GB2176824A - Improvements in or relating to a guttering or pipe support system - Google Patents

Abstract

A member can be used to support a water gutter or a drain pipe. The member is adapted to be mounted on a stake 10 protruding from a wall with one face of the member being vertical. The vertical face is provided with at least one through-going elongate slot 14,15, or a plurality of separate holes, to receive a volt 27. A gutter or pipe supporting bracket may then be secured to the member at any one of a selected plurality of different positions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to a guttering or pipe support system The present invention relates to a guttering or pipe support system, such as may be suitable for use with a guttering or pipe system attached to the exterior of a building.

Guttering is frequently mounted on a vertical wooden facia board, utilising gutter brackets which can be screwed directly to the wooden facia board. However, where guttering is to be mounted in position on a building which is not provided with a facia board it is current practice to utilise a plurality of supports of the type shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the conventional fitting which consists of a planar metallic stake 1 which can be driven into the mortar between the adjacent courses of bricks in a brick wall, or which can be embedded in position as the wall is built. When the stake is in position one end 2 of the stake protrudes from the wall. This end of the stake is provided with an aperture.

A "U" shaped bracket 3 is provided, which is formed of metal, and which is dimensioned to receive a portion of gutter having a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the "U" shaped bracket. At the upper ends thereof the arms of the "U" shaped bracket are provided with inwardly directed portions 4 adapted to engage the upper lips of the gutter.

A threaded stud 5 extends downwardly from the lower part of the bracket 3 and passes through the aperture in the protruding end 2 of the stake. Two nuts 6 are mounted on the threaded stud, one being located above and one being located below the stake 1. The nuts can thus be adjusted so that the bracket 3 is maintained in a desired position relative to the stake 1.

It is to be appreciated that whilst the position that each stake has to occupy is dictated by the position of the mortar between two adjacent courses of bricks, the precise vertical position of each bracket can be adjusted by rotating the nuts on the stud, and then retightening them. Thus guttering supporting on the brackets may be supported to have an appropriate slope or "fall".

The brackets with the protruding threaded portions are unattractive and, whilst they can be painted, are still prone to rust. It is expensive to colour these components to match the gutter, and when the gutter has been located in position within the bracket it is not retained securely since the bracket must be sized sufficiently to enable the gutter to be inserted into the bracket and the bracket is made to be rigid.

The metal stakes have to be made long enough to extend to the centreline of the gutter and also a different bracket is required for each size and design of gutter.

Where a pipe has to be mounted on a brick wall brackets are connected to the wall by using screws which are driven into plugged holes drilled in the wall.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a member for use in a water gutter or drain pipe support arrangement said member comprising means adapted to enable the member to be mounted on a stake protruding from a wall such that one face of the member is substantially vertical, said vertical face being provided with at least one throughgoing elongate slot therein or a plurality of separate holes adapted to receive a bolt to secure a gutter or pipe supporting bracket thereto.

Preferably a recess is defined behind said slot or plurality of holes adapted to receive a nut, the recess being such that when a nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate therein.

Conveniently the member is adapted to be fixed at the stake by means of two flanges extending rearwardly of said face of the member, each flange being provided with an aperture, the flanges being spaced apart to be located on opposed sides of an apertured end of the stake so that a bolt can be passed through the apertures in the flanges and the aperture in the stake to secure the member in position.

Advantageously the member defines a recess adjacent one of said flanges to receive a nut to cooperate with said bolt, the recess being such that when the nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate.

Preferably the flanges are located at a position which is off-set from the centre of the member.

Conveniently the member defines two elongate slots, the slots being of unequal length, said flanges being located between the slots.

Advantageously triangular webs are provided extending rearwardly of the member, each web having one side defined by an edge of a flange and another side defined by a side edge region of a panel defining the front face of the member adjacent a portion defining an elongate slot.

