AU2008261160A1

AU2008261160A1 - Gutter bracket

Info

Publication number: AU2008261160A1
Application number: AU2008261160A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ian Charles Mack; Wayne Lawrence Mack
Original assignee: KENNETH MACK; LAWRENCE MACK
Current assignee: Mack Kenneth Lever; Mack Lawrence Horner
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2008-12-18
Publication date: 2009-07-02

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: GUTTER BRACKET Applicant: Kenneth Lever Mack and Lawrence Horner Mack in partnership, trading as Mack Bros. The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 2 GUTTER BRACKET The present invention relates to a gutter support for supporting roof guttering. Early development of the present invention was conducted in relation to half 5 round guttering and it will be convenient to describe the invention principally as it relates to that form of guttering. It should be appreciated however, that the invention can be employed with other gutter profiles, such as square guttering. One form of prior art gutter support for half round guttering is a die cast 10 support. The support is very stiff and provides excellent support for the guttering it is employed with. However, the support usually is powder coated to the desired colour and often the colour deteriorates over time, sometimes quite quickly. Also, it is often difficult to achieve a perfect colour match with the guttering the support is employed with, given that the guttering usually is a pre 15 painted sheet steel rather than a powder coated steel. In addition to the above drawbacks, the die cast form of gutter support is very expensive relative to other guttering components. Gutter supports have been made from sheet metal, but one drawback with 20 sheet metal is the lack of stiffness associated with that type of support. In particular, gutter supports for half round guttering often will not provide adequate stiffness unless a thick sheet gauge is employed. However, thick gauge sheet metal is more expensive than thinner gauge metal and more robust pressing equipment is required. Additionally, thick gauge sheet metal is 25 usually powder coated rather than painted, because thicker gauge sheet metal is more difficult to pass through the pre-painting rollers than thinner gauge sheet metal. That introduces the difficulties associated with powder coating discussed above in relation to die cast gutter supports. 30 It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the foregoing drawbacks. W:kjeAndmeSCompletes\Guner Bracketdoc 3 According to the present invention there is provided a gutter bracket for supporting eaves guttering, the bracket including an attachment portion for attachment of the bracket to a building, a concave gutter support portion for supporting a section of guttering, the gutter support portion being shaped 5 complementary to at least a substantial portion of the outside surface of the section of guttering the gutter bracket supports, and an edge engagement portion remote from the attachment portion for engaging and securing an edge of the guttering, the bracket being formed from sheet metal and including a stiffening arrangement between the attachment portion and the gutter support 10 portion to stiffen the bracket against deflection between the attachment portion and the gutter support portion. A gutter bracket according to the invention advantageously can be constructed from thinner gauge sheet metal that heretofore has been considered too 15 flexible for some forms of gutter bracket construction, in particular brackets for half round guttering. The sheet metal preferably is cold rolled sheet metal. The metal can be selected from copper, aluminium, galvanised steel, zinc alloy or high tensile. Other metals could be employed. 20 As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the use of thinner gauge sheet metal results in cost savings compared to thicker gauge sheet metal, while pre-painted sheet metal can be employed, eliminating the need for subsequent powder coating. Moreover, the coating applied by pre-painting is less prone to flaking and peeling than powder coating, while the colour match 25 between guttering and gutter brackets can be close to identical, because both the guttering and the gutter brackets can be made from pre-painted metal sheet which has been painted to the same colour specification. It is to be noted that the invention also extends to the use of materials other than pre painted steel. For example, various other metals can be employed, such as 30 galvanised steel, copper and aluminium, in particular where the colour match between the gutter support and the guttering is not required. W:\,uneWeCompletes\Guner Brawet doc 4 The cost difference between die cast gutter brackets presently employed for half round guttering and sheet metal gutter brackets according to the invention is significant. 5 While the advantages of the invention have been realised principally with half round guttering, the invention is applicable to other guttering profiles, such as square, "Old Gothic" (or "OG") and quad for example. The stiffening arrangement in a gutter bracket according to the invention can 10 include a stiffening groove which extends through a portion of the attachment portion and the gutter support portion. Preferably the stiffening groove extends through a major portion of the attachment portion and preferably through less than a major portion of the gutter support portion. For example, the stiffening groove can extend through approximately 90% or greater of the length of the 15 attachment portion and through about 30-50% of the gutter support portion. In other arrangements, the stiffening groove can extend further through the gutter support portion, such as through a major portion of the gutter support portion. It is preferred that the stiffening groove open away from the section of guttering it supports, although the stiffening groove can be arranged to open toward the 20 section of guttering its supports if required. In fact, where two or more grooves are provided, they can open in the same direction or opposite directions as considered appropriate. The width of the gutter support portion, from one side edge to the other is 25 preferably between 25mm and 40mm and most preferably is 35mm. The width of the stiffening groove is preferably between 8mm and 16mm and most