US3909905A

US3909905A - Gutter installation tools

Info

Publication number: US3909905A
Application number: US483385A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis J Giordano
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-06-26
Filing date: 1974-06-26
Publication date: 1975-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-07

Abstract

Gutter installation tools for installing sheet metal hanging gutters which include a spacer tool having an inwardly open, Ushaped channel for removably receiving a gutter installation spike. The tool is constructed of suitable length to properly space the upwardly turned panels of a hanging gutter when driving the spike therethrough for installation purposes. After the spike is fully driven, the spacer tool is removed downwardly and is thus available to aid in driving additional spikes. Each spike comprises a shank which terminates at one end in a point and at the other end in a head. The shank is peripherally undercut near the head to receive and lock therein the fragmented sections of the forward panel of the gutter which had been displaced by driving the point of the spike through the gutter.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,909,905 Giordano Oct. 7, 1975 GUTTER INSTALLATION TOOLS Primary Examiner-Victor A. Dipalma [76] Inventor: Louis J. Giordano, 4 Highland Attorney, Agent, or FzrmWe1ser, Stapler & Spivak Court, Linwood, NJ. 08221 22 F] d 26 1974 [57] ABSTRACT 1 l e June Gutter installation tools for installing sheet metal [21] Appl. No.: 483,385 hanging gutters which include a spacer tool having an inwardly open, U-shaped channel for removably receiving a gutter installation spike. The tool is con- [52] U.S. Cl. 29/271, 52/1 Structed of Suitable length to p p y Space the p [51] Int Cl 2 B25B 27/14 wardly turned panels of a hanging gutter when driving [58] Field of Search 29/270, 271, 200 H; 16/2; "2 l g f z e g f 52/l1 12, 85/10 R 20 t e spi e 18 u y rlven, t e spacer too is remove downwardly and is thus available to aid in driving ad- [56] References Cited ditional spikes. Each spike comprises a shank which terminates at one end in a point and at the other end UNITED STATES PATENTS in a head. The shank is peripherally undercut near the 2,060,970 11/1936 Belden 16/2 head to receive and lock therein the fragmented sec- 2,lll,ll0 3/1938 Deniston, Jr. et al. 85/20 tiohs f the f d pane] f the gutter which had 2,209,741 7/1940 Sullivan et al. 52/11 X been i la d by driving the point Of the spike 2,284,440 5/1942 Morrlssey 52/12 throu h the utter 3,340,653 9/1967 Steeg 52/11 g g 15 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent 0m. 7,1975

-P no.4

GUTTER INSTALLATION TOOLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the field of building construction, and more particularly, is directed to gutter installation tools to facilitate the attachment of hanging gutters to the facia board of a building.

It has long been the practice when constructing buildings, such as homes wherein slanting roofs are employed, to provide hanging gutters about the periphery of the roof to lead rain water' to a point of disposal in an orderly manner. Such hanging gutters are generally fabricated of sheet metal such as copper, galvanized steel and aluminum, and more recently sheet aluminum has become most popular for this purpose. The gutters to which the present invention is particularly applicable can be fabricated of any sheet metal and are formed generally U-shaped in configuration having a bottom web and front and rear up turned panels. The gutters are conventionally installed against the building facia by employing headed fasteners, usually in the form of spikes which are driven directly through the front and rear panels and into the facia board until the head engages the front face of the front panel. A spacer tube or ferrule is generally positioned between the front and rear panels in alignment with the spike as the spike is driven through the panels in order to maintain proper spacing between the front and rear panels during the installation procedure. The spikes are normally located at spaced intervals along the gutter, for example sixteen inches on center, and are driven through the front and rear panels in a manner whereby each fastener pierces its own hole through the panels as it is driven in place. The spacer or ferrule remains upon the spike after installation and no attempt is made to remove the spacer.

It has been found that the spacer or ferrules often collect water after installation to thereby create a possibly unsatisfactory condition which could lead to rapid deterioration of the gutter installation. Also, the numerous ferrules utilized in the course of the work represent a cost factor which must be considered by a roofing contractor when figuring the total price of a job. The ferrules serve no useful purpose after installation and accordingly, reflect an installation cost that is related only to the initial construction with no benefit to the property owner upon completion of the work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of gutter installation tools, and more particularly, is directed to a reusable spacer tool that completely eliminates the need for single use spacers during gutter installation procedures.

