AU641872B2 - Closure for opening in roof guttering - Google Patents

Description

P/00/0Oil 28/b/91 AUSTALIARegulation 3.2 Patents Act 1990 b4 1

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: C.LOSUR.E FQER..OPEN.ING IN ROOF %**The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best of performing it known to me:- TH.s INVENT.N...re.ates to rof gtteri..g...and is paticl.lar.ly concerned... with. .a...rangement to facilitate-..the r.emoval...of leaves...lea-f... mulch...and othex debr.is fromn.. gutteri Present me.thods...of.keepiig rof... gutters.. .free of debrIs...ho allow unimpeded f-ow of rainwater.. are... dependen.t either uparn... the preventin...of leaves...and twigs enLaring...gutters in the.J irst... pace.....or nc.e der~Is-b.as. entered the gutters... upQn..maualy... scrapig S.ee.Pig J. f m ro. .c to ~ly..5eV..k. QQr$..frQ1'g.~WiU IP( ite.A ti p...waQ thr.~h. r .1A~ ae. e 11 a_ if o insufficiently effective, and a requirement still remains for the debris to be manually removed from the roof.

Manual scraping and sweeping of the gutters usually necessitates scooping the debris over the vertcal side of the gutter, which can be both difficult and ineffective. In places where the roof overhang projects over the gutter to a marked extent, it can be virtually impossible to completely and safely remove the leaves.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a closure for a gutter which will alleviate or substantially overcome the aforementioned problems associated with conventional methods of debris removal.

According to the present invention there is provided a closure incorporating a substantially water-tight sealing 15 plate and a tightening arrangement to close an opening in roof guttering, which opening has been created to facilitate the removal of debris from the guttering.

To facilitate removing debrisfrom the gutter, the device would be loosened and preferably removed from the gutter opening. The debris could then be scraped along the gutter towards the opening through which it is discharged, using a simple tool such as a paint scraper or the like. After the gutter is cleared the device should be relocated and tightened in order to retain a water- 25 tight seal.

The closure may take several different forms and all should prove effective when used with any profile and size of commercially available house guttering.

a a..

a

B

1 3 It should be possible for the procedure required to remove and replace the closure in the gutter opening to be carried out with one hand, thereby reducing hazards which could otherwise be associated with a two-handed operation.

A preferred embodiment of the closure is a complete unit and does not incorporate other attachments. It may be inserted through the opening in the gutter, and wing nuts tightened to close the sealing plate onto the interior of the gutter. Flat pressure bars which are fixed to the plate reduce distortion of the plate and press the e plate onto the opening. The action of tightening the wing nuts also draws a bridge-shaped bar down the bolts, which pass through holes in the bridge-shaped bar. The bridge-shaped bar incorporates further pressure bars at each foot and these are oriented at right angles to 15 the length of the bridge-shaped bar. The pressure bars are broughtinto contact with the external surface ***too of the gutter, and thereby an opposing force may be exerted upon tightening of the wing nuts which enables 20 the plate to tighten onto the internal surface of the gutter. Alternatively the closure may be formed in reverse to contact the internal and external surfaces of the gutter respectively.

The bridge-shaped bar deforms as a result of 25 increased force exerted by the tigitening of the wing nuts, thereby minimising distortion of the plate and gutter and ensuring that approximately equal pressure canbe applied to all points of the seal. These

C

mechanical features should make light-weight construction of the closure possible which in turn should reduce distortion of the gutter.

The distance between the pressure bars on one side of the gutter and thedistance between the pressure bars on the opposing side preferably differs in order that the opposing forces on each of the gutter opening tend to flatten out any unwanted distortion of the gutter, thereby assisting theclosure to effect a water-tight 10 seal of the opening. Thec-losure ideally includes a iO sealing material located between the gutter and the sealing plate and may be adhered or otherwise connected to the sealing plate.

Another embodiment of the closureutilizes 15 attachments which are fixed to the guttering by rivets 15 or other means, for the purpose of assisting installation of the closure. With the variation described, the closure seals the gutter opening by means of the plate closing onto the external surface of the gutter. Pressure on 20 the seal may be effected by screws which advance through threaded holes in a bar and locate in recesses in the plate. The bar engages at each end, brackets which are attached to the gutter at each end of the opening, preferably by the use of pop rivets. The use of silicone or other sealant through the pop rivets will prevent egress of water. A sealing material may again be used similar to that of the first embodiment.

C

a a C. C

C

C

I t Pins are fixed to the plate preferably by a welded join between the surface of the plate and its interface with the compressible seal. The pins slide through holes in the bar as the screws are tightened and the plate closes onthe gutter opening. This variation of the device is also a complete unit.

There are various other alternative means by which the closuremay close and seal a gutter opening, among them being hingeor slide arrangements, or arrangements iQ whereby a wedge or taper sliding in a housing, or an elliptical cylinder exerts pressure on the closure.

Many more variations are possible which would also come S" with the scope of this invention.

