is not intended as
limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the following
claims and the equivalents thereto.
* * * * *