Power Gutter Cleaners

Abstract

A portable power gutter cleaner for cleaning conventional gutters normally installed below and along the lower edge of a sloping roof comprising a preferably aluminum frame formed at the rear thereof to accommodate a pair of longitudinally spaced vertically adjustable roof contacting rollers thereon, and formed at the front thereof to accommodate a pair of non-adjustable longitudinally spaced gutter contacting rollers thereon that are preferably provided with laterally spaced edge flanges which ride the outer flange of the gutter during the cleaning thereof. The said gutter contacting rollers raise momentarily when passing over conventional gutter securing spikes generally employed at selected intervals to secure the gutter to the building structure below the lower edge of the sloping roof. The frame of the portable power gutter cleaner has an electric motor mounted at the top thereof which drives a rotating cleaner element having a plurality of relatively stiff yet pliable cleaner arms which beat the inside of the gutter as the gutter cleaner is manually moved along a gutter. This beater action knocks loose and drives accumulations of dirt, dried or wet leaves, twigs and other accumulated refuse from the gutter. The novel power gutter cleaner is manipulated manually along the gutter to be cleaned either from a ladder or from the ground, and is constructed to ride over the transverse gutter-securing spikes generally employed to secure the gutter to the house or other structure below the lower edge of the sloping edge of the roof.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which;

FIG. 1-A is an elevational view showing a power gutter cleaner of the invention disposed in operational position on a gutter ready for manual manipulation therealong;

FIG. 1 is an enlarged front elevational view of the power gutter cleaner;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the power gutter cleaner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3 showing the left hand guide washer dropped by gravity into its guide position normally assumed, and the right hand guide washer temporarily raised to a position wherein it passes over a conventional gutter securing spike;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the left hand guide washer in its normal position as viewed in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the right hand guide washer in its raised position passing over a gutter securing spike as viewed in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The particular embodiment of a power gutter cleaner 10 of the invention disclosed in the drawings consists of an inverted U-shaped wheeled carriage 11 preferably formed of a heavy aluminum sheet having a deep wide front panel 110, and relatively narrow top and rear panels 111 and 112 respectively.

A pair of widely spaced front wheels 12 are rotatively mounted on cantilevered shafts 13 extending inwardly from the outer lower end portions 1100 of the deep wide front panel 110 of the wheeled carriage 11. The said front wheels 12 are each preferably provided with a centrally grooved rubber tire 120 which rides the outer top flange 140 of a conventional gutter 14 while being cleaned by the power gutter cleaner 10. An electric motor 15 is mounted on the narrow top panel 111, and a suitable motor cover element 16 is provided in spaced relationship thereover. A hand grip 17 for carrying the power gutter cleaner 10 is disposed in transverse spaced relationship over the motor cover element 16, and is connected to the upper ends of suitable metal straps 18 which in turn are secured to the narrow top panel 111 of the inverted U-shaped carriage 11.

A pair of relatively closely spaced rear wheels 19 are mounted on cantilever shafts 20 extending rearwardly from the rear panel 112 of the inverted U-shaped carriage 11, and are each formed with a suitable rubber tire 190 which rides on a sloping roof 21 extending rearwardly upwardly from and longitudinally parallel to the conventional gutter 14. The said rear wheels 19 are adapted to be raised or lowered by moving the cantilever shafts 20 to selected vertically spaced apertures 1120 provided in the rear panel 112 of the inverted U-shaped carriage 11 whereby to level or substantially level the top panel 111 thereof with respect to the top of the gutter 14.

A cleaner element 22 having a central hub 220 is ro-tatably mounted on a central shaft 221 supported at one end on the front panel 110 of the inverted U-shaped carriage 11 and at its other end on a vertical arm 23 fixed to and depending from the bottom of the top panel 111 of the said carriage 11. Fixed to the central hub 220 of the cleaner element 22 is a pulley 2200 belt driven by a belt 2201 disposed over the driven pulley 2200 of the cleaner element 22 and over the drive pulley 1500 mounted on the motor shaft 150 of the electric motor 15. Extending radially from the central hub 220 of the cleaner element 22 are a plurality, preferably three, relatively stiff yet pliable cleaner or beater arms 222 which rotate at a relatively high speed and beat the inside of the gutter 14 whereby to loosen and remove accumulations of dried or wet leaves, dirt, twigs and other accumulated refuse from the gutter. Although not shown in detail, it is obvious that the cleaner or beater arms 222 may be longitudinally split at their outer ends to permit the said beater arms to spread and cover the full width of the gutter and the refuse therein when rotated at relatively high speeds.

A horizontal guide roller 25 is preferably mounted in depending relationship from each of two inwardly disposed tabs 1101 formed at the bottom of the outer end portions 1100 of the front panel 110. The thickness of the said guide rollers 25 is such that they will always roll in contact with the outer top flange 140 of a gutter 14 both when the adjacent front wheel 12 is riding on the top flange 140 of a conventional gutter 14 and when either one of the widely spaced front wheels 12 of the front panel 110 rides over the gutter securing spikes 141 generally employed at selected intervals along the outer top flange 140 of a conventional gutter 14 to secure the said gutter 14 to the building structure 26 behind the gutter 14.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 5 through 9 inclusive, guide washer means 30 are preferably carried by the front panel 110 adjacent each widely spaced front wheel 12. Each guide washer means 30 preferably consists of three washers 31, 32 and 33 mounted on a stub shaft 34 extending inwardly of and supported by the said front panel 110. A spring anchor ring 35 sprung in a groove 36 formed in the inner end 340 of the stub shaft 34 maintains the washers 31, 32 and 33 freely thereon. The said washers, 31, 32 and 33 normally assume the position shown in FIGS. 2, 5, 6 and 7 during normal manual movement of the power gutter cleaner 10 along a conventional gutter 14.

