Gutter Support And Trim Means For Mobile Homes And The Like

Abstract

A gutter support and trim means for mobile homes and the like comprising an elongate attaching strip of metal or other suitable material having parallel and juxtaposed backwall and front wall portions, one of said wall portions having a flange or lip along its lower marginal edge directed toward and in close proximity to the other of said wall portions for yieldably but securely receiving in snap-fitting engagement a gutter backwall having disposition means thereon for behind said flange or lip and further including a strip of sealing material or the like disposed between a sidewall of the mobile home or the like and the attaching strip. Screws or other suitable fastening means hold the attaching strip to the mobile home or the like.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a gutter support and trim means for mobile homes and the like and more specifically to a gutter support and trim means wherein an attaching strip may be economically manufactured from scrap material and fixed to an already-manufactured mobile home or the like or assembled to the mobile home at the time the mobile home is manufactured. The gutter may then be simply snapped into place when the mobile home or the like is delivered to its point of use, for example.

In conventional gutter supports, it is generally the practice to install the gutter attachment means at the same time the gutter is to be installed on the mobile home or the like. Such practice is time consuming and expensive and usually embodies gutter-attaching means which are screwed or riveted to the gutter through holes formed in the gutter for this purpose. Such an arrangement, in addition to being relatively time consuming and expensive, suffers from the further disadvantage that the rigid attachment of the gutter to the attachment means fails to provide for expansion and contraction of the gutter as the ambient temperature changes and consequent failure or shearing of the rivets or screws is a result.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a gutter support and trim means which is simple and economical to manufacture and which is easy to install.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gutter support and trim means wherein an attaching strip for the gutter may be economically and easily installed at the factory during assembly of the mobile home or the like.

A further object is to provide a gutter support and trim means wherein the attaching strip may be economically manufactured from scrap materials.

Yet another object is to provide a gutter support and trim means wherein the gutter is assembled on a mobile home or the like through a simple snap fit in an attaching strip secured to the mobile home or the like.

A still further object is to provide a gutter support and trim means wherein a piece of weather-stripping or other suitable sealing material is sandwiched between the wall of a mobile home or the like and the attaching strip and gutter to prevent leakage between the gutter support and trim means assembly and the wall of the mobile home or the like.

An even further object of this invention is to provide a gutter support and trim means which provides for contraction and expansion of the gutter as the ambient temperature changes.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the installation time in the field by approximately three-fourths by installing the attaching strip when the mobile home is being manufactured.

A further object is to eliminate the need for joiners and holddown straps in assembling the present invention.

A further object is to provide an attractive trim means functions also as an effective gutter support.

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of the specification and drawings which are appended hereto, form a part thereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a mobile home incorporating a gutter support and trim means according to the present invention;

FIGs. 2 and 2a are similar sectional end views in elevation of the trim means assembly taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 and showing slight modifications of the snap-fit structure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the various elements of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4 and 4a are similar sectional end views in elevation of a variation on the trim means of the present invention and show slight modifications of the snap-fit structure;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the variation shown in section in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another variation on the trim means of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, a mobile home 1 is shown in FIG. 1 having a preferred embodiment of the gutter support and trim means according to the present invention indicated generally at 2.

In FIG. 2, a strip of sealing material 4 is shown sandwiched between the upper marginal edge 3 of the sidewall of the mobile home adjacent the roof section and an attaching strip 5 made from an elongate flat sheet of aluminum or other suitable material is folded over to provide a backwall portion 6 and front wall portion 8 joined along one of their edges by a bight portion 7. The attaching strip is held to the mobile home or the like, and front and backwall portions are held in juxtaposition, by screws or other suitable fasteners 13 extending through holes 12 drilled or otherwise formed in the front and backwall portions 6 and 8 into the wall 3 of the mobile home. Formed in front wall portion 8 is a shoulder 9 and offset wall portion 10 having its lower or marginal edge formed to define an inwardly directed slightly upwardly curved flange 11 receiving a backwall 15 of gutter 14 to hold the gutter securely in position relative to the mobile home, said backwall 15 having a plurality of inwardly punched spaced tabs 16 formed therein and disposed behind flange 11. The gutter 14 includes a generally horizontal bottom wall 17 joined to backwall 15 by rounded portion 20 and a front wall 18 extending substantially parallel to and being slightly wider than backwall portion 15 and having an inwardly directed lip or roll 19 at the upper marginal edge thereof and being joined to bottom wall 17 by rounded portion 21.