Preferably the webs carry inwardly directed ribs which define a nut receiving recess.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a water gutter or pipe support arrangement including a stake mounted in a wall with a portion thereof protruding, said portion defining an aperture, a member according to said one aspect mounted on said stake and a water gutter or pipe support bracket secured to said member by means of at least one bolt passing through an aperture in said support bracket and passing through an elongate slot in said support member, the bolt cooperating with a nut.

Preferably the support bracket is moulded from a plastics material.

Conveniently the support bracket is a gutter support bracket which constitutes a joint bracket and has two sealing elements formed therewith adapted sealingly to engage the end regions of two lengths of gutter mounted in said support bracket.

Advantageously the support bracket is mounted on said member by means of two bolts and cooperating nuts.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention may be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of one gutter support arrangement in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a gutter support arrangement of Fig. 2, when assembled; Figures 4a and 4b are perspective view of two gutter support brackets of similar design but of different sizes which may be utilised in forming a support in accordance with the invention; Figure 5 illustrates a gutter support and joint bracket which can also be utilised with the present invention; and Figure 6-is a perspective exploded view of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings a support arrangement in accordance with the invention for supporting guttering or a building where no facia board is provided consists of a planar metallic stake 10 adapted to be driven into or embedded in the mortar between two courses of bricks. The stake 10 need only protrude by a relatively short distance beyond the surface of the wall, and thus the stake 10 need not to be of great length.

The protruding end of the stake 10 is provided with a through-going aperture 11.

A support element 12 is provided which is to be supported on the stake.

The support element 12 may be moulded of an appropriate plastics material and has a planar rectangular panel having a front face 13 provided with two axial elongate slots 14, 15 therein. The slot 14 is of greater length than the slot 15.

Between the two slots 14, 15 on the rear of the panel defining the face 13 are two slightly spaced apart rearwardly extending horizontal square flanges 16, 17 each provided with a respective central aperture 18, the apertures thus being coaligned. Each aperture is associated with a nut retaining recess 19 on the side of the flange facing away from the other respective flange. Triangular webs 20, 21, 22, 23 are provided, with each web having one side defined by one edge of the flange 16 or 17, and another side defined by the junction between the web and the rear face of the panel adjacent the slot 14 or adjacent the slot 15. The flanges and the webs thus define cavities to the rear of the slots 14 and 15.

The support element 12 is connected to the protruding part of the stake 10 by means of a bolt 24 and nut 25 as shown in Fig. 2. The support element 12 is located in position with the protruding end of the stake 10 located between the flanges 16 and 17, with the holes 18 coaligned with the hole 11 in the stake. The bolt 24 is then located to extend through the coaligned apertures and the nut 25 is located within the recess 19. The nut is so dimensioned that when located in this recess it is not free to rotate. The bolt may then be tightened by utilising a screw driver or the like.

A gutter support bracket 26, which is moulded from a plastics material, may then be secured to the support element by means of a bolt 27 and nut 28. The gutter support bracket 26 may be a conventional support bracket as designed for use with a wooden fascia board. The bolt 27 is passed through an aperture 29 formed in the gutter support element 26, and is then passed through the elongate slot 15, for example. The nut 28 is located behind the slot 14 and is engaged in the recess defined by the flange 16 and the two webs 20, 21 the nut being dimensioned that when it is received within the recess it is not free to rotate. In the described embodiment the nut enters a groove defined by a pair of inwardly extending ribs 29 carried by the triangular webs 20, 21.Thus by utilising the screw driver the gutter support bracket 26 may be secured to the support element 12, the position of the support bracket 26 being adjusted by a sliding movement as represented by the arrows 30, 31 before the bolt 27 and nut 28 are finally tightened.

If required the bolt 27 and nut 28 may cooperate with the slot 14 below the level of the stake 10 and also, if required, the support element 12 could be mounted in position in an inverted condition so that the longest slot 14 is above the level of the stake 10. Thus the gutter support bracket may be located precisely in the desired position.