The spacer tool of the present invention includes an upwardly open, U-shaped channel of suitable size to receive a gutter hanging spike therein. The tool is constructed of length equal to the clear width of the gutter, for example, a tool having a length of 5 inches is employed to space the front and rear panels of a five-inch gutter during gutter installation. In use, the tool is positioned near the top of a gutter and a conventional seven inch aluminum or other metal spike is driven through the front gutter panel wall, through the longitudinally extending U-shaped interior channel and then through the rear gutter panel to enter the building facia board for gutter hanging purposes. After the spike is fully driven, the spacer tool is downwardly removed from association with the spike and the tool clears the spike along the open portion of the U-shaped channel. In this manner, the same spacer tool can be utilized to space the front and rear panels of a gutter for any number of spikes during the gutter hanging procedure.

The invention further includes a novel seven-inch spike having an elongated shank of round or generally square cross sectional configuration. The shank terminates forwardly in a conventional driving point and rearwardly in a flat head suitable for driving purposes by employing a hammer. The: shank is undercut near the connection to the head to provide a peripheral groove. During the gutter installation, the pointed end of the shank is driven through the front panel to thereby displace portions of the panel metal inwardly. The displaced portions are driven against the blunt end of the spacer tool. The flat end of the tool acts to urge the displaced metal panel portions inwardly to curl about the shank adjacent to the head. The displaced material is thereby forced to curl into the peripheral groove in a manner to completely lock the front panel onto the shank of the headed fastener. After the spacer tool is removed, the connection between the displaced panel metal and the shank remains firm.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved gutter installation tools of the type set forth.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel gutter installation spacer tool of length suitable to space the front and rear panels of a hanging gutter wherein the spacer tool is provided with a longitudinally extending, U-shaped groove of size to receive a gutter fastening spike therein in a manner to permit removal of the tool after the spike is fully driven.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel gutter installation tool comprising a spacer tool having a longitudinally extending U-shaped channel and a headed spike which may or may not be provided with sheet metal holding means formed therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel gutter installation tool which includes a headed fastener having a shank and a flat head provided at one end of the shank, the shank being undercut near the head connection to provide a peripheral groove to receive and retain displaced sheet metal from a gutter panel therein during installation procedures.

It is another object of the present invention to provide novel gutter installation tools which are inexpensive in manufacture, simple in design and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of'the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use with a hanging gutter with the headed fastener shown in exploded relationship.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view, partly in section, showing the parts of FIG. 1 in installed relationship.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 33 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial, side elevational view of the head end of the spike of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following de scription for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 a section of a typical gutter which is formed of sheet metal, such as aluminum, but sometimes copper or galvanized steel, which is formed to a generally U-shaped cross sectional configuration. The gutter 10 is formed to provide a bottom panel 12, and front and

rear panels

14, 16 which extend upwardly from the bottom panel 12. In practice, the front panel 14 is generally bent to a pleasingly curved configuration of any desired design configuration and the rear panel 16 is flat to facilitate installation directly upon a building facia board 18.

The front panel is shaped to provide a decorative appearance and includes a curved body portion 20 which terminates upwardly in a cap section 22 which usually includes a vertical face 24 which terminates upwardly in the rearwardly extending horizontal face 26. The horizontal face 26 terminates in a reverse bend 28 which serves to provide the finished bent edge 30 and also serves to strengthen the cap section 22. In the embodiment illustrated, the rear panel 16 terminates upwardly in a forwardly bent lip 32 which serves both to provide a finished bent top edge 34 and to furnish some strength and rigidity to the rear panel 16.

The gutter installation tool 36 is used in conjunction with a conventional headed fastener or spike 38 to affix the gutter 10 to the facia board 18 of a building. The headed fastener preferably is an elongated aluminum spike having either a round cross sectional configuration 38 as inFIGS. l and 4 or a generally square cross sectional configuration 38' as in FIGS. 2 and 3. Spikes having both round cross sections or square cross sections are well known by those skilled in the art. The spike 38 of the present invention may either have a plain shank as in conventional in the industry or the shank may be provided with a peripheral groove 58 as hereinafter more fully set forth. The gutter installation tool 36 comprises generally a cylindrical central body portion 40 which may be longitudinally serrated or otherwise treated to provide a roughened periphery 42 to facilitate grasping the tool under all climatic conditions. The central body 40 terminates endwardly in right and

left end sections

44, 46 which are provided of sufficient length to readily fit under the horizontal space 26 of the front panel cap section 22 and under the bent lip 32 provided in the rear panel 16, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated, the

end sections

44, 46 are preferably formed concentric with the cylindrical central body portions 40. A longitudinally extending U-shaped groove 48 is formed along the entire length of the tool 36 and extends completely through both left and

right end sections

44, 46 and the cylindrical section body portion 40. The groove 48 receives the shank of a headed fastener 38, 38' therein as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 during the gutter installation procedures.

