AU2009225312A1 - Flat Front Leaf Ejecting Gutter System - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT FLAT FRONT LEAF EJECTING GUTTER SYSTEM The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 FLAT FRONT LEAF EJECTING GUTTER SYSTEM This invention offers a more effective, easier to install and manufacture, surface tension water collecting, leaf ejecting, roof gutter system to all other such inventions on the market. It also completely overrides every mesh method, of keeping leaves out of gutters. There have been many inventions registered which have endeavoured to solve the problem of leaves collecting in roof gutters; even special tools to dean the leaves and muck out of them have been patented. Most of the leaf repelling systems consist of, or have incorporated into them, a mesh of some sort which is anticipated will allow water through the holes at the same time it catches leaves on the mesh. The leaves caught on the mesh are expected to be blown away in the next stiff breeze. One American invention (trade marked "Rainhandler") has completely bypassed the water collecting gutter altogether by approaching the problem with a horizontal louver device, attached to the fascia beneath the roof overhang, which it claims causes water from the roof to be broken into droplets and harmlessly sprayed to the ground. This method also relies on wind to blow away the leaves, which have drifted onto the louver, but the manufacturer also suggest the leaves can be removed with a quick blast from a hose aimed up from ground level. An improvement on meshes and louvers are the various surface tension inventions which basically are profiles designed to cover and protrude over the front of the water collecting part of each invention so that rain water by surface tension will wash away leaves etc. as it travels down around a curved front edge through a narrow gap, beneath the surface tension unit's leading curved edge, into a water collecting system below that takes the water to a down-pipe. All of these approaches, to the problem of leaves blocking gutters, have inherent 2 weaknesses. For example mesh systems have holes, in most cases, large enough to let leaves that fall end on including pine needles, or small things like gum nuts, and even small flowers from trees plus other similar objects, to either get through or become stuck in the mesh so they won't blow away. Also when a mesh has larger holes the wind will blow through them directly into the gutter beneath instead of lifting off the stray leaves (in fact when this happens the leaves are often held more firmly in place). Smaller mesh holes have the tendency to cause rain water to "sheet" right across them to be lost over the edge instead of being collected for tank storage. The American invention ("Rainhandler") is also unable to collect water for storage and the need to squirt a hose up from the ground, to clear unwanted leaves, is an extra undesirable operation. Even the more successful surface tension units have design problems which can cause the flow of water to become unruly. Plus the rounded leading edge needed to create the surface tension inhibits such systems from ever becoming slim line products. Most surface tension units are manufactured as one piece i.e. the surface tension part of the invention with it's gutter beneath are kept parallel to each other which in tum means if the gutter part is to carry water to a down-pipe it of necessity needs to be sloped; this then means the top surface tension segment of the invention ends up not being parallel to the roof over hang. The rainwater therefore coming from the roof, once it lands on the surface tension portion of the unit will all run towards one end and thus become unruly. These problems are eliminated with the Flat Front Leaf Ejecting Gutter System because there is no sloping surface tension segment (to cause rainwater to slop to one end), mesh, or louver. All leaves automatically wash off over the front edge of the system, when it rains, allowing only water to be collected in a normal adjustable gutter beneath and because there are no holes, in the portion that covers the gutter, wind during dry periods is able to get under all leaves, that may be lying there, to easily blow them away. Above the slightly lowered normal gutter; to take advantage of the natural surface tension and gravitational phenomenon which causes water to drop over edges to feed 3 back inward, if the downward shape is right, a narrow Flat Front edge has been incorporated into this invention (to do away with the usual more bulky round leading edge used in other inventions); which leads into an inward sloping plane that delivers water into the gutter. Through careful research it has been determined a vertical, more slimline, flat front edge performs equally as well as the former round edge approach previously used in the movement of rain water, via surface tension, to a position directly below where it commenced after coming from the roof. The gutter in the Flat Front Leaf Ejecting Gutter System is able to be lowered, by means of sliding bracket units, to allow the flat front surface tension unit above to be installed parallel to the front edge of the roof overhang (the best position for the best result) by being sprung into a clip attached to the fascia board, that runs the length of the board, so the surface tension unit's top side is just below the bottom side of the roof overhang allowing the rain water to first pour over onto this attachment before running down its slight slope to flow over the flat front edge. At the open back of this unit, on both the top and bottom is a narrow flange (facing upwards and downwards respectively) running its full length which enables the back of the unit to be sprung in under the top and into the bottom narrow inward folded edges of a strip of flat metal screwed lengthways to the fascia board, beforehand, thereby enabling the surface tension unit to be securely clipped into place above the gutter; which gutter is able to slope to it's down-pipe, in the usual manner, while the unit above stays parallel to the roof overhang. So that this special unit above the gutter will spring into place and hold, the back of it (the part that fits into the long metal clip) is deliberately made wider than the clip to give it springiness. For this reason sheet metal is considered best for the job (standard metal materials currently used in the roof and gutter industry such as "Colorbond" or "Zincalume" are suitable). Metal also shows a good resistance to fire.

