AU718355B3 - Improvements relating to gutter protection systems - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT for the invention entitled: "Improvements Relating to Gutter Protection Systems" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: Improvements Relating to Gutter Protection Systems Background and Summary of the Invention This invention concerns mesh materials and their application over guttering along the edge of the roof of a house, for the purpose of preventing the entry of unwanted materials such as sticks, leaves, and other tree debris, large insects, litter and the like into the guttering.

It is well known that the collection of such unwanted materials in guttering causes overflowing of the guttering, blockage of the outflow pipes, constitutes a fire hazard and contributes to corrosion of the guttering. It also contaminates any water collected from the roof for drinking or other domestic purposes.

Many systems are in use, and more have been proposed, which provide a screen of mesh to cover the top of the gutters. Some of these systems require the mesh to be tensioned between rigid fastenings on the roof and the top outer edge of the guttering. The mesh must be kept reasonably flat, and therefore somewhat tensioned, in order for the leaves and sticks to slide over the edge of the gutter. However this requirement puts the following significant limitations on the system in use: the screws conventionally used to fasten the mesh to the guttering are very difficult to correctly tighten if the guttering is made of plastics material more than 3-5 years old due to embrittlement of such plastic; (ii) screws passing through the mesh tend to exert point loads on the mesh which then tears near the screws; (iii) even tensioning of the mesh is difficult; (iv) when sludge builds up in the guttering its removal is made difficult by the rigidly fixed mesh over the top preventing access; if the mesh sags due to accidental pressure on it (by stepping on it for example) or from traffic by animals, its readjustment is difficult; and (vi) the relatively rigid fixing may result in substantial tension being induced in the mesh due to thermal expansion of the roof and guttering and this tension is not well accommodated.

The present invention provides an installation method which overcomes, or at least reduces, these difficulties.

Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention provides a screen applied to overlay a guttering on an outside edge of a building said screen comprising a panel of mesh in a generally planar form affixed along one edge of the panel to the roof and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge of the guttering, said affixation to the guttering being by means of mating strips of a textile hook and loop fastening system adhered to said opposite edge of the panel and to said top outside edge of the guttering.

Preferably the panel has a flat unperforated strip in the plane of the mesh along said opposite edge. Preferably the mesh is formed of plastics material as a roll with a flat unperforated strip integrally moulded in the plane of the mesh along each of said one edge and said opposite edge.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more fully understood there will now be described, by way of example only, preferred embodiments and other elements of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings where: Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an installation of a mesh to a tiled roof in accordance with the prior art; Figure 2 shows diagrammatically an installation of a mesh to a corrugated steel roof in accordance with the prior art; and 4 Figure 3 shows portion of an installation in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 is a discontinuous plan view of a portion of one form of mesh particularly adapted for use with the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention Referring to the prior art installation shown in Figure 1, the edge of a roof has roofing tiles 11, fascia 12, soffit 13 and guttering 14. A panel 15 of mesh is fixed over the guttering to prevent the entry of unwanted materials. The panel 15 is formed by unrolling a roll of mesh along the length of the guttering and attaching one edge of the mesh to the roof and the other edge to the guttering. The panel 15 is attached to the roof by the weight of the second bottom row of tiles 11 and to the guttering by angle trim 16 which is screwed at intervals to the outer lip 18 of the guttering. The lip 18 forms the top outside edge of the guttering and lies at the top of the guttering's outer face Referring to Figure 2, where the roof is made from corrugated steel 21, one long edge of the mesh panel 25 is attached to the roof with appropriate cleats or clips 23 screwed onto the roof metal through the mesh. The opposite long edge of the mesh is attached to the outer lip 28 of the guttering by angle trim 26 in the same manner as described in relation to Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 3, where the panel 35 of mesh reaches the outer lip 38 of the guttering 34 no angle trim or screws are employed. Instead the present invention employs a mating pair of strips 42 and 40 of a textile hook and loop fastening, an example of which is marketed under the trade mark Velcro. The strips 42 and 40 are held by adhesive to the top of the lip 38 and the underside of the outer edge of the mesh panel 35 respectively. The strip 42 having the hooks is adhered to the guttering and the strip 40 having the loops is adhered to the mesh. The strips 42 and 40 are run continuously along the guttering and the mesh. The inner or roof side edge 30 of the mesh is first securely affixed to the roof in the conventional manner and the mesh is then tensioned across the guttering and pressed down to contact the mating strips 42 and 40 of hook and loop textile. Such affixing system for the mesh overcomes many longstanding limitations of guttering protection systems. The mesh may be successfully fitted to brittle plastic gutters without damaging them; its tension may be adjusted by small increments, when used on all types of gutters, the mesh is much less prone to damage due to point loading from screws, or thermal expansion of the roof and/or guttering; and much easier access is provided into the guttering for sludge cleaning procedures.

The mesh 45 in Figure 4 is particularly adapted to use in the present invention. It has a continuous, flat edge strip 47 integrally moulded with the remainder of the mesh. The mesh is formed from a plastics material (preferably UV stabilised polyethylene) and is provided in a roll of constant width which would preferably be within the range of 25 cm to 100 cm wide depending on the particular application. The strands 36 and 37 in the mesh are aligned respectively along the length of the roll and across its width.

The mesh has strands 36 and 37 which are in the range of 0.8 to 2.5mm, preferably about diameter, and spaced at centres in the range 4mm to 9mm, preferably about 6mm, to give an aperture size in the range 2.0 to 6.0mm, preferably about 3.0mm. The strands may not all be all the same spacing. For example the strands 36 aligned in one direction longitudinally of the roll may be of a different diameter and a different spacing to the strands 37 at right angles to them. The edge strip 47 has a thickness of between 1.0 and and a width of between 10 and 20mm, preferably about 15mm. Its flat unperforated face provides a much improved surface for adhesion of the strip 40 of loop fabric when compared with adhering the strip to the main apertured portion of the mesh.

As an alternative, but less preferred form of mesh, the edge strip 47 may be created by flattening a strip of mesh along the edge. This may be achieved by a hot pressing operation on the mesh. Some apertures may remain in such a pressed strip.

The edge 49 of the roll of mesh opposite the edge strip 47 may have mesh strands 36 and 37 right up to the edge as shown in Figure 4, or it may have an edge strip like that of strip 47. If edge strips are present on both edges, they may be of different widths in order to provide alternative configurations for different situations.

6 Whilst the above description includes the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention.

It will be also understood that where the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.

Claims (3)

1. A screen applied to overlay a guttering on an outside edge of a building said screen comprising a panel of mesh in a generally planar form affixed along one edge of the panel to the roof and along the opposite edge of the panel to the top outside edge of the guttering, said affixation to the guttering being by means of mating strips of a textile hook and loop fastening system adhered to said opposite edge of the panel and to said top outside edge of the guttering.

2. A screen according to claim 1 wherein the panel has a flat unperforated strip in the plane of the mesh along said opposite edge.

3. A screen according to claim 1 wherein the mesh is formed of plastics material as a roll with a flat unperforated strip integrally moulded in the plane of the mesh along each of said one edge and said opposite edge. Dated this 1 lth day of August 1999 LBI Holdings Pty Ltd by their patent attorney Norman Morcom