AU769627B2 - Improvements in mounting exterior roof guttering - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 John Morton Griggs, Ian Grossberg

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Improvements in mounting exterior roof guttering The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:hhWIHi~Ulrii~WJ~ Technical Field The invention relates to improvements the mounting of exterior roof guttering.

Background Art Conventionally, gutters are mounted on gutter support brackets which are fastened directly onto a wall, rafter, roof truss end, or fascia mounting board. These support brackets are unsuitable when a roof overhang does not have roof truss ends, rafters or fascia boards available. This situation can arise where a large roof sheeting overhang is required for protection from the elements, or for storage. Additionally, many traditional building methods do not provide roof truss ends, rafters or fascia boards, making current gutter support brackets unsuitable. The absence of guttering in such situations results in the waste of valuable rainwater run-off, and can also give rise to S 15 drainage problems close to the building.

Summary of the Invention A first aspect of the invention is a roof having roof sheeting, a length of gutter supported from the roof sheeting by at least two gutter support brackets, each gutter support bracket including a generally U-shaped gutter support section, a shank extending from the gutter support section, and a mounting plate joined at an angle to the shank, wherein the mounting plate is directly attached to the roof sheeting.

The roof arrangement of the present invention permits gutters to be 25 mounted directly onto roof sheeting where there is no rafter, roof truss, fascia board, or nearby wall. The mounting plate may by fixed near the edge of the roof sheeting. The invention therefore allows guttering to be mounted where previously it would not have been possible to do so. The arrangement also allows greater freedom in building design. It is particularly suitable for corrugated roof sheeting, but may be adapted for use with all types of roof sheeting. The gutter support bracket also enables simply-constructed shelters with roof sheeting to catch water run-off.

Typically, the mounting plate is attached to the underside of the roof sheeting by means of self tapping screws, or the like.

The mounting plate of the gutter support bracket may be formed with a profile along its width which matches the profile of a particular type of roof 2 sheeting. For example, the profile may be curved to match the ridge of the corrugation in corrugated roof sheeting.

The mounting plate may have holes formed in it for use with known attachment means such as bolts, rivets, or screws. Alternatively, the mounting plate may be formed without holes, allowing the appropriate holes to be drilled into the mounting plate on-site.

In use, the shank would normally hang substantially vertically from the mounting plate at the edge of the roof sheeting. The support bracket may be manufactured with a predetermined angle between the mounting plate and the shank. The angle could be chosen to be compatible with common roof pitches. The support bracket may also be re-angled on-site to adapt to any roof sheeting pitch. In order to facilitate re-angling, the support bracket may be formed with small nicks or cuts located between the mounting plate and the shank.

15 The shank may be made with a range of lengths to provide a gutter fall.

When installing guttering, shorter shanked support brackets are used to create a gutter high point, and progressively longer shanks are used along the gutter to provide a steady gutter fall to a down pipe.

In a preferred embodiment, the support bracket is formed as one piece from a single sheet of material.

A related aspect of the invention is a roof having roof sheeting and a S length of gutter supported from the roof sheeting by at least two gutter support brackets, each of the gutter support brackets including a generally Ushaped gutter support section, a shank extending from the gutter support 25 section, and a mounting plate joined at an angle to the shank, wherein the mounting plate is attached directly to the roof sheeting, and the shank lengths of the support brackets vary progressively along the length of the gutter such that the gutter is given a tilt along its length which is suitable for drainage of the gutter.

Brief Description of Drawings The following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided as an example of the invention and is described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows a portion of overhanging roof sheeting with a gutter support bracket attached directly thereto; and UrklEO Figure 2 is a pictorial view of the support bracket shown in Fig. 1.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a gutter support bracket formed from a single strip of material. The support bracket 10 has a base plate (or gutter support bed) 20, an arm 30, an elongate shank 40, and a mounting plate 50. In use, a gutter 60 is supported on the base plate between the arm 30 and the shank 40, and a mounting plate 50 is fixed to the underside of a roofing sheet 70, which in this case overhangs past a wall The mounting plate 50 has two spaced apart holes 90. The support bracket is fixed in place on the sheeting 70 by drilling holes in the roof sheeting to match the holes 90 in the mounting plate 50, and either bolting, screwing, riveting, or wiring the mounting plates onto the underside of the sheeting. In the preferred embodiment, self tapping screws are used to fix the mounting plates to the underside of the sheeting. In another embodiment, the first and S, second mounting plates 50 and 80 are not manufactured with holes. Instead, holes are drilled on-site into the mounting plates as required.

