GB2351757A

GB2351757A - Clip for a gutter Guard

Info

Publication number: GB2351757A
Application number: GB9913298A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Carl Williams
Original assignee: CDS MARKETING Ltd
Current assignee: CDS MARKETING Ltd
Priority date: 1999-06-09
Filing date: 1999-06-09
Publication date: 2001-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-09
Also published as: GB9913298D0; GB2351757B

Abstract

A clip 16 for securing a gutter guard 10 to a gutter 12 comprises a U-shaped bifurcated formation 46 for engaging the front (outboard) edge of the gutter 12, a main portion 40 extending from the U-shaped formation and V shaped (fir-tree) leaf formation 44, for engaging the gutter guard 10, at the other end of the main section from U-shaped formation 46. One of the limbs 48 of the U-shaped formation 46 may be convexly curved. The V-shaped formation is compressed as it enters a U-shaped formation 32 of the gutter guard 10. Once entered the V-shaped formation 44 opens out and locks behind lip 34 of U-shaped formation 32. The clip 16 may be formed from extruded plastic. Gutter guard 12 may have ridges 26 and grooves 28 with slots 36 to allow water to enter the gutter but prevent the build up of leaves etc.

Description

2351757 Clip for a Gutter Guard This invention relates to a clip for a

gutter guard and to the combination of said clip with the gutter guard.

Gutter guards are extruded lengths of ribbed and grooved plastics material, typically UPVC, which in use are located with their back edges under the bottom tier of tiles on a ridged roof and project forwardly therefrom over the adjacent gutter. The grooves are slotted at the bottom to allow rain water to pass into the gutter. However, leaves washed down the roof by rain slide over the ridges and fall off the gutter guard beyond the front edge of the gutter.

Conventional gutter guards typically terminate at the front edge with a front facing U-formation, suitable for engagement with a projection extending along the interior of the gutter at its top front edge. When fitting gutter guards, however, especially in European countries, it is a problem that gutters are not usually provided with such an interior, front top edge projection.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a gutter guard with a front edge formation for serving as a clip, in combination with a separate clip element which has a first formation for engagement with the clip formation at the front edge of the gutter guard and a U- shaped second formation for clipping over the top front edge of a gutter.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a clip element for connecting the front edge of a gutter guard to the top front edge of a gutter, comprising a plastics element having along one elongate edge a compressible formation for clipping into a U-formation along the front edge of the gutter guard and along the opposite elongate edge a Uformation for clipping over the top -2front edge of a gutter.

For convenience, the elongate edge of the clip element having the compressible formation is termed the back edge of the clip element and the elongate edge having the U-formation is termed the front edge of the clip element. The formation at the back edge of the clip element may conveniently be a leaf extending back beneath a main generally planar portion of clip and at an angle thereto, thereby to form a V-shape so as to be compressible towards the main portion as it is engaged into the Uformation at the front edge of the gutter. The formation at the front edge of the clip element may conveniently be a Uformation with a generally planar back limb and a convexly curved front limb, so that the limbs are closest together at or adjacent their free edges.

Generally, the median plane of the compressible V-shape formation at the back edge of the clip element will lie in a plane approximately normal to the median plane of the U-formation at the front edge of the clip element.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side view of the guttered bottom edge of a ridge roof where the gutter is protected by a gutter guard; and Figure 2 is a side view of a clip element which in Figure I connects the front edge of the gutter guard to the gutter.

In Figure 1, there is shown a gutter guard 10 held in position over a gutter 12 between the underside of the bottom tier of tiles 14 of a ridged roof and a clip element 16 which connects the front edge of the gutter guard to the top front edge of the gutter. For simplicity, the roof lining and/or underfelting and the gutter brackets are omitted, but reference 18 denotes the fascia board to which the gutter brackets are conventionally mounted. These gutter brackets, at intervals, also conventionally clip over the top front edge of the gutter. It will thus be appreciated that whereas the gutter guard 10 extends continuously along and over the gutter 12, being produced by extrusion in long lengths for example of over 2 metres, the clip elements 16 are produced in lengths corresponding to the interval between conventional gutter guard brackets, whereby not to interfere with the use of these gutter brackets.

Each length of gutter guard is a plastics, typically UPVC, member with a slightly curved portion 20 having a protruding lip 22, and in use is held in position by the weight of the tiles 14. The portion 20 is adjoined by a portion 24 with ridges 26 and grooves 28, in turn adjoined by a portion 30 which terminates at its front edge with a U-shaped formation 32. 'I'lie bottom limb of this formation 32 has a short upstanding lip 34.