The attaching strip 5 may be made from scrap materials and installed at practically no cost to the mobile home manufacturer at the time the mobile home is manufactured resulting in a savings of 50 percent over the cost of installation later and in approximately one-fourth the time required if the attaching strip is installed later.

The gutter 14 is installed simply by sliding the upper marginal edge of wall 15 up between walls 6 and 10 of attaching strip 5 until tabs 16 pass behind flange 11 at which time the natural resiliency of attaching strip 5 will cause flange 11 to snap behind tabs 16 holding the gutter 14 in place. The need for holddown straps is thus eliminated and the rounded corners 20 and 21 of the gutter permit assembly without requiring the use of joiners. The gutter is removed from the attaching strip simply by sliding the gutter endwise until the tabs 16 have passed from behind the flange 11. As seen in FIG. 2a, the flange 11' engaged behind tabs 16 may extend at a right angle to front wall 10 rather than be curved as in FIG. 2.

A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 wherein the attaching strip 22 is slightly modified. This embodiment is mounted to a mobile home or the like by fastening means and includes a sealing tape as in the FIG. 1 embodiment. The attaching strip differs, however, in that after the flat elongate sheet of aluminum or other suitable material is folded to define front and backwall portions 23 and 25 joined along one edge by a bight portion 24, the lower marginal edge of front wall 25 is folded upwardly to form a first clamping wall portion 27 extending closely behind and parallel to front wall portion 25 and joined thereto by a bight portion 26 and then folded downwardly to form a second clamping wall portion 29 substantially coextensive with and parallel to the first clamping wall portion 27 and joined thereto by a bight portion 28. The lower marginal edge of clamping wall portion 29 is then formed upwardly between clamping wall portions 27 and 29 to define a flange or lip 30 disposed parallel to and closely between walls 27 and 29 and curved forwardly at its upper marginal edge. The backwall 33 of a gutter 31 is received between clamping wall portions 27 and 29 with a plurality of outwardly punched tabs 32 formed in backwall 33 being disposed above flange 30 in snap-fitting engagement therewith to securely hold gutter 31 in position relative to the mobile home or the like. Gutter 31 includes a generally horizontal bottom wall 34 joined to backwall 33 by a rounded portion 35 and a slightly arched front wall 37 joined to the bottom wall by a curved portion 36, the upper marginal edge of the front wall curved or rolled inwardly to form a lip 38. In this embodiment, the front wall 25 of attaching strip 22 is unbroken and presents a smoother facade than the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Gutter 31 is installed and removed in the same manner as the FIG. 1 embodiment.

As seen in FIG. 4a, the upper marginal edge of flange 30' may terminate in straight line fashion without the slight curvature as shown in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 6, a third embodiment of the invention is shown having a longitudinally extending outwardly formed rib or shoulder 42 formed in backwall 40 of gutter 39 rather than the punched tabs of the FIG. 1 or FIG. 4 embodiments. This embodiment is intended for use with the attaching strip 22 of the FIG. 4 embodiment although it could obviously be used with the attaching strip 5 of the FIG. 1 embodiment if the rib 42 was formed inwardly rather than outwardly.

Further, the gutter support and trim means could be made from plastic extrusions in lengths of 50 or 100 feet, for example, and coiled (not shown) for shipping. In such case, the tab 16 on the gutter backwall could comprise a continuous extruded protrusion or rib 16' as seen in phantom lines in FIG. 3, for example.

