JPH0411054Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention relates to rain gutters installed at the eaves of residential buildings.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional rain gutters are made of synthetic resin such as hard polyvinyl chloride resin molded into a groove or cylinder shape, or have a core material such as a grooved iron plate and the outer surface is made of synthetic resin such as hard polyvinyl chloride resin. There was one covered with

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, conventional rain gutters have had the following problems during use, storage, transportation, and construction due to their shape, weight, hardness, etc.

In other words, when in use, it is permanently installed on the eaves or side walls using mounting brackets, so it may bend or break under the weight of snow, especially when it snows, and it may bend or break if hit by objects. There was a risk of cracking or chipping due to impact. During storage and transportation, many relatively long and heavy rain gutters are stacked on top of each other for storage and transportation, which requires a large space for storage, and it is troublesome to load and unload them onto the platform of a transportation truck. Ta.
During construction, connecting long and heavy rain gutters using joints is troublesome and requires skill.

The present invention solves these problems by configuring the rain gutter in a collapsible tube shape, which allows it to be easily attached to and removed from the eaves or side walls.
To provide a rain gutter that can be constructed without using joints and can be stored and transported in a compact packaging such as a roll.

[Means for solving problems]

The measures taken to achieve the above purpose include equipping a hollow member made of an airtight and flexible material with an air supply/exhaust port to supply air to the internal space of the hollow member. When the hollow member is inflated, the hollow member is configured to maintain its shape in the shape of a groove or a cylinder.

[Effect]

The rain gutter configured in this manner can be rolled or folded flat due to the flexibility of the hollow member when the internal space of the hollow member is evacuated. Also, when air is supplied to the internal space of the hollow member from the air supply/exhaust port to inflate the hollow member, the hollow member retains its shape in a groove or cylinder shape, and becomes like a groove or cylinder air mat.
A rainwater drainage channel is formed within the groove or cylinder.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view showing the usage state of a rain gutter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where A shows the roof of a residential building, B and C show the mounting brackets, and W shows the side wall. The rain gutter 1 consists of a hollow member 2 that is airtight and flexible, and when the hollow member 2 is inflated by air supplied to the interior space, the shape of the hollow member 2 becomes as shown in FIG. The shape is maintained in a groove-shaped eaves gutter 11 or a cylindrical vertical gutter 12 as shown in FIG. The air pressure stored in 4 ensures the required rigidity of the rain gutter 1. Fig. 1 shows an eave gutter 11 in which a hollow member 2 is inflated to form a groove shape and attached to a mounting bracket B, and another hollow member 2 is inflated to have a cylindrical shape and a vertical gutter 12 is attached to a mounting bracket C to form an elbow 15. This figure shows a state in which the rainwater flowing down from the roof A in such a usage state is received by the eaves gutter 11 and led to the vertical gutter 12 through the groove-shaped drainage channel 3.
1 falls and is drained. It is free to cover the eaves gutter 11 with a decorative board to make it invisible from the outside and to suppress deterioration of the eave gutter 11 due to ultraviolet rays.

The hollow member 2 must be made of a material that is airtight and flexible. Examples of such materials include synthetic rubbers such as butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, isopropylene rubber, and ethylene-propylene rubber, natural rubber, and soft or semi-hard synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride resin and polypropylene resin. Alternatively, there are laminates made of cloth woven or knitted from synthetic fiber threads such as polyester and impregnated with rubber or synthetic resin, but the hollow member 2 is not only required to have airtightness and flexibility;
When inflated by supplying air to the internal space 4, it is required to maintain its groove or cylindrical shape despite the air pressure in the internal space 4. The cylindrical shape can be easily maintained by applying air pressure, but in order to satisfy the shape retention of the groove shape,
In addition to selecting a material for the hollow member 2 that has such properties, the hollow member 2 may be formed into a groove shape in advance to maintain its shape retention, or the inner wall of the eaves gutter 11 may be It is possible to adopt measures such as molding the part 5 that will become the outer wall and the part 6 that will become the outer wall from semi-hard synthetic resin, and molding the part 7 that will become the corner from soft synthetic resin. Even though the flatness of the inner and outer walls of the eaves gutter 11 is not significantly impaired, the inner and outer walls are backed up by air pressure, so the appearance of the eaves gutter 11 is improved during use, and the inner and outer walls themselves are This serves to increase the rigidity of the eaves gutter 11, and has a sufficient impact absorption function. On the other hand, when the internal space 4 is evacuated and the hollow member 2 is deflated, the corners 7 of the eaves gutter 11 tend to bend, so bend the portions 7 to form the inner walls of the eaves gutter 11. 5 and the part 6 that will become the outer wall are superimposed flatly, and this is convenient when making a compact roll-like package as shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is necessary to provide an air supply and exhaust port 8 at one location in the hollow member 2. The structure of the supply/exhaust port 8 is such that a rubber tube is placed over a metal pin having a ventilation hole, and when air is supplied through the ventilation hole, the rubber tube is pushed open by the air pressure at that time, allowing the air to blow out. The structure may be such that the rubber tube contracts to close the vent hole when air is not supplied, or the vent hole may be provided with a plug that can be airtightly closed. Note that the structure of the former intake/exhaust port is similar to that commonly used as the structure of the intake/exhaust port of a bicycle tire tube. It is desirable that the air supply/exhaust port 8 is provided in an inconspicuous location when the hollow member 2 is inflated and used as a rain gutter 1. Such a location is, for example, at the end of the rear wall of the eave gutter 11 shown in FIG. and
This is the rear wall of the downpipe 12.