4 To avoid water splashing back under the roof overhang onto the fascia board (which in turn could cause rotting) a length of angle metal, the width of which goes from the top of the flat front surface tension unit nearly up to the underside of the overhang, is attached to the top of the surface tension unit. From the bottom edge of the flat front, of the surface tension unit, the profile slopes back in towards the fascia at a downward angle to stop over the middle of the gutter before rising again to continue to the fascia clip; thereby the rain is directed straight into the gutter away from the fascia board. The water collecting gutter of necessity has to be fixed to the fascia with external gutter brackets (brackets that go under the gutter) to allow space for the overhanging unit above to fit properly. Larger buildings such as factories and hospitals sometimes have roof valleys that run directly into a down pipe with a box gutter at the top. This means a shorter version of the flat front surface tension roof gutter system needs to be implemented that is sized to fit the larger down pipe.

5 DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE ONE This drawing shows a perspective view of the Flat Front Surface Tension Leaf Ejecting Unit (1) which goes immediately above the normal roof gutter with it's flat front edge (2) protruding sufficiently to allow any leaves and debris that have not already been blown away by wind to be washed off directly to the ground during rain while the water itself flows down around the shape of the profile directly into the gutter beneath. The top and bottom flanges at the back of the unit (3) are designed to be squeezed together and released into the metal strip (4) attached to the fascia board for the purpose of holding the Flat Front Unit firmly in place. The flanges (already mentioned) hook in under the folded over edges (5) of the metal strip attached to the fascia. Back beneath the roof overhang an angular piece of metal (6) extends the full length of the Fat Front Surface Tension Unit to block rain water splashing onto the fascia as it pours down from the roof. The smaller segment (7) with a similar profile to portion of the Flat Front Surface Tension Leaf Ejecting Unit is for joining two butted lengths of the complete profile together when such needs to be the case. Both the profile (1) and the joining piece (7) have holes punched (or drilled) in them - some of which are pointed out in (8) - to line up with each other, once the smaller joining segment is cemented in place, so that rivets may also be added to guarantee the strength needed. FIGURE TWO The device in this figure is attached to the fascia board beneath where the Flat Front Surface Tension Unit will be installed. It is designed to allow the gutter brackets to be lowered so the Surface Tension Unit can more easily be put into place first. It consist of a vertical metal strip (1) with folded in edges (2) under which the slotted piece (3 and 4), with the gutter bracket (5) fixed to it, may slide up and down as needed. To secure the gutter into place the narrow strip (6) is to be folded over the front top rolled edge of the gutter when the sliding unit is down. A screw or a stud, which is to act as a stop (both to 6 the upward and downward movement of the slide), is placed approximately at (7) and the inverted V shaped cut (8) at the bottom of the slide is where a screw, to hold everything in place, is to be put after the gutter has been slid up into position. These bracket devices are spaced and attached in the same gradual descending manner normal gutter brackets are so the water can freely flow to the down pipe in the usual manner. FIGURE THREE This shows an end view of how the overall process works: the water runs down the roof (1) onto and down the Flat Front Surface Tension Leaf Ejecting Unit (2) to the flat front edge where it is successfully held with surface tension as it drops to the bottom inward sloping portion of the profile and continues into the gutter (3) beneath. Leaves will be washed off, away from the gutter, because they are not held by surface tension to the water as the water is to the profile under it They simply float to the vertical flat front section of the Surface Tension Unit then drop to the ground. FIGURE FOUR In this figure the Flat Front Surface Tension Leaf Ejecting Unit is again shown in perspective with its flat front edge (1), and upper and lower flanges at the back designed to be squeezed together, inserted in under the folded edges of the metal strip attached to the fascia, and allowed to spring out tightly into place to thereby hold the Surface Tension Unit firm (2) - see also figure one. From the top flange to just behind the roof overhang the profile is flat and horizontal (3) then it slopes slightly (4) to allow the rain, from the roof, to flow down to the flat front edge away from the angled length long strip just back from the overhang (5) which is there to prevent stray water splashing onto the fascia. On each end of the assembled work this angular strip stops short, by the width of the end cap flange (6), to allow the end cap (7) to fit properly (the cap at the other end is of course the opposite configuration). Next (8) shows how the joining strip will look when it is cemented and riveted into position (as indicated in 9 where just two of the four visible rivets are pointed out).

