AU2003244568B2 - Allclear leafguard gutter system - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT ALL CLEAR LEAFGUARD GUTTER SYSTEM The following statement is a full description of this inventi including the best method of performing it known to me: 00 cTHE ALL CLEAR LEAF GUARD GUTTER SYSTEM 00 This invention relates to how current, mostly unsuccessful, methods of keeping leaves out of standard house and building roof gutters can be replaced by a system that 00oo overcomes the present problems associated with most of the existing processes.

S The more successful of the inventions being used to overcome gutter leaf problems often times necessitate the removal of existing gutters or require at the very least the c- gutters to be lowered. One product ("Rainhandler") even completely replaces gutters with louvers, that protrude horizontally from the fascia beneath the roof overhang, which have no ability whatsoever to collect rain water the louvers are claimed to break the rain into droplets thus allowing the water to be harmlessly dispersed to the ground.

The better systems take more time to install and are expensive. To people living in bushfire areas with limited funds, who desperately want to make their homes or other buildings safe from the possibility of flying embers (during bushfires) starting fires in gutter leaf build up directly under their roof overhang, it is not always feasible for them to purchase such products.

The less expensive alternatives have serious problems which make them also uneconomical. The greater majority of the less expensive ways consist of some form of mesh over or in the gutter. Many of these are "do it yourself" products which have a tendency to cause a worse build up of leaves in the gutter than before. They can be awkward to install and difficult to remove when there is a need to clean the gutters.

Somewhere between the most expensive and the cheapest approaches are the flat sturdy meshes that either hook under the roof tiles or sit on top of the metal of corrugated roofs (usually cut or made to fit into the corrugations and then in many cases glued along the top edge to hold that part in place). They are basically either made from plastic or metal (for example "Gutta-Arma" is made from Colorbond mesh, and "Leafscreen" comes in both plastic and stainless steel mesh).

00 C These type of meshes have a tendency toward "sheeting" (that is: the holes of meshes (1 with small apertures fill with water causing the rain that follows to skim across the mesh out 0O over the gutter causing, if it was intended for storage, a loss of valuable water).

Meshes glued to corrugated iron roofs look unsightly and meshes made from plastic become untidy when they buckle in the heat of the sun they also perish. The glues too are known to dry out and crack in time from the variations of weather.

There is also "A Screen for a Rain Gutter" (US Patent Number 5,109,640) which doesn't cause water to "sheet" across it, in the rain, because the mesh holes are quite large.

However meshes with larger holes allow small debris to pass through; such as gumnuts, small flowers, small leaves, and twigs. Leaves also get caught by their stems in the holes. The above mentioned Patent (No. 5,109,640) although it has in some respects a similar profile (to that shown in this Australian application), proved, when tested, incapable of matching the "All Clear Leaf Guard" in respect of leaves being easily blown away by the wind. Actually it was discovered the US patent worked against the wind because its open mesh allowed the wind to pass straight through without having any affect on the leaves that had fallen upon it.

The problems of expense, unsightliness, loss of storage water, inconvenience, durability, and the lack of natural removal of leaves by the wind, are solved with the All Clear Leafguard Gutter System because: 1. The product generally will not fal into a category where gutters will need to be removed in order to put it in place, so in that sense it will be cheaper to install than existing top of the range products. Plus installation when compared to other methods (that don't have to remove gutters) will for the main part be a lot easier creating yet another cost saving.

Also the materials used, although durable, are in the medium price range which should guarantee the service is kept at an affordable level.

00 3 O 2. The special configuration of the All Clear Leaf Guard System means c wind can get under any leaves that fall onto it and blow them away. This 1) thus means low maintenance, convenience, and no unsightly build up of 00oO litter in the gutter plus the gutters will always look tidy because the leaf guard itself cannot be seen from the ground.

00oo 113. With "Colorbond" All Clear Leaf Guard, because of the way it is configured, with troughs and a peaked ridge (see drawings), it is Cimpossible for the water to "sheet" across it and be lost (from a water storage point of view).

4. Being made from "Colorbond" the product will be durable and long lasting and because the leaf guard will keep leaves out of the gutters the life of the gutters will be increased (leaves allowed to block and rot in gutters will cause them to rust out).

SUMMARY

Most homes and buildings destroyed in Australia as a result of bushfires have burned because embers from the fire have landed in leaves trapped in their gutters which in tumrn have caught fire and spread to the nearest woodwork of the structure. Sometimes these ember fires have started after the main fire has passed or even missed coming near.

All too often they have started during a time generally considered safe. Embers can also precede a bushfire and burn buildings down. So there is a need for an effective way to keep leaves out of Australian roof gutters.

There are many products available: from the hopeless which actually increasing the hazard to those that are expensive. Small holed, meshes cause rain water to sheet across them, meshes with larger holes inhibit the wind from blowing away leaves, and 00 4 O many meshes will buckle in the heat of the sun becoming unsightly, plus some will even c perish. There therefore is a need for a sturdy economical product, capable of keeping leaves out of gutters, which in turn will minimise all chances of stray embers taking hold oo00 and burning a premise down when bushfires are close.

The All Clear Leaf Guard Gutter System is not only able to collect clean water, through oO 11 its perforations, but is also able to overcome the above mentioned difficulties because of the unique aspect of its design; that being its raised central, non flat topped, inverted S (or alternatively a raised curve) shaped ridge which runs its whole length (the guard comes in workable lengths).