The support bracket 10 is intended to be hung from roof sheeting such that the shank 40 is substantially vertical. The support bracket 10 is therefore designed so that the mounting angle a between the shank 40 and the first mounting plate 50 can be adjusted to adapt to each roof pitch. In order to assist adjustment of the mounting angle a, a nick or cut 100 is formed on each side of the bracket between the mounting plate 50 and the shank 25 The mounting plate 50 is formed with a concave profile which matches the ridge of the corrugations in corrugated roof sheeting which is the most S: common type of roof sheeting. However, other profiles, such as square or flat profiles, could be formed in the mounting plates to match the particular profile of other roof sheeting.

There is a tab 130 at the end of the arm 30. The tab 130 is to be folded over the edges of the gutter 60 in order to hold the gutter in place. A slot 140 is defined in the middle of the shank 40. Screws/bolts can be fed through the slot to secure the gutter in place. In the embodiment shown, the support bracket is designed to support a gutter with a curved profile. However, there are other types of gutter profile available, such as quad, square, semi-circular, and the support bracket could be manufactured with a different profile to 4 match the particular gutter profile. As used herein, the term "generally Ushaped" when used to describe the gutter support section includes profiles which are not rounded but generally square or rectangular channels. A support slot 150 can be used to support the bracket with supporting wires, if necessary.

The support bracket 10 can be manufactured from the same materials that known gutter support brackets are made from, including industrial metal, plastics, or a composite material.

In order to obtain a fall in the guttering for drainage of water to a storage tank the support brackets may be made having differing (increasing or decreasing) shank length. Three support brackets could be used in a single line of guttering to provide a gutter fall to a down pipe. For example, support brackets could be manufactured with three shank lengths of 100 mm, 110 mm, and 120 mm.

Thus the present invention provides for the provision of guttering on roof sheeting where there are no roof truss ends, rafters of fascia boards available.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

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Claims (9)

1. A roof having roof sheeting, a length of gutter supported from the roof sheeting by at least two gutter support brackets, each gutter support bracket including a gutter support section for supporting a gutter, a shank extending from the gutter support section, and a mounting plate joined at an angle to the shank, wherein the mounting plate is directly attached to the roof sheeting.

2. The roof as defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting plate has a profile along its width which is substantially the same as at least a portion of a repeating profile of the roof sheeting.

3. The roof as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the roof sheeting is corrugated and the mounting plate has a profile along its width which is substantially the same as a profile of a repeating corrugation ridge in the roof sheeting.

4. The roof as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the gutter support bracket is formed in one piece from a single sheet of material.

The roof as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein an angle between the first mounting plate and the shank is adjustable.

6. The roof as defined in claim 5 wherein nicks are formed on opposing edges of the gutter support bracket in a region to be bent between the mounting plate and the shank.

7. The roof as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the .mounting plate has at least one hole formed in it for use with an attachment means for attaching the mounting plate to the roof sheeting.

8. A roof having roof sheeting and a length of gutter supported from the 25 roof sheeting by at least two gutter support brackets, each gutter support bracket including a gutter support section for supporting a gutter, a shank extending from the gutter support section, and a mounting plate joined at an angle to the shank, wherein each of the support brackets have shanks with a different length and the gutter support brackets are arranged such that the shank lengths vary progressively along the length of the gutter and the gutter is given a tilt along its length suitable for drainage of the gutter.

9. A gutter support bracket for attachment directly to roof sheeting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A roof having roof sheeting and a length of gutter supported from the roof sheeting by at least two gutter support brackets substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this fifteenth day of February 2000 John Morton Griggs, Ian Grossberg Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F B RICE CO *e.e