preferably is 12mm. Preferably the stiffening groove is positioned substantially centrally between the opposite sides of the gutter support portion. The maximum depth of the groove is preferably between 1.0mm and 3.5mm and 30 most preferably is 2.5mm. The stiffening groove can have a substantially constant radius, or it can be formed to have a V shape, substantially square or rectangular shape or any other suitable shape. It is preferred that at least at the end of the stiffening groove that is located in the gutter support portion, W:Uu ~e\AndrewAComp letsGutr Bracket.doc 5 smoothly blends or merges into the gutter support portion adjacent the groove end. Thus, at the ends of the stiffening groove, the depth of the groove preferably reduces smoothly to zero. 5 The stiffening arrangement of the present invention has enabled the width of the gutter bracket to be reduced compared to some prior art arrangements. This enables more efficient use of the sheet metal from which the invention is produced, i.e more brackets can be produced from one sheet. 10 The stiffening groove preferably is substantially linear for a major portion of its length. However, the stiffening groove can deviate from linear as necessary, and for example, such a deviation can occur in the attachment portion to avoid the stiffening groove passing through openings that are provided for fasteners to extend through. 15 In one form of gutter bracket according to the invention, the gutter support portion extends from the attachment portion. In this form of the invention, the stiffening groove extends from the attachment portion and through the junction between that portion and the gutter support portion and into the gutter support 20 portion. In an alternative arrangement, the stiffening arrangement includes a bridging portion between the attachment portion and the gutter support portion, wherein the bridging portion is inclined relative to the parts of each of the attachment 25 portion and the gutter support portion which are immediately adjacent to the bridging portion. The bridging portion may connect to each of the attachment portion and the gutter support portion by curved or radiused portions. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the attachment portion is a generally planar portion and with the gutter bracket in an in use orientation, 30 the bridging portion extends from a bottom part of the attachment portion and at a generally upward incline away from the attachment portion to connect to the gutter support portion. The angle of incline to horizontal is preferably W:u A n Complt\Gtar Braetdoc 6 between 0" and 90* and in a preferred embodiment, the angle is between 30* and 40". In an alternative arrangement, the bridging portion and the parts of each of the 5 attachment portion and the gutter support portion which are immediately adjacent to the bridging portion, form a generally S-shaped profile. In a preferred arrangement of the present invention, the stiffening arrangement further includes an edge step which is formed along at least one side edge of 10 the gutter support portion but preferably both. The edge step preferably has a height or depth of about 1.0mm to 3.0mm. An edge step is preferably provided on each side edge of the gutter support portion and the or each edge step preferably extends for substantially the full length of the gutter support portion. 15 Between the edge step, the gutter support portion is preferably curved to increase stiffness. The curve preferably is convex between the edge steps when viewed from below in an in-use orientation. Where edge steps are provided, guttering can be supported on raised surfaces 20 of the edge steps, away from the section of the gutter support portion between the edge steps. This has been found advantageously, to improve the likelihood of a generally flush seat between the gutter support portion and the guttering, by reducing the contact area between the gutter support portion and the guttering, so that gaps between the gutter support portion and the guttering 25 are minimised. The general appearance of the supported guttering is thus improved. As indicated above, the gutter support portion can be shaped to support any shape of guttering. Accordingly, the gutter support portion can have a half 30 round shape to support half round guttering, or a square shape to support square, Old Gothic, or quad guttering. The square shape will differ for each style of guttering, but generally will be a U-shape. W: UudendrewiComplts\Guter Braetdoc 7 The sheet metal is preferably pre-painted sheet metal and preferably is cold rolled steel sheet. The preferred form of steel sheet is high tensile steel sheet. The gauge of the sheet preferably is from 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. 5 For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1a and 1b show isometric and side views of a gutter bracket according 10 to the invention. Figures 2a and 2b show a further gutter bracket according to the invention for a half round form of guttering. 15 Figures 3 and 4 show further gutter brackets according to the invention for OG and quad guttering respectively. With reference to Figures la and 1b, a gutter bracket 10 formed from sheet metal is illustrated which includes an attachment portion 11, a gutter support 20 portion 12 and an edge engagement portion 13. The gutter bracket 10 is for supporting half round guttering, with the gutter support portion 12 being formed in a part circular profile. The attachment portion 11 is generally planar and includes a plurality of 25 openings 14 through which fasteners can be inserted for attaching the portion 11 to a structural portion of a building, such as a facia board of a domestic house. The attachment portion 11 further includes a recess 15 and a projection 16. The projection projects sideways for access for installing a fastener, while the recess occurs as a result of stamping gutter brackets with 30 projections, side by side from sheet metal. The edge engagement portion 13 is generally square or rectangular and includes an opening 17 provided to weaken the edge engagement portion 13, W:Uule\AnrxmACompletes\Gutef Bracket doc 8 so that it can be folded in the direction D (see Figure 1b) over the edge of guttering which is supported by the bracket 10. In practice, the edge engagement portion 13 is folded under finger pressure and therefore the opening 