It is to be appreciated that the support bracket 26 is exactly the same as the support bracket that would be utilised in connecting the guttering to a wooden facia board and thus no separate tooling will be required to fabricate the support element 26, since this element will already be manufactured for use with any specific type of guttering under consideration.

It ise to be appreciated that the stake 10 and the support element 12 can be utilised with many different types of guttering support bracket, thus further minimising tooling costs.

Figs. 4a and 4b illustrate two guttering sup port brackets 32, 33, these brackets being of corresponding design but slightly different size. Also, a guttering support and joint bracket 34 as shown in Fig. 5 may be utilised with the invention. Such a bracket does not only support the guttering but also serves as a seal between two lengths of guttering. The support bracket is thus provided with integral seals 35 which engage the underside of two lengths of guttering which join in the region of the support bracekt 34.

Thus it is to be appreciated that the present invention provides a method of supporting guttering where no facia board is provided which can be utilised to support guttering of many different types whilst only requiring, in addition to the already available brackets that are used to support the guttering aginst the wooden facia, a stake and a universal support element of the type described, and some nuts and bolts.

It is to be appreciated that the support element may be moulded of a plastics material and may thus be of precisely the same colour as the guttering, especially if the guttering is of plastics material. The nuts and bolts may be made of corrosion resistant material, thus minimising any corrosion problems. The described arrangement may be utilised with gutter support brackets having two bolts. In such a case two bolts corresponding to the bolt 27 are provided, one being received in the upper slot 15 and the other being received in the lower slot 14.

The triangular webs 20-23 provide a reinforcing effect in the support member 12, thus enabling the support member to withstand severe loads that may be applied to it, especially if the gutter becomes loaded with snow or ice.

The elongate slots 14, 15 may be replaced by a row of separate holes, if desired.

The metal stake utilsied in accordance with the invention is of lesser length than the metal stake used in the prior art arrangement and is thus less expensive to manufacture.

Whilst the invention has been described utilsing the support arrangement to support guttering it is possible to utilise an arrangement in accordance with the invention to support a vertical or substantially vertical pipe, such as a rain water, drain pipe or a waste water drain pipe against a brick wall.

When a drain pipe has to be located in a vertical position against a brick wall at the present time it is necessary to secure fixing brackets to the wall at appropriate position utilising screws and are inserted into plugged holes that have been drilled in the wall.

Referring now to Fig. 6 it can be seen that in this embodiment of the invention the stake 11 is in a vertical orientation and can thus be inserted into the mortar-filled space between two adjacent bricks in a course of bricks. The support element 12 is connected to the stake in the same way as before, but the front face 13 will then be positioned so that the slots 14, 15 extend horizontally instead of vertically.

A conventional two-screw pipe bracket 36 may be connected to the element 12 by means of two nuts and bolts 37, 38. By virtue of the design of the element 12 it will be possible to adjust the position of the pipe bracket, to a limited extent, to the left or to the right. By utilising the present invention it is not necessary to drill and subsequently plug holes in a building in order to fix pipe support brackets to the building.

Many modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following

Claims (13)

claims. CLAIMS

1. A member for use in a water gutter or drain pipe support arrangement said member comprising means adapted to enable the member to be mounted on a stake protruding from a wall such that one face of the member is substantially vertical, said vertical face being provided with at least one through-going elongate slot therein or a plurality of separate holes adapted to receive a bolt to secure a gutter or pipe supporting bracket thereto.

2. A member according to claim 1, wherein a recess is defined behind said slot or plurality of holes adapted to receive a nut, the recess being such that when a nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate therein.

3. A member according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the member is adapted to be fixed at the stake by means of two flanges extending rearwardly of said face of the member, each flange being provided with an aperture, the flanges being spaced apart to be located on opposed sides of an apertured end of the stake so that a bolt can be passed through the apertures in the flanges and the aperture in the stake to secure the member in position.