The closure could be produced from a variety of .13 suitable materials. Materials from which the plate could be constructed by include galvanized iron, stainless steel or coated metal, non-rusting metals or fibreglass or other plastic materials, but it is preferred that they are ultra-violet and/or heat resistant. It would be preferable for the bridge-shaped bars to be produced from resilient material such as stainless steel which will revert to the original shape when the pressure is removed.

A resilient compressible material is preferably.

used to form the sealing material and a thickness of approximately 6mm and hardness of approximately 35 Duro may be necessary to enable the sealing material to accomodate the shape of any gutter profile. It is also preferable that a non-perishable heat-resistant material is used, and one which will not absorb water, such as closed 6 cell Neoprene sponge.

The Closure may be used to close and seal an opening which has been formed either on the underside and/or on the vertical outer face of the gutter at any point along the length of the gutter. It may be preferable toform an opening at the join between two lengths of gutter in order to discharge the leaves, and the closure would be equally effective in such a position.

The siting of the gutter openings and hence the location of the closure will be indicated by circumstances, and may for example be positioned at a low point of the gutter where leaves and debris tend to accumulate, or beneath an overhanging tree or in the vicinity of the junction of a downpipe with the gutter. Such locations would permit removal of the leaves and debris with greater ease A preferred emobdiment of the invention will 0 now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- FIG 1 is a side elevation of the closure in situ but with the closure not tightened.

FIG 2 is a view from below the gutter showing thecclosure in situ.

FIG 3 is a perspective view of a section of gutter showing the closure in situ.

FIG 4 5 show an embodiment of theclosure which makes use of attachments on the gutter in order to enable pressure to be exerted on the closure plate.

FIG 4 is a side elevation of theclosure in situ but with the closure not tightened.

FIG 5 is an enlarged side elevation of one end of the closure.

Referring to FIG 1 the gutter section 1 has an opening represented by the edges 2 formed in its base. As wing nuts 3 are tightened, a bridgeshaped bar 5 slides along bolts 4 which move through holes 6 in the bridge-shaped bar. Pressure is exerted on the base of the gutter by pressure bars 7.

Simultaneosly, the tightening action draws the plate 8 9* and seal 9 tightly onto the gutter base and a watertight seal is provided.

Holes drilled through the plate and sealing material allow bolts to extend through them into the pressure bars 10. These are welded to the plate thereby preventing rotation of the bolts or egress sees of water through the plate. The seal also acts as a tight-fitting washer around the bolts ensuring further that no water escapes.

Referring to FIG 4 5, the base of the gutter 1 is shown and the ends of the opening 2. Stirrup brackets 3 are attached to the gutter base by means of rivets 4 and it is preferred that silicone or similar 3rsealant is applied around the rivets, A bar has tapped holes 10 through which screws 11 pass, and drilled holes though which pins 12 have sufficient clearance to slide.

The bar sngages the stirrup brackets, The screw tips locate depressions 13 in the plate. The screws are tightened and the plate 7 and resilient seal 8 are forced against the opening to achieve a water-tight seal.

69 0 **go 9 *00*0

Claims (9)

1. A gutter or guttering system with a closure comprising a substantially water-tight sealing plate and a tightening arrangement to close an opening in roof guttering, which opening has been created to facilitate the removal of debris from the guttering.

2. A guttering system according to Claim 1. said closure being a complete unit requiring no additional accessories or attachments.

3. A guttering system according to Claim 1. which utilizes attachments on said gutter to assist the process of tightening said sealing plate onto the gutter opening. A

4. A guttering system according to any one of the preceding claims which includes a bridge-shaped bar the end of which connects to pressure bars which come into tight contact with said gutter by application of said tightening .0 I I I I tt arrangement and the resultant deformation of said bridge- I" shaped bar substantially reduces distortion of said sealing plate and/or gutter thereby effecting said water seal.

A guttering system according to any one of the preceding claims wherin said gutter opening is formed on the underside and/or the vertical outer face of the gutter.

6. A guttering system according to any one of the preceding *o Sclaims wherein a sealing material is used with said closure and is of a resilient compressible nature. cont'd. (Name of Applicant) (Dam) (BLOCK LETTERS) SNote: If there is insufficient space above to type the statement of claim, do not use this sheet, but use separate sheets of paper beginning with the words "The claims defining the invention are as follows:" and ending with the date and the natme of the applicant in block letters. l0 The claims defining the invention Page 2.

7. A guttering system according to Claim 6. wherein said sealing material has thickness and hardness properties which will enable the closure to be used with most commercially available gutter profiles.

8. A guttering system according to any one of the preceding claims, including ultra-violet and/or heat resistant materials.

9. A guttering system substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. e* ROBERT WATSON SNEDDON 25th June 1993 (Name of Applicant) S S 1 I A B S T R A C T A device to close an opening in roof guttering which has been formed for the purpose of removing debris. The device comprises a plate and resilient compressible seal which close onto the gutter opening by a screw arrangement. Pressure bars (7,10) have the effect of spreading the force thereby reducing distortion of the gutter and achieving a water-tight seal. *o*