The present invention thus provides a simple, economical and effective gutter support which also serves as a decorative trim means for mobile homes or the like. The invention includes a strip of sealing tape and an attaching strip which may be installed on the mobile home or the like either during or after manufacture of the mobile home and a gutter which is assembled to the attaching strip by a simple snap fit without requiring additional operations or supports. The unique construction of the decorative trim means thus simply and securely positions a gutter on a mobile home or the like without requiring the use of support straps or brackets and the curved construction of the gutter eliminates the need for joiners. Obviously, the seal strip, attaching strip and gutter may be made from any suitable materials. For example, the seal strip could be made from felt, fiberglass, rubber, etc. and the attaching strip and gutter could be made from plastic or metal, etc. The attaching strip, in particular, could be fabricated from scrap parts when the mobile home is manufactured.

While I have herein set forth specific embodiments of my invention for purposes of illustration, it is obvious that various changes, alterations and substitutions can be made in the form and arrangement of the parts of my gutter support and trim means without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A gutter support and trim means for a mobile home or the like comprising, an elongate attaching strip, means for securing said attaching strip to an upper marginal edge of a sidewall of the mobile home or the like adjacent the roof thereof, said attaching strip comprising an elongate flat sheet folded longitudinally to form at least two downwardly extending wall portions joined along one edge thereof and being substantially coextensive with one another, said wall portions being spaced apart and generally parallel to one another and to said sidewall, snap-engaging means on one of said downwardly extending wall portions at the lower marginal edge thereof for cooperating snap-fitting engagement with snap-engaging means on an upper marginal edge of a backwall of a gutter for removably securing said gutter to said mobile home or the like when said gutter backwall is received between said wall portions on said attaching strip with said snap-engaging means on said attaching strip and on said gutter backwall in snap-fitting interengagement, said attaching strip comprising trim means for said mobile home or the like when secured to said mobile home or the like.

2. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 1 wherein said snap-engaging means on said gutter comprises protruding means on the upper marginal edge of said gutter backwall.

3. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 2 wherein the means on said attaching strip having snap-fitting engagement with the upper marginal edge of said gutter backwall comprises an inwardly directed flange or ledge formed on the lower marginal edge of said one wall portion.

4. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 3 wherein said wall portions comprise a front wall and a backwall of said attaching strip, and said front wall comprises generally parallel and laterally offset upper and lower wall portions joined along adjacent marginal edges thereof by a short generally horizontally disposed wall or shoulder portion, said lower wall portion being spaced from said backwall a greater distance than said upper wall portion and having an inwardly directed flange extending generally parallel to said shoulder portion formed on its lower marginal edge, said gutter wall being received between said backwall and lower wall portion with said protruding means on said gutter being disposed behind said flange in snap-fitting engagement therewith, and said means for securing said attaching strip to said mobile home or the like comprising fastening means extending through the backwall and upper wall portion of said attaching strip into the mobile home.

5. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 3 wherein said one wall comprises a front wall of said attaching strip, and the snap-engaging means on said wall includes a first clamping wall portion disposed parallel to and behind the front wall and joined thereto by a bight portion, a second clamping wall portion parallel to and generally coextensive with said first clamping wall portion and joined thereto in spaced relationship by a bight portion formed on the upper marginal edges thereof, a flange or lip formed on the lower marginal edge of said second clamping wall portion and extending parallel to and between said first and second clamping wall portions, said gutter wall being received between said lip and said first clamping wall with said protruding means on said gutter being disposed behind said lip in snap-fitting engagement therewith, and said means for securing said attaching strip to said mobile home or the like comprising fastening means extending through the upper marginal edges of said front wall and a backwall of said attaching strip.

6. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 4 wherein said protruding means on said gutter comprises a series of spaced punched tabs arranged along the upper marginal edge of the backwall of said gutter.

7. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 5 wherein said protruding means on said gutter comprises a series of spaced punched tabs arranged along the upper marginal edge of the backwall of said gutter.

8. A gutter support and trim means in claim 5 wherein the protruding means on said gutter comprises an elongated rib formed parallel to and adjacent the upper marginal edge of the backwall of said gutter.

9. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 1 wherein said attaching strip and gutter are made of an extruded plastic material.

10. A gutter support and trim means as in claim 1 wherein said attaching strip and said gutter are made of aluminum.