4. A member according to claim 3, wherein the member defines a recess adjacent one of said flanges to receive a nut to cooperate with said bolt, the recess being such that when the nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate.

5. A member according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the flanges are located at a position which is off-set from the centre of the member.

6. A member according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the member defines two elongate slots, the slots of unequal length, said flanges being located between the slots.

7. A member according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein triangular webs are provided extending rearwardly of the member, each web having one side defined by an edge of a flange and another side defined by a side edge region of a panel defining the front face of the member adjacent a portion defining an elongate slot.

8. A member according to claim 7, wherein said webs carry inwardly directed ribs which define a nut receiving recess.

9. A water gutter or pipe support arrangement including a stake mounted in a wall with a portion thereof protruding, said portion defining an aperture, a member according to any one of the preceding claims mounted on said stake and a water gutter or pipe support bracket secured to said member by means of at least one bolt passing through an aperture in said support bracket and passing through an elongate slot in said support member, the bolt cooperating with a nut.

10. A support arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the support bracket is moulded from a plastics material.

11. A support arrangement as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the support bracket is a gutter support bracket and constitutes a joint bracket which has two sealing elements formed therewith adapted sealingly to engage the end regions of two lengths of gutter mounted in said support bracket.

12. A support arrangement according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the support bracket is mounted on said member by means of two bolts and cooperating nuts.

13. An apparatus for use in a support arrangement according to claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A member for use in a support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as modified by Fig.

4A of the accompanying drawings.

16. A support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as modified by Fig.

4B of the accompanying drawings.

17. A support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as modified by Fig. 5.

18. A support arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings.

19. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1-13 above have been textually amended.

Textually amended claims have been filed as follows:

1. Apparatus for use in a water gutter or drainpipe support arrangement, said apparatus comprising a stake adapted to be embedded in a wall with part of the stake protruding from the wall, and a member to be supported by the stake, such that when the stake and member are in position one face of the member is substantially vertical, said vertical face being provided with at least one through-going elongate slot therein or a plurality of separate holes adapted to receive a bolt to secure a gutter or pipe supporting bracket thereto.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recess is defined behind said slot or plurality of holes adapted to receive a nut, the recess being such that when a nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate therein.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the member is adapted to be secured to the stake by means of two flanges extending rearwardly of said face of the member, each flange being provided with an aperture, the flanges being spaced apart to be located on opposed sides of an apertured end of the stake so that a bolt can be passed through the apertures in the flanges and the aperture in the stake to secure the member in position.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the member defines a recess adjacent one of said flanges to receive a nut to cooperate with said bolt, the recess being such that when the nut is received therein the nut cannot rotate.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the flanges are located at a position which is off-set from the centre of the member.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the member defines two elongate slots, the slots of unequal length, said flanges being located between the slots.

7. An apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein triangular webs are provided extending rearwardly of the member, each web having one side defined by an edge of a flange and another side defined by a side edge region of a panel defining the front face of the member adjacent a portion defining an elongate slot.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said webs carry inwardly directed ribs which define a nut receiving recess.

9. A water gutter or pipe support arrangement including a stake mounted in a wall with a portion thereof protruding, said portion defining an aperture, a member mounted on said stake the member carring means to engage with said aperture to retain the member in position, and having a face which, when the member is in position, defines a vertical face having at least one elongate slot therein, and a water gutter or pipe support bracket secured to said member by means of at least one bolt passing through an aperture in said support bracket and passing through the elongate slot in said support member, the bolt cooperating with a nut.

10. A support arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the support bracket is moulded from a plastics material.

11. A support arrangement as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the support bracket is a gutter support bracket and constitutes a joint bracket which has two sealing elements formed therewith adapted sealingly to engage the end regions of two lengths of gutter mounted in said support bracket.

12. A support arrangement according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the support bracket is mounted on said member by means of two bolts and cooperating nuts.