Incidentally, eaves gutters attached to the eaves must have the function of guiding rainwater to the eaves, and this function is generally achieved by attaching a joint commonly called a drop to the eaves gutters. Therefore, in the eaves gutter 11 described above, the hollow member 2 is
By passing a short pipe 10 made of semi-hard or hard synthetic resin through the bottom wall portion 9 of the eaves gutter 11, and fixing the end of this pipe 10 to the bottom wall portion 9, It has a dropping function. In this configuration, pipe 1
0 indicates the inner layer 9a and outer layer 9b of the portion 9 that will become the bottom wall.
Needless to say, it is necessary to securely fix the penetrating part to both sides and maintain the airtightness of the penetrating part. In addition to using an adhesive as the fixing means, a method such as thermal welding can be adopted. Pipe 10 as above
If the hollow member 2 is provided with a vertical gutter 12, when used as an eaves gutter 11 as shown in FIG. 12 can be connected.

The eaves gutter 11 and the vertical gutter 1 which are the rain gutter 1 explained above
2 is lightweight and easy to handle, so it can be easily installed and removed. When installing the eaves gutter 11,
For example, the hollow member 2 is deflated and inserted through the required number of fittings B, and then air is supplied from the air supply/exhaust port 8 to inflate the hollow member 2. In that case, by adjusting the internal air pressure, the rain gutter 1 can be attached to the mounting bracket B without shaking. When removed, the hollow member 2 is deflated and pulled out from the mounting bracket B, and can be stored, for example, in a compact rolled package. Similarly, downpipe 12
When attaching the hollow member 2, it can be attached by inserting the hollow member 2 into the mounting fitting C and inflating it by supplying air, and it can be removed by exhausting the air. Therefore, in snowy regions where there is almost no rainfall in winter, such as snowy regions, removing the rain gutter 1 during the winter protects the rain gutter 1 from snow damage.

In addition, the hollow member 2 can be cut to the required length at the rain gutter construction site and the cut ends can be glued or heat welded to maintain airtightness, so it is possible to prepare a longer hollow member 2 in advance. If this is done, it will not be necessary to connect each member with a joint during construction, and if the hollow member 2 is provided with a curved portion in advance, construction on the curved portion can be easily performed without using a joint. It goes without saying that a separate rubber or soft synthetic resin sheet may be adhered to the cut end (see FIG. 3).

The hollow member 2 may be manufactured by molding the above-mentioned synthetic rubber, natural rubber, synthetic resin, or laminate into a tube shape, but for example, the hollow member 2 may be manufactured by forming a portion 5 that will become the inner wall of the rain gutter 1 and a portion 6 that will become the outer wall. and molded separately,
They may also be manufactured by joining them after molding.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, the rain gutter of the present invention is lighter than the conventional rain gutter, and when inflated, the hollow member retains its groove or cylindrical shape, and the rain gutter as a whole has the required rigidity. Even though the rain gutter is secured, both the inner and outer walls of the rain gutter constituted by the outer wall of the hollow member are kept backed up by the air pressure stored in the inner space of the hollow member. Even if something hits it, the impact is sufficiently absorbed, so there is no need to worry about cracks or chips. In addition, by evacuating the internal space of the hollow member, it can be made into any shape, such as rolled or folded flat, so it can be stored and transported in a compact packaging. Compared to the conventional method, which was impossible, storage and transportation costs are lower. Furthermore, by simply supplying air to or exhausting the internal space of the hollow member, it can be kept in a groove or cylindrical shape or made into a compact package, and it is lightweight and easy to handle. Because of its superiority, it can be installed and removed from the eaves with extremely simple work. For this reason, it is recommended to remove the rain gutter from the eaves to prevent damage to the rain gutter, especially when leaving the rain gutter installed during snowfall would put excessive weight on the gutter. It has the advantage of being able to do things without feeling a big burden.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view showing how the rain gutter of the present invention is used, Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the hollow member in an inflated state, Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the air supply/exhaust port, and Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rain gutter, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A--I of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another hollow member in an inflated state, and FIG. It is a side view which shows the case where it is packaged in the form of a roll. 1... Rain gutter, 2... Hollow member, 8... Supply/exhaust port, 4... Internal space of hollow member, 11... Eaves gutter,
12... Downpipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A hollow member molded from an airtight and flexible material is provided with an air supply/exhaust port, and when air is supplied to the internal space of the hollow member to inflate the hollow member, the hollow member becomes groove-shaped or A rain gutter characterized by being configured to have a cylindrical shape.