AU673573B2

AU673573B2 - Rain water guttering and shield therefor

Info

Publication number: AU673573B2
Application number: AU56426/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Trevor John Butler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-02-25
Filing date: 1994-02-25
Publication date: 1996-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-25
Also published as: AU5642694A

Description

jp.

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT

S

5 *5 o Name of Applicant: TREVOR JOHN BUTLER Actual Inventor(s): TREVOR JOHN BUTLER Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, 239 Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Adelaide Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "RAIN WATER GUTTERING AND SHIELD THEREFOR" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PL7494 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -1- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to rain water gutters and shields therefor.

Overflowing gutters are a common problem. Most rain water gutters, such as the kind affixed to suburban homes, are of a channel configuration with a generally shaped cross section. The rear wall of gutters of this kind are generally configured so as to extend to a height lower than the corresponding front wall of the gutter. This feature results in any overflow from the gutter being directed towards the house thus promoting flooding of the house and often causing extensive and costly damage.

The problems associated with overflowing gutters are exacerbated by debris such as leaves and twigs. from overhanging trees accumulating in the gutters.

Accumulation of this debris reduces the carrying capacity and efficiency of the gutter and often causes the gutter channel to be fouled or blocked resulting in a oO• gutter overflowing and causing the above mentioned flooding.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a gutter and a shield therefor which overcomes or at least partly alleviate the above mentioned difficulties.

The present invention provides rain water guttering of channel form, said guttering having a rear wall and a base together defining a rear corner of the guttering, and a front wall extending upwardly from the base, said front wall having a free upper edge terminating in a front lip which is adapted to receive a shield in the form of a strip of mesh material and said rear wall having a free o *upper edge terminating in a rear lip, said front wall upper edge configured so as to extend to a height Icwer than the height of said rear wall upper edge when in use.

The present invention also provides a shield for a rain water guttering of channel form, said guttering having a rear wall and a base together defining a rear corner of the guttering, and a front wall extending upwardly from the base, said front wall having a free upper edge terminating in a front lip which is adapted to receive a shield in the form of a strip of mesh material and said rear wall having a free upper edge terminating in a rear lip, said front wall upper edge configured so as to extend to a height lower than the height of said rear wall upper edge when in use; said shield comprising a strip of flexible mesh material, the mesh material having a front edge and a rear edge, said front edge being releasably retainable by said front lip and said rear edge being releasably retainable at said back wall.

In a preferred form, the gutter is of a substantially shaped cross section, haviny a flat base, which in use lies substantially horizontal. The gutter also includes a rear wall, which in use is substantially vertical, and a front wall which in use is generally vertical although it may be inclined at an angle away from the rear wall. The gutter thus defines a channel between the rear wall, the front wall and the base.

In a preferred form, the front wall has a free upper edge that defines a front lip.

.iAlternatively, the front lip may be defined by the presence of an outwardly extending portion extending away from the end of the front wall, together with an 15 upwardly extending po.ion and an inwardly extending portion which together define a generally hook shaped front lip.

In a further preferred form, the rear wall extends upwardly from the base, thus defining the rear corner, the upper end of the rear wall defining the upper free edge. In an alternative form, the upperfree edge may be defined by an inwardly projecting portion which projects substantially perpendicular from the rear wall and substantially parallel to the base.

S

go Preferably, the distance from the base to the upper free edge of the rear wall is greater than the distance from the base to the upper free edge of the front wall.

Thus, the height of the front upper edge is less than the height of the rear upper edge.

Guttering of this form allows for any overflow of water to be directed away from the house over the front edge of the gutter. This is beneficial as overflow of S water over the rear wall would result in flooding.

Preferably, the shield of the invention is made of a fine metal mesh material which is powder coated, heat treated and anodised. The mesh preferably includes apertures which are squares of side length about 1mm. In a further preferred feature the mesh material is reasonable bendable and resilient so that it is easily moulded into various configurations to allow for easy location within the gutter and so that the resilience of the material allows for a force fit.

Preferably, the shieid locates in the gutter by placing the rear edge of the shield in the rear corner of the gutter and bending the shield so as to locate the front edge of the shield under the front lip of the gutter. In the preferred form of guttering referred to above, this results in the front edge of the shield being held by the front lip.

In another preferred form, the rear edge of the shield may be located over the rear upper edge of the rear wall and held in place by abutment thereof with the Q 99 roof or a portion of the roofing. In this form, debris is entirely precluded from entering the channel. In the former preferred embodiment, although the majority of debris would be shed over the front edge of the gutter, a small portion of debris may find its way through the gap between the shield and the roof and accumulate at the rear edge of the shield.

0o** The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated that the following description is not to limit the generality of the above description.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a section-view of a shield and gutter according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a section-view of a shield and gutter according to another embodiment; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the gutter of Figures 1 and 2.