17 is required to be sufficiently large, so that the legs 18 of the portion 5 13 can be easily bent and the portion 13 folded over. The engagement portion 13 could take various other forms known in the art such as a T-section. The gutter bracket 10 further includes a stiffening arrangement. In the gutter support portion 12, the stiffening arrangement includes opposite edges 20 are 10 stepped above a central portion 21 at step 22. The central portion 21 is curved convexly between the opposite edges 20 when viewed from beneath the gutter bracket 10. Each of the edge steps 20 and the curved central portion 21 stiffen the gutter bracket 10 against flexing. Also, when guttering is supported by the bracket 10, the guttering is supported only on the supporting surfaces 15 23 between the edges 20 and the step 22 and not on the central portion 21 between the edge steps 20. The stiffening arrangement of the gutter bracket 10 further includes a stiffening groove 25 and a bridging portion 26. It is apparent from Figure la that the 20 groove 25 extends from the attachment portion 11, continuously through the bridging portion 26 and into the gutter portion 12. The groove 25 extends through the major extent of the attachment portion 11 and through a minor extent of the gutter support portion 12. As shown in Figure Ia, the groove 25 extends almost to the upper edge 27 of the attachment portion 11, while the 25 groove extends to a position about one third of the lengthwise extent of the gutter support portion 12. The groove 25 is positioned generally centrally between the edges 20 of the gutter support portion 12 and at the groove end 28, the groove 25 merges into 30 the central portion 21. The groove 25 opens in a direction away from the section of guttering the bracket 10 would support and therefore it opens generally in the direction A shown in Figure 1 b. W.uie\AndrewCompletes\Gu erBracketdoc 9 The bridging portion 26 extends from a bottom region 30 of the attachment portion 11 and extends generally at an upward incline away from the attachment portion 11 to connect with the gutter support portion 12. The connections between the attachment portion 11, the gutter support portion 12 5 and the bridging portion 26 are by curved portions 31 and 32 so that the bridging portion 26 and the curved portions 31, 32 form a general S shape. The stiffening arrangement which has been described in relation to Figures Ia and 1b, comprising the stiffening groove 25 and the bridging portion 26, 10 imparts significant stiffness to the gutter bracket 10 to resist movement of the gutter support portion 12 relative to the attachment portion 11 when the bracket 10 is in a guttering supporting position. Because of the increased stiffness of the bracket 10, the sheet metal which is employed to produce the bracket 10 can be of a thinner gauge than used previously. Additionally, as 15 discussed before, a pre-painted sheet metal can be employed having all the benefits that have previously been given. In relation to Figures 2a and 2b, a gutter bracket 40 is illustrated, which includes an attachment portion 41, a gutter support portion 42 and an edge 20 engagement portion 43. Many of the features of the gutter bracket 40 are the same or very similar to the gutter bracket 10 and therefore those similar features will not be described here in detail. However, a departure from the gutter bracket 10 is that the gutter bracket 40 does not include a bridging portion of the kind included in the gutter bracket 10. Rather, the gutter support 25 portion 42 extends directly from the attachment portion 41 and in the gutter bracket 40, the stiffening arrangement is provided by the stiffening groove 44. The stiffening groove 44 stiffens the junction between the attachment portion 41 and the gutter support portion 42 and is acceptable for use where the weight supported by the bracket 40 does not require use of a stiffening 30 bridging portion of the kind described in relation to the gutter bracket 10. Thus, the stiffening groove 44 provides sufficient stiffening for the purposes of the gutter bracket 40 that a bridging portion is not required. WWA\ Completes\GLn Bracket.doc 10 Figures 3 and 4 show still further alternative embodiments of a gutter bracket according to the invention. The gutter bracket of Figure 3 is shaped to support an Old Gothic form of guttering, while the bracket of Figure 4 is to support quad guttering. Referring to Figure 3, the gutter bracket 50 includes an 5 attachment portion 51, a gutter support portion 52 and an edge engagement portion 53. In the gutter bracket 50, a stiffening rib is provided which extends through a major portion of the attachment portion 51 and through a major portion of the gutter support portion 52 so that the stiffening groove 54 extends to about the region marked R 3 . Accordingly, the stiffening groove 54 extends 10 through the gutter support portion 52 to a much greater extent than in relation to the gutter brackets 10 and 40. This illustrates that the stiffening groove can be provided to extend in any suitable manner sufficiently to provide the stiffening required. Thus, the shape and dimensions (width, depth and length) of a stiffening groove in a bracket according to the invention can change in any 15 suitable manner to suit the construction and requirements of the invention. In relation to Figure 4, the gutter bracket 60 includes an attachment portion 61, a gutter support portion 62 and an edge engagement portion 63. A stiffening groove 64 extends through a major portion of the attachment portion 61 and 20 terminates about in the region R 4 . Like the gutter bracket 50 of Figure 3, the stiffening groove 64 extends for a greater extent through the gutter support portion 62 than in the gutter brackets 10 or 40. 25 While in all of the embodiments discussed above, a single stiffening groove is disclosed, the invention embodies the use of two or more stiffening grooves, such as side by side or end to end, or both. Any number of stiffening grooves, of any shape or dimension, may be provided as required. Additionally, while 30 only the gutter bracket 10 has been shown as having a bridging portion 26, such portions could be included in the brackets 40, 50 and 60 if required. w:VuuueAndsewcorne uner Bracelt.doc 11 The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the above description. 5 WVdL'e\AndrewCmpletes\Gutter Bracketdoc