This design not only stops water sheeting but also enables leaves that fall onto it to have space beneath to help wind to blow them away.

It is therefore considered this invention: successfully guards against fire, is economic, capable of dean water collection, convenient, and able to prolong the life of the gutter itself.

Claims (14)

1. A rigid leaf blocking gutter cover (made in workable lengths) configured with two, 00 length long, shallow troughs divided by a single central peaked section also running oo DO lengthways (a non flat topped ridge to aid wind in the blowing away of leaves) to be S attached to roof gutters (of various sizes) that will allow water to pass through into the C gutter beneath via small narrow punched rectangular slots or small holes, that are either round or oval, placed either all over or predominately over the guard in a random or C patterned arrangement; with two places to attach the device to the fascia board and to the top of the front of the gutter (the top rolled edge).

2. The leaf blocking gutter cover of claim 1. wherein the length long troughs are divided by a raised section that runs parallel with them that is either curved, like the raised curve in one segment of corrugated iron but proportionate to the gutter width, or is partially triangular in shape, like an inverted

3. The leaf blocking gutter cover of claims 1. and 2. wherein the trough running along the back of the unit descends straight at a shallow angle for one third of the width of the unit (which width is determined by the size of the particular gutter it is designed to fit) followed for the next third of the width (the middle third) with the rise and fall described in claim 2. which is finally followed by an incline at the same shallow angle as the first slope to the top of the front of the unit.

4. The configured leaf guard gutter cover, mentioned in claims 1. 2. and 3. wherein the top of the raised centre section is level with the front edge of the guard, which in turn is level with the top of the back slope of the gutter cover which part goes to the fascia board.

The front edge of the gutter leaf guard cover of claim 1. to be (when in place) horizontally flat similar in width to that of the top front edge of the gutter into which it will 00 0 O be screwed (or riveted) and that the cover's back edge is bent up, from the beginning or top edge of the downward slope of the rear trough, vertically (when viewed from the installed position) for its length to a height between 10 mm and 15 mm for gutters 0 measuring 125 mm and 150 mm. 00 .O

6. That the raised vertical back section of the gutter guard of Claim 5. in the case of 148 mm and 195 mm width gutters is turned back on itself toward the front of the unit so that it (1 also becomes horizontal (when the unit is installed) like the front section which is attached 0 to the top of the front side of the gutter this is to facilitate easier installation in the case of N these two gutter sizes (the back section is not screwed to the fascia in these two cases but merely rests on the top edge of the fascia board).

7. That the leaf guard gutter cover of claims 1. and 5. has in the raised strip at the back of the guard plus the flat strip at the front edge, of the cover, holes drilled or punched (suitably spaced) for the placement of screws at the back and for the placement of screws or rivets in the front; with 148 mm and 195 mm gutters of claim 6. having no need for holes in the folded over back section.

8. That the holes and slots of claim 1. may be configured in various ways; from all over the unit to one lengthways middle strip only (to a width for example of two thirds of the total width of the leaf guard cover itself) which may or may not have a particular repeated pattern in the layout of its holes.

9. The claim also is made in respect of the claims made in claims 1. and 8. that among the choices falling into the category of a punched lengthways section with a particular repeated pattern (specifically claim the most suitable pattern layout takes the form of eleven rows of round or oval holes or narrow rectangular slots, whereby water may be channelled into the gutter beneath, which from the top edge of the raised inverted middle section running the length of the gutter guard (or from the centre of an alternative curved section see claim 2. plus claims 1. 3. and 4) moving towards the front edge of the cover consists of five rows and from the top of the raised centre section towards the back of the unit of six rows. 00 CO O C

10. That of the eleven rows of holes or rectangular slots mentioned in dclaim 9. nine of them continue through for the whole length of the gutter guard and that the last two rows (the two closest to the back of the unit) are broken at reasonably spaced intervals to 0 give the unit extra non perforated metal strength, at the back of the guard, where the flow through of water is not as critical. 00 O

11. The leaf guard gutter cover of claims 9. and 10. wherein the rows of rectangular slots N or holes are staggered to each other in the same manner bricks of a building are laid (that 0 is the odd rows line up with each other and the even row perforations, which each bridge c between two of the odd row slots or holes, also line up with each other).

12. The leaf guard of claims 1. 8. 9. 10. and 11. wherein the staggered slots or holes cover the whole width of the gutter cover.

13. That all the perforation configurations mentioned in the above claims (claims 1. 2. and 8. to 12.) that is: rectangular slots, and round or oval holes for either the width of the cover or a portion of the width of the guard (for example eleven rows with the back two broken at suitable spaces for strength), rectangular slots or holes (as mentioned in claim 12.) for the whole width of the leaf guard gutter cover, or for the eleven rows where the back two are broken at suitable spaces for strength, mentioned in claims 10. and 11. that all these alternative approaches each constitute the invention.

14. Finally let it be known the main aspect of the invention (that is its unique difference to other gutter guards) is considered to be the raised centre section of the guard (either in the form of an inverted or curved rise, as in claims 1 and which permits wind to get under fallen leaves to easily blow them away, and is therefore claimed to be such. The terms: guard, cover, gutter guard, gutter cover, leaf guard, unit, etc. in the above claims mean the same thing.