However, when a guide washer means 30 momentarily rides over a gutter securing spike 141, the large central washer 32 of the three washers 31, 32 and 33 of the guide washer means 30 is raised by the gutter securing spike 141 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the power gutter cleaner 10 travels smoothly past the gutter securing spikes 141 responsive to either pushing or pulling the power gutter cleaner 10 along the gutter 14. The guide washer means 30 assures that the power gutter cleaner 10 maintains itself in its proper operating position over the gutters being cleaned thereby.

Although not shown in detail, electric current is supplied to a fractional h.p. electric motor 15 through a suitable electric line extending from a source of current, preferably at ground level, which runs up the operating pole 40 to the electric motor 15. Switch means, also not shown, obviously would be provided at the lower end of the operating pole 40 to turn the current supply to the motor 15 ON or OFF as required. The upper end of the operating pole 40 is preferably removably secured by means of a universal joint or the like to the central front panel of the inverted U-shaped carriage 11.

Although only a single embodiment of a power gutter cleaner 10 of the invention has been disclosed and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various elements of the invention, all without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A power gutter cleaner for removing dirt, leaves, twigs and other cumulated refuse from conventional gutters in-stalled on a building structure below the lower edge of a sloping roof comprising

a. an inverted U-shaped carriage having a deep wide front panel, and relatively narrow top and rear panels,

b. a pair of widely spaced front wheels mounted on said front panel formed to ride the outer top flange of a conventional gutter, an electric motor mounted on said narrow top panel, and a pair of relatively closely spaced rear wheels mounted on said rear panel formed to ride on a sloping roof parallel to and spaced rearwardly of said gutter,

c. said rear wheels being adjustable vertically to accommodate the power gutter cleaner for use on gutters along roofs of different slopes,

d. a cleaner element including a central hub having a plurality of relatively stiff yet pliable cleaner arms extending radially therefrom into the gutter to be cleaned, said cleaner element being rotatably mounted centrally of and inwardly from said front panel and suspended from said top panel, and belt driven by said electric motor,

e. horizontal guide roller means depending from the bottom of the end portions of the front panel of said U-shaped carriage which roll horizontally along the outside of the upper front flange of a gutter being cleaned,

f. guide washer means carried by the front panel of said U-shaped carriage which ride vertically along the inside of the upper front flange of the gutter being cleaned; a portion of said guide washer means being adapted to rise and pass over conventional gutter securing spikes generally employed at selected intervals to secure the gutter to the building structure below the edge of the sloping roof thereof, and

g. means connected to the front panel of said U-shaped carriage permitting the power gutter cleaner to be manually moved along a gutter being cleaned thereby.

2. A power gutter cleaner for removing dirt, leaves and other refuse from conventional gutters having a continuous outer flange installed on a building structure below the lower edge of a sloping roof thereof comprising

a. an inverted U-shaped carriage having a deep wide front panel, and relatively narrow top and rear panels,

b. a pair of widely spaced front wheels mounted on said front panel formed to ride the top of said continuous outer flange of said conventional gutter, and a pair of relatively closely spaced rear wheels mounted on said rear panel at a selected elevation whereby to permit said inverted U-shaped carriage to be moved manually along said gutter and said sloping roof with said front and rear panels of said carriage disposed substantially vertically and the top panel thereof disposed substantially horizontally,

c. a motor driven cleaner element including a rotating central hub having a plurality of evenly spaced relatively stiff yet pliable cleaner arms extending radially therefrom mounted on said carriage with said cleaner arms disposed over and extending into said gutter,

d. means carried by the front panel of said inverted U-shaped carriage engaging the outer front flange of said gutter maintaining the front wheels of said power gutter cleaner laterally on said gutter when in use, and

e. an operating pole means connected to the front panel of said inverted U-shaped carriage permitting said power gutter cleaner to be manually moved thereby along said gutter during the cleaning thereof.

3. A power gutter cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein

a. the front wheels of said power cleaner are circumferentially grooved to ride along the outer top flange of a conventional gutter while being cleaned.

4. A power gutter cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein

a. a horizontal guide roller is rotatably mounted in depending relationship from an inwardly extending tab formed at each of the outer ends of said front panel,

b. said guide roller being of sufficient thickness to constantly maintain contact with the outer flange of said gutter as the gutter cleaner is manually guided therealong.

5. A power gutter cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein

a. longitudinally spaced guide washer means carried by the front panel of said U-shaped carriage are located to ride vertically along the inside of the upper front flange of the gutter being cleaned,

b. each said guide washer means comprising a plurality of washers telescoped over a rearwardly extending stub shaft fixed to said front panel, and

c. one of said washers having a central aperture of sufficient size to permit said washer to rise and pass over conventional gutter securing spikes generally employed to secure the gutter to the building structure below the outer edge of the sloping roof thereof.