Claims

1. A gutter bracket for supporting eaves guttering, the bracket including an attachment portion for attachment of the bracket to a building, a concave gutter 5 support portion for supporting a section of guttering, the gutter support portion being shaped complementary to at least a substantial portion of the outside surface of the section of guttering the bracket supports, and an edge engagement portion remote from the attachment portion for engaging an edge of the guttering, the bracket being formed from sheet metal and including a 10 stiffening arrangement between the attachment portion and the gutter support portion to stiffen the bracket against deflection between the attachment portion and the gutter support portion.

2. A gutter bracket according to claim 1, wherein the stiffening 15 arrangement includes a stiffening groove that extends through a portion of each of the attachment portion and gutter support portion.

3. A gutter bracket according to claim 2, wherein the stiffening groove extends through a major portion of the attachment portion. 20

4. A gutter bracket according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the stiffening groove extends through a minor portion of the gutter support portion.

5. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the 25 stiffening groove is positioned substantially centrally between opposite sides of the gutter support portion.

6. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the stiffening groove is arranged to open away from the section of guttering it 30 supports.

7. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the gutter support portion extends from the attachment portion. W~leAde\rwsoasGte Bracketdoc 13

8. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stiffening arrangement includes a bridging portion which extends between the attachment portion and the gutter support portion, the bridging portion being inclined relative to the parts of each of the attachment portion and the gutter 5 support portion which are immediately adjacent to the bridging portion.

9. A gutter bracket according to claim 7 wherein the attachment portion is generally planar and in use, the bridging portion extends from a bottom part of the attachment portion and extends generally at an upward incline away from 10 the attachment portion to the gutter support portion.

10. A gutter bracket according to claim 9, wherein the bridging portion and the parts of each of the attachment portion and the gutter support portion which are immediately adjacent to the bridging portion form generally an S 15 shape.

11. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the stiffening arrangement further includes an edge step which is formed along at least one side edge of the gutter support portion. 20

12. A gutter bracket according to claim 11, wherein the edge step has a height or depth of about 1.0mm to 3.0mm

13. A gutter bracket according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the edge step 25 extends for substantially the full length of the gutter support portion.

14. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the gutter support portion is a generally half round shape. 30

15. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the gutter support portion is U shape. WW: AdreAComn tsGuner Bracketdoc 14

16. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the sheet metal is pre-painted sheet metal.

17. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the 5 sheet metal is selected from copper, aluminium, galvanised steel, or zinc alloy.

18. A gutter bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the sheet metal has a thickness of between 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. 10 Wilufe\AnewAComp letes\Guter Bracket.doc