The overall length of the gutter installation tool 36 is designed to coincide with the usual cross sectional width of the gutter 10 being installed. In most installations, the cross sectional width of the gutter 10 from the rear panel 16 to the vertical face 24 of the cap section 22 is formed to a predetermined number of inches, for example, five inches. Accordingly, if the distance between the rear panel 16 and the front vertical face 24 is five inches, the overall length of the gutter installation tool 36 should also be five inches so that the tool can act as a spacer to preserve the front to back distance between the gutter front and

rear panels

14, 16, when the gutter is being installed upon the facia board 18.

In order to use the gutter installation tool 36, the gutter 10 is first temporarily placed upon the facia board 18 in the desired location. The gutter installation tool 36 is then horizontally applied so that the tool extends at right angles to the longitudinal extension of the gutter 10 and is positioned immediately beneath the lip 32 of the rear panel 16 and beneath the horizontal face 26 of the front panel 14. See FIGS. 1 and 2. With the tool so positioned, the forward end 50 of the U-shaped groove 48 will terminate immediately adjacent the front vertical face 24. A headed

fastener

38, 38" is then positioned forwardly of the gutter 10 in position to apply the pointed end 52 in longitudinal alignment with the U-shaped groove 48. The headed fastener 38 or 38' is positioned forwardly of and in registry with the forward end of the groove 48 with only the metal of the front vertical face 24 positioned therebetween. With the parts thus aligned, the flat head 54 is struck with a suitable tool, for example a hammer (not shown), to drive the point 52 through the sheet metal and into the forward end of the groove 48. By applying repeated blows upon the head 54, the headed

fastener

38, 38 is driven entirely through the U-shaped groove 48 until the pointed end 52 pierces the rear panel 16 and enters the facia board 18. It is common practice to employ a seven inch headed

fastener

38, 38 for use with five inch cross sectional gutters 10, to thereby provide a two inch penetration into the facia board 18.

After the

fastener

38, 38 has been fully driven to a point wherein the head 54 abuts the front vertical face 24 as in FIG. 2, the gutter installation tool 36 is then removed from its association with the fastener 38, 38' by forcing the tool 36 in a direction diametrically opposite to the open area 56 of the U-shaped groove 48. Thus, if the groove 48 is upwardly open as in FIGS. 1 and 2, the removal forces should be applied downwardly to thereby permit the tool 36 to disassociate from the fastener 38, 38'. The tool can then be reused as many times as desired with additional fasteners until the gutter installation procedures have been completed.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, I show the headed

fastener

38, 38 formed with a peripheral groove 58 which is formed in the fastener shank 60 adjacent the flat head 54, and is spaced therefrom a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the front vertical face 24. It will be appreciated that as the pointed end 52 of the fastener enters the front vertical face 24, some of the metallic material will be inwardly displaced as the opening 62 is punched into the vertical face 24 by the pointed end 52. The displaced material 64 remains peripherally connected to the adjacent panel material and the free ends are inwardly urged by the forces pounding the fastener toward the facia board 18 to thereby force the displaced material 64 directly into the front end of the gutter installation tool 36. The impact of the material 64 upon the front end of the gutter installation tool and the holding action of the connected portions combine to curl the displaced material 64 inwardly to form a peripheral roll 68. The peripheral groove 58 in the shank 60 is properly positioned to receive the peripheral roll 68 as it is formed when the fastener 38 is driven fully into the facia plate 18. The blows of the hammer upon the flat head 54 create forces which tend to force the peripheral roll 68 into the peripheral groove 58 to cause a locking action between the vertical face 24 and the fastener shank 60. After the tool 36 has been removed in the manner hereinbefore set forth from its association with the fastener 38, the front panel 14 of the gutter 10 remains fully locked to the

fastener

38, 38 at the peripheral groove 58 thereof. In this manner, there is no tendency of the front vertical face 24 to move longitudinally along the shank 60 after installation inasmuch as the peripheral roll 68 is firmly locked within the groove 58 between the inner face 70 of the flat head 54 and the forward shoulder 72 which defines one edge of the peripheral groove 58.

