Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02405756 2002-09-30
EAVES TROUGH WITH A GUTTER SHIELD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an eaves trough or gutter assembly and more
particularly, relates to improvements to such structures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of shields or gutters or eaves troughs is well known in the prior art
and
there have been many proposals for different types of shields. The purpose of
the shield
is essentially to permit passage of rainwater from the roof to the eaves
trough while
protecting the same from extraneous foreign matter such as leaves and the
like.
To-date, there have been several different approaches taken. A first approach
is
utilizing a shield or a guard which is apertured and permits the passage of
rainwater while
extensively barring the passage of extraneous material. Moreover, many of
these guards
do not function as desired and access must still be had to the eaves trough
for cleaning
purposes.
It has also been proposed in the art to provide relatively complex structures
wherein eaves troughs are mounted for rotatable movement such that they may be
emptied at desired intervals.
There have also been proposals in the art for gutters and eaves troughs which
have
a design wherein a cover has an outer edge which curls downwardly and the
water flow
follows a curved portion due to surface tension and thereafter cascades into
the eaves
trough. However, this concept suffers that when the volume of water becomes
sufficiently large, the surface tension is insufficient to cause all the water
to flow into the
gutter.
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SCJIvIMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel gutter guard which
is
adapted to be used with existing gutters and which will eliminate the use of
conventional
attachment procedures for securing the gutter to the eaves of the structure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel eaves
trough
having an integrated gutter guard and which eliminates the need for
conventional
attachment of the gutter using long nails and the like.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device
for
protecting a gutter wherein the gutter has a rear wall, a front wall, and a
bottom wall, the
walls defining a trough having an open top therebetween, the gutter also
having a top wall
portion extending inwardly from an upper marginal edge of the front wall, and
a
downwardly extending flange from a distal end of the top wall, the front wall,
the top wall
and the flange defining a recess therebetween, the device comprising a guard
member
having an elongated configuration with a generally planar central portion,
first and second
longitudinally extending opposed sides located on either side of the generally
planar
central portion, a plurality of apertures extending through the generally
planar central
portion, the first side of the guard member having an upwardly extending
portion
designed to fit within the recess, and the second side of the guard member
having an
inverted U-shaped portion designed to fit over an upper marginal edge of the
rear wall of
the gutter.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an eaves
trough
formed from a single piece of material, the eaves trough comprising a rear
wall, a front
wall, and a bottom wall, the walls defining a trough therebetween, a top wall
extending
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inwardly from a distal end of the front wall, a downwardly extending inner
wall portion
extending from a distal end of the top wall, and a substantially planar
horizontal portion
covering the trough, a distal end of the substantially horizontal portion
having an inverted
U-shaped configuration sized and arranged to fit over an upper marginal
portion of the
rear wall.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided, in a
building
having a gutter for collecting water, the improvement wherein the gutter has a
rear wall, a
front wall, and a bottom wall, the walls defining an open trough therebetween,
the gutter
also having a top wall portion extending inwardly from an upper marginal edge
of the
front wall, and a downwardly extending flange from a distal end of the top
wall, the front
wall, the top wall and the flange defining a recess therebetween, a guard
member having
an elongated configuration with a generally planar central portion, first and
second
longitudinally extending opposed sides located on either side of the generally
planar
central portion, a plurality of apertures extending through the generally
planar central
portion, the first side of the guide member having an upwardly extending
portion
designed to fit within the recess, the second side of the guide member having
an inverted
U-shaped configuration fitting over an upper marginal edge of the rear wall of
the gutter,
and the gutter being attached by a fastening means extending through the
inverted
U-shaped portion and the rear wall of the gutter to the building structure.
The device of the present invention may be formed of any suitable material and
would conveniently be formed either of a metallic or plastic material. Thus,
both
materials are known for use in gutters and one may use either a similar or
dissimilar
material.
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The device of the present invention provides a guard for the eaves trough to
prevent foreign matter from entering into the eaves trough. It is important
that
appropriate sizing of the apertures formed in the planar protection is
provided. Thus, the
aperture size and their placement permit adequate drainage of the water
through the
apertures into the eaves trough while substantially excluding any foreign
matter which
remains on the top and would normally be removed by the wind or the like. The
specific
sizing of the apertures can also prevent clogging of the device.
The apertures preferably extend in diagonal rows at an angle of 45°
with respect to
the gutter length. In the preferred embodiments, the apertures have an
aperture size of
between 2.5 and 10 mm and even more preferably between about 3.0 and 4.0 mm.
As
the apertures are arranged in diagonal rows, they are also preferably arranged
in
longitudinally extending rows. In a longitudinally extending row, the
apertures are
spaced apart by a distance between 10 and 15 mm while in a diagonal row, they
are
spaced apart by a distance of between 5 and 10 mm.