The dimensions of the gutter guard 10 are such that the U-shaped formation 32, when the gutter guard is located in position, lies close to the top front edge of the gutter. The clip element 16 of this invention connects the U-shaped formation 32 to the top front edge of the gutter guard, bridging the very small gap above the gutter between the said formation and the said top front edge.

The gutter guard has slots 36 at the bottoms of the grooves 28 of the portion 24 disposed above the gutter 12, so that rain water can still be collected by the gutter, but also so that leaves or the like washed down the roof are washed over the ridges 26 of the portion 24, to fall to the ground over the front edge of the gutter.

Referring to Figure 2 specifically, the clip element 16 comprises a main portion 40 which along one longitudinal edge (the back edge) has a turned back portion 42, whereby to form a somewhat compressible V-shape 44, and along the opposite longitudinal edge (the front edge) has a U-formation 46, the front limb 48 of which is convexly curved forwardly so that the limbs are closest together at or adjacent their free edges.

In use, as shown in Figure 1, the V-formation 44 along the back edge of the clip engages into the U-formation 32 along the front edge of the gutter guard 10, and the U-formation 46 along the front edge of the clip engages over the front edge of the gutter 12, whereby to fix in position the ridged and grooved portion of the gutter guard overlying the gutter 10. It is to be noted that the V-formation 44 compresses as it is entered into the U-formation 32, and then opens out again so that the free edge of the turned back portion 42 locks behind the upturned lip 34 on the bottom limb of the U-shaped front edge of the gutter guard 10. It is also to be noted that, by virtue of the shape of the U-formation 46, especially its curved front limb 48, the clip tightly grips the front edge of the gutter 12.

Whereas it may appear that the gutter guard, each length of which may be 2 metres or more long, could itself be extruded with a formation for clipping over the front edge of the gutter, in fact this is not readily possible due to the presence of the not shown gutter support and gutter joining brackets, which conventionally also fit over the top front edge of the gutter, commonly not even at regular intervals.

The clip elements 16, also preferably of UPVC, may be made by cutting an extruded length or by injection moulding.

C I 152/C

Claims

1. A gutter guard with a front edge formation for serving as a clip, in combination with a separate clip element which has a first formation for engagement with the clip formation at the front edge of the gutter guard, and a bifurcated second formation for clipping over the top front edge of a gutter.

2. A clip element for connecting the front edge of a gutter guard to the top front edge of a gutter, comprising a plastics element having alone one elongate edge a formation for clipping to the front edge of the gutter guard and along an opposite elongate edge a bifurcated formation for clipping over the top front edge of a gutter.

3. A clip element as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first edge of the gutter guard is compressible for insertion into the U-shaped formation along the front edge of the gutter guard.

4. A clip element as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the bifurcated formation is Ushaped.

5. A clip element as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein when fitted to a gutter, the elongate edge of the clip element having the compressible formation extends over the open top of the gutter in a direction towards the rear edge of the gutter and is referred to as the back edge of the clip element.

6. A clip element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the elongate edge having the bifurcated formation is at the front of the clip element.

7. A clip element as claimed in claim 6, wherein the formation at the back edge of the clip element is also bifurcated and comprises a leaf hinged to the rear elongate edge of 6 the clip, and which extends at an angle to the said elongate edge portion, therebelow, to form therewith a V-shape, so as to be compressible towards the elongate edge portion as it is engaged into a U-formation along the front edge of the gutter guard.

8. A clip element as claimed in any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the formation at the front edge of the clip element is a bifurcated Uformation with a generally planar back limb and a convexly curved front limb, so that the limbs are closest together at or adjacent their free edges.

9. A clip element as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the median plane of the compressible V-shape formation at the back edge of the clip element lies in a plane approximately normal to the median plane of the Uformation at the front edge thereof.

10. A method of securing a gutter guard to a gutter comprising the steps of fitting an elongate clip element to the front edge of the gutter so that a portion thereof extends rearwardly from the front gutter edge, and clipping the rearwardly extending portion to the front edge of the gutter guard so as to join the front edge of the latter to the front edge of the gutter.

11. A gutter guard and fixing clip therefor constructed, arranged and adapted to be joined together and to a gutter as illustrated in and described with reference to Figure I of the accompanying drawings.

12. A clip for fixing to the front edge of a gutter to allow a gutter guard to be fixed thereto constructed, arranged and adapted to function substantially as illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings and as described with reference thereto.