Although I have described the present invention with reference to the particular embodiments herein set forth, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoing specification, but rather only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1 claim:

1. In a gutter installation system for hanging gutters having a front panel and a spaced rear panel by driving a spike through the panels and into a construction member, the combination of A. spacer means to maintain the spacing between the front and rear panels as the spike is driven,

1. said spacer means including a body portion,

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove to receive the driven spike,

a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and an open area,

b. said open area being greater in width than the cross sectional dimension of the spike, whereby the spacer means can be removed from a driven spike.

2. The gutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portion extends in length a distance equal to the spacing between the front and rear panels.

3. The gutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portion terminates forwardly in a front end and rearwardly in a rear end and wherein the forward end is in contact with the front panel when the spike is driven and wherein the forward end is not in contact with the front panel when the spacer means is removed from the driven spike.

4. The gutter installation system of claim 3 wherein the rear end is in contact with the rear panel when the spike is driven and wherein the forward end is not in contact with the front panel when the spacer means is removed from the driven spike.

5. The gutter installation system of claim 4 wherein the body portion is generally cylindrical in configuration and wherein the groove is open at the outer periphery of the body portion and extends radially inwardly a distance sufficient to receive the spike therein.

6. The gutter installation system of claim 5 wherein the body portion terminates endwardly in a front end section and a rear end section, said front and rear end sections being smaller in cross sectional diameter than the medial area of the body portion.

7. The gutter installation system according to claim 6 wherein the medial area of the body portion and the front and rear end sections are concentric.

.8. The gutter installation system of claim 1 and a spike including an elongated shank, said shank being pointed at one end and terminating at the other end in a head, said shank being positioned within the said groove.

9. In a gutter installation system for hanging a gutter by driving a spike therethrough and into a fixed member, the gutter having a front panel and a spaced rear panel, the combination of A. a spike including an elongated shank,

1. said shank terminating endwardly in a pointed end and in a head;

B. spacer means to maintain the spacing between the front and rear panels, as the spike is driven,

1. said spacer means including a body portion,

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove,

a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and a longitudinally extending open area,

b. said open area being greater in width than the width of the shank to permit the spacer means to be removed from the spike after the spike has been driven,

3. the body portion extending in length a distance equal to the spacing between the front and rear panels and terminating forwardly in a front end and rearwardly in a rear end,

a. the front end contacting the front panel and the rear end contacting the rear panel to space the panels when the spike is driven,

b. the said front and rear ends not contacting the respective front and rear panels when the spacer means is removed from the spike; and

C. locking means to lock the gutter to the spike,

1. said locking means including providing the shank with a peripheral groove.

10. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheral groove is oriented at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shank.

11. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheral groove is positioned near the head.

12. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheral groove is spaced from the head a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the front gutter panel.

13. The gutter installation system according to claim

Claims

1. In a gutter installation system for hanging gutters having a front panel and a spaced rear panel by driving a spike through the panels and into a construction member, the combination of A. spacer means to maintain the spacing between the front and rear panels as the spike is driven, 1. said spacer means including a body portion, 2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove to receive the driven spike, a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and an open area, b. said open area being greater in width than the cross sectional dimension of the spike, whereby the spacer means can be removed from a driven spike.

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove to receive the driven spike, a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and an open area, b. said open area being greater in width than the cross sectional dimension of the spike, whereby the spacer means can be removed from a driven spike.

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove, a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and a longitudinally extending open area, b. said open area being greater in width than the wiDth of the shank to permit the spacer means to be removed from the spike after the spike has been driven,

3. the body portion extending in length a distance equal to the spacing between the front and rear panels and terminating forwardly in a front end and rearwardly in a rear end, a. the front end contacting the front panel and the rear end contacting the rear panel to space the panels when the spike is driven, b. the said front and rear ends not contacting the respective front and rear panels when the spacer means is removed from the spike; and C. locking means to lock the gutter to the spike,

8. The gutter installation system of claim 1 and a spike including an elongated shank, said shank being pointed at one end and terminating at the other end in a head, said shank being positioned within the said groove.

13. The gutter installation system according to claim 9 wherein some material comprising the front panel is inwardly displaced to define an opening, a portion of the spike being positioned in the opening.

14. The gutter installation system according to claim 13 wherein some of the displaced material is in contact with the front end of the body portion.

15. The gutter installation system according to claim 14 wherein some of the displaced material is positioned in the peripheral groove to lock the front panel to the spike.