As will be appreciated, during a period of heavy rain or the like, the
drainage may
not be instantaneous and accordingly, there is provided a vertically extending
adjacent
front wall gutter to prevent overflow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the
accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially in cut away, illustrating one
embodiment
of a gutter guard according to the present invention;
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Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partially in section, to illustrate a
first
embodiment of a gutter guard and its securement to a gutter;
Figure 3 is a detailed cross sectional view of the guard member portion and
its
securement to the gutter;
Figure 4 is a side elevational view, partially in cut away, of a second
embodiment
of a gutter guard according to the present invention;
Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed view illustrating the attachment of the guard
on
either side of the gutter;
Figure 6 is an end elevational view, partially in cut away, of a novel gutter
according to the present invention; and
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the gutter of Figure 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters
thereto,
there is illustrated in Figure 1 a gutter guard according to one embodiment of
the present
invention and which gutter guard is generally designated by reference numeral
10. Gutter
guard 10 is used in conjunction with an eaves trough 12 which lies adjacent
the facia of a
roof 16.
Eaves trough or gutter 12 is of a substantially conventional structure and has
a rear
wall 20, a bottom wall 22, and a front wall generally designated by reference
numeral 24,
the walls defining therebetween a trough to receive rain run off from roof 16.
Front
wall 24 includes a front wall vertical lower section 26, a front wall arcuate
middle
section 28, and a front wall vertical upper section 30. As may be seen in
Figures 2 and 3,
eaves trough 12 also includes a top wall portion 32 extending inwardly from
the upper
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marginal edge of front wall vertical upper section 30. In turn, a flange 34
extends from
the distal end of top wall portion 32 downwardly and inwardly to define a
recess or cavity
between vertical upper section 30, top wall portion 32, and flange 34.
Gutter guard 10 is of a generally elongated configuration having a first side
3 8 and
a second side 40. Intermediate first side 38 and second side 40 is a generally
planar
portion 42 having a plurality of apertures 44 formed therein.
At first side 3 8, planar portion 42 terminates with a first segment 46 which
extends upwardly and rearwardly and forms an acute angle with respect to
planar
portion 42. A second segment 48 extends vertically downwardly from a distal
end of
first segment 46 and in turn a third segment 49 extends horizontally from a
distal end of
second segment 48. A fourth segment 51 extends upwardly from a distal end of
third
segment 49 and terminates in a curved inward portion 50 which then abuts the
point of
joinder of top wall portion 32 and flange 34 as may be best seen in Figure 3.
The
arrangement is such that there is thus provided a double point of contact
between the
gutter and gutter guard to allow for support.
At second side 40, there is provided an inverted U-shaped portion generally
designated by reference numeral 52 and which comprises an upwardly extending
wall segment 54 which reverses through 180° to join a downwardly
extending wall
segment 56. As may be seen in Figures 2 and 3, U-shaped portion 52 fits over
the
upper portion of rear wall 20.
Using this arrangement, the eaves trough or gutter may be secured by driving a
suitable attachment member 55 (nail or screw) through wall 54, wall 20 and
wall 56 into
facia 14. The interlocking arrangement of first and second sides of gutter
guard 10 with
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the structure of the eaves trough provides rigidity and support for the front
of the eaves
trough to prevent sagging thereof.
In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, a modified arrangement of that shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3 is illustrated. As many of the components are in common,
similar
reference numerals in the 100's have been utilized.
'The main difference with the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5 is the arrangement
at first side 138 of gutter guard 110. In this respect, there is provided a
first segment 146
similar to that previously described.
However, first segment 14& reverses itself and is connected to a second
segment 166 which lies adjacent to first segment 146. Second segment 166
extends
beyond first segment 146 to abut against vertical upper section 130 of front
wall 124.
At the distal end of second segment 166, there is provided an inwardly
extending third
segment 168. Again, support and rigidity are provided to the structure and it
may be
attached in a manner similar to that described with respect to the embodiment
of Figures
1 to 3
In the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7, there is provided an integrated eaves
trough
structure which includes a guard portion. Again, the eaves trough structure
remains
similar and similar reference numerals in the 200's have been employed. In
this
embodiment, a segment 231 extends substantially vertically downwardly from top
wall
portion 232 to join planar portion 242. At the second side 240 of planar
portion 242,
there is provided a similar inverted U-shaped structure 252. In this
arrangement, the
gutter and guard can be formed from a single sheet of material which is then
suitably
folded by conventional forming equipment. Again, the structure would be
attached to
the facia by means of attachment members 255 extending through the walls.
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It will be understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of
illustration only and that changes or modifications may be made thereto
without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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