Illustrated in Figure 1 is a rain water gutter having a base 10, a front wall 12 and a rear wall 14. The front wall 12 is inclined at an angle to perpendicular of the base 10, and extends upwardly from the base A free upper edge is located at the free end of the front wall 12, the free upper edge including a hook shaped portion which defines a front lip 16.

The rear wall extends perpendicularly from the base 10 and includes at its upper end a free upper edge 18. The free upper edge 18 is defined by an inwardly extending portion which projects perpendicularly from the rear wall 14.

Defined between the rear wall 14 and the base 10 is the rear corner 20, while of the front and rear walls (12 and 14) and the base 10 define S.therebetween a channel 22 within which rain water may accumulate and pass along.

The gutter illustrated in Figure 1 is also illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 and the same reference numerals have been used to indicate the same features.

The shield 24 as illustrated in Figure 1 is shown as a bendable and resilient *t*e piece of metal mesh, provided in elongate form so as to extend along the length of the guttering as required. As can be seen, the embodiment illustrated in 2 Figure 1 shows the rear edge 26 of the shield 24 being provided adjacent to the rear corner 20 of the gutter so as to abut the rear wall 14 and be held thereagainst. The front edge 28 of the shield 24 may then be placed within the opening of the hook shaped front lip 16 to be held therein by the resilience of the material.

An alternative method of holding the shield in place is illustrated in Figure 2. In Figure 2, the shield 30 has its rear edge 32 located adjacent the upper surface of the rear lip 18 so as to abut thereagainst when the gutter is placed adjacent the front line of a roof. Thus, the line of the roof and the rear lip 18 hold the rear edge 32 of the shield 30 in place. As with the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the front edge 34 of the shield 30 is held in place within the opening of the hook shaped front lip 16 due to the resilience of the material.

Further, in relation to the embodiment of Figure 2, the shield 30 includes a valley 36 which runs along the length of the shield 30 to provide a collection trough for debris caught by the shield In the preferred form of the gutter illustrated in Figure 3, the rear wall 14 has a dimension of about 73mm, the base 10 is in the range of 80 to 120mm, the front wall 12 is about 55mm, the upper and lower portions (40 and 42 respectively) of the front lip 16 are each about 10mm, while the intermediate portion 44 of the front lip 16 is about 5mm and the rear lip 18 extends about 15mm into the channel.

Finally, it will be appreciated that there may be other modifications and variations 15 to the configurations described about that are also within the scope of the Spresent invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

0 OV, Ott4

S..

S S

S

Claims

1. Rain water guttering of channel form, said guttering having a rear wall and a base together defining a rear corner of the guttering, and a front wall extending upwardly from the base, said front wall having a free upper edge terminating in a front lip which is adapted to receive a shield in the form of a strip of mesh material and said rear wall having a free upper edge terminating in a rear lip, said front wall upper edge configured so as to extend to a height lower than the height of said rear wall upper edge when in use.

2. Ra;i water guttering according to claim 1 wherein the front lip is defined by an outwardly extending portion extending away from the end of the front wall, together with an upwardly extending portion and an inwardly extending portion which together define a generally hook shaped front lip. 00

3. Rain water guttering according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the rear lip is defined by an inwardly extending portion which extends from the end of the rear o wall.

4. Rain water guttering according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a shield comprising a strip of mesh material, the mesh material having a front edge and a rear edge, said front edge being releasably retainable by said front lip and said rear edge being releasably retainable at said back wall. bendable, resilient metal mesh.

6. Rain water guttering acccrding to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the rear edge of the shield is held, in use, adjacent the rear corner of the rain water guttering.

7. Rain water guttering according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the rear edge of the shield is held above and adjacent the rear lip of the rain water guttering in conjunction with a roof or roofing.

8. Rain water guttering according to any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein the shield is made of a bendable, flexible met i mesh having square apertures therein of dimension of 1 mm.

9. Rain water guttering according to claim 1 substantially described in relation to the accompanying drawings. Rain water guttering according to claim 4 substantially described in relation to the accompanying drawings. as herein as herein DATED this TWENTY-SECOND day of JULY 1996. TREVOR JOHN BUTLER Applicant S *r S Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorney for the Applicant ABSTRACT A shield for a rain water guttering of channel form, the guttering having a rear wall and a base together defining a rear corner of the guttering, and a front wall extending upwardly from the base. The front wall has a free upper edge terminating in a front lip and the rear wall has a free upper edge terminating in a rear lip. The front wall upper edge is configured so as to extend to a height lower than tho height of the back wall upper edge when in use. The shield comprises a strip of mesh material, the mesh material having a front edge and a back edge, the front edge being releasably retainable by the front lip and the back edge being releasably .r retainable at the back wall. oo* o. *o a.. go