7 FIGURE FIVE To remove the difficulty of designing perfect joining strips to fit without awkwardness in corners (both internal and external) a prefabricated Corner Unit - (1) in both this Figure showing the internal and Figure Six showing the external - has been invented which will easily spring into the attachment strips (2) already there on the fascia boards. The lengths of the Flat Front Surface Tension Leaf Ejecting Units (3), on either side of the corner, are then butted and joined in the same manner already described in Figures 1 and 4, to the Corner Unit (1). FIGURE SIX Is the reverse of Figure Five showing an external corner unit (1) which also attaches to the fascia strips (2) as explained in Figures 1, 4, and 5. Plus in the same way, as described in Figure Five above, the lengths of Surface Tension profile on either side of the external Corner Unit (3) are butted, cemented, and riveted to the External Corner Unit (1).

Claims (8)

1. Sheet metal lengths (e.g. of "color bond" or "Zincalume" etc.) that are shaped in such a manner so as to, when attached to the fascia of a building (by being sprung into a special metal strip, fixed near the top of the fascia running its full length), cause the water coming from the roof during rain to not only be unable to back up (this is achieved by a length long vertical strip behind but parallel to the front of the roof overhang), but to be directed to its front edge which is flat and vertical instead of rounded, as is the case in other surface tension systems, to drop down and feed back under into the gutter beneath; which gutter during the attaching of these shaped metal lengths is able to be lowered by means of sliding bracket units to provide sufficient space to work with the shaped surface tension metal lengths above when attaching such to the fascia, cementing and riveting them together with connecting sheet metal strips having holes for the rivets (to match holes in the above mentioned flat faced surface tension units), joining by the same means these surface tension units to the matching comer angles (either internal or external) when necessary, or putting the left and right end-stops in place; all of which (the connecting sheet metal strips, comer angles, and end-stops) are also here being claimed.

2. That the shape of the formed sheet metal lengths of claim 1 (the Flat Faced Surface Tension Units) follows the profile illustrated in figures one, and three through to six of the drawings wherein this surface tension unit that is affixed to the fascia board directly above a normal gutter, which gutter slopes at the usual angle for carrying it's water to a down pipe, has a vertical outward flange on its rear fascia side (on both the top and bottom), to enable it to be firmly sprung into the fascia holding device of claim 1 (shown in figures one, five and six of the drawings) followed by (on the top of the unit) a horizontal plane (as illustrated in figure four item 3) which stops just behind where the roof overhang finishes to gently slope down, at a shallow angle, to the vertical flat faced front edge (which runs the entire length of each surface tension unit) to continue, at the 9 bottom of this narrow flat front edge, back in at a downward angle (toward the fascia), sufficient to allow the rain water by surface tension to be deposited along the centre of the gutter below, before it rises vertically a short distance to return, at an angle similar to that of the drop from the bottom of the flat front edge to the upward angle described, to the fascia directly below the starting point mentioned at the beginning of this daim explanation thereby leaving an open end at the fascia in principle like unto the open end of a V lying on it's side which would appear as such > (see figure three for a side view of the actual configuration).

3. The length long vertical strip of claim 1 is positioned behind but parallel to the front of the roof overhang wherein it is on the top of the surface tension unit (of claims 1 and 2) and consists of a length of angular metal riveted and cemented (or siliconed) into place with the cemented side of the angle inward toward the fascia (as shown in figure one item 6); from end to end of each length save at the very ends of the complete assembly where it is indented from the end to allow for the end caps of Claim 1 to be attached (see figures four 5 and 6).

4. The sliding bracket units of daim 1 consist of a vertical sheet metal strip with narrow folded in sides under which a slotted length of metal (of a similar gauge and almost the same width), with a gutter bracket fixed to it at the bottom, may slide up and down as needed when installing the surface tension units of aims 1, 2, and 3, into which also a screw or a stud is placed in the vertical slot of the sliding segment of the device through a hole in the stationary portion (in which it slides) into the fascia to act as a stop, both to the upward and downward movement of the slide, which slide also has an inverted V shape cut into it's bottom edge as the location for a screw to be put into the fascia, to hold everything in place, once the gutter has been slid up into position directly beneath the surface tension unit above it (as illustrated in figure two).

5. There are connecting strips of sheet metal (mentioned in daim 1), with holes punched or drilled in them to line up with matching holes in the ends of each surface tension unit length, to accommodate rivets, which connecting strips follow the shape of the surface tension unit from the length long angular metal section (of aims 1 and 3) to 10 slope to and down the flat front edge and back under down the inward angle to cease at the point where the profile rises at a right angle to return to the fascia (see figure one 7 and figure four 8).

6. The corner segments, of Claim 1, wherein the Flat Faced Surface Tension Units are able to be joined to previously made surface tension angles (of the same configuration), either internally or externally as the situation dictates, by being attached (by means of the connecting strips described in Claim 5) to these corner assemblies which are constructed from two short sections of Flat Faced Surface Tension Unit joined together at right angles to each other (either as internal or external corners depending on what is needed; see figures five 1 and six 1 of the drawings).

7. That the end-stops of Claim 1 follow the shape the Flat Front Surface Tension Unit makes once it has been compressed and released into the special metal strips of Claim 1, on the fascia, to hold it and that these end-stops have a right angle flange on all edges save the back end, nearest to the fascia, to allow the end-stop to be easily slid onto and attached to the surface tension unit; which end-stop will have it's right angle flange on the side the surface tension assemble needs it to be, that is either on the right or left (see figure four 7).

8. The water controlling device (the Flat Front Surface Tension Unit) of Claims 1 to 7 wherein this device is attached to the fascia board by clipping it into the special metal strip of Claims 1, 2, and 7, which arrangement fixed near the top of the fascia consist of a narrow length of flat metal with its top and bottom edges bent a small way inward to take the two right angular strips (flanges) of the surface tension unit described in Claim 2; which metal length is screwed horizontally (through pre drilled/punched holes) onto the fascia, for the full length of the fascia, to thereby allow the Flat Front Surface Tension Unit of Claims 1 to 7 to spring into the long fascia metal strip designed to receive it after the Flat Front Surface Tension Unit is first squeezed together, on it's rear fascia side, so that it may be put into place before being released into the bent over edges of the fascia metal lengths to hold firmly (consider figure one 4 and 5 and figures five 2 and six 2 of the drawings).