DOWN SPOUT GUARD MADE FROM NON-WOVEN MATERIAL

Abstract

A guard for preventing debris from entering a downspout of a rain gutter is provided. The guard includes a piece of non-woven material having a top surface, and a plurality of cross-sections that increase in area toward the top surface. The cross sections are generally complementary to an opening of the downspout. The material is adapted to extend at least partially into the downspout. The increase in area of the cross-sections toward the top surface prevents the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening.

Description

BACKGROUND

Many types of devices are known for preventing rain gutters and down-spouts from becoming clogged with leaves and/or other blown debris.

One known device is formed of a wire mesh which is inserted into the down spout opening of a rain gutter. The wire mesh prevents leaves or other debris from entering the downspout. While this does not eliminate the need to clean gutters, it does prevent downspouts from becoming plugged which can result in gutters overflowing, freezing or leaking back into the soffit under the roof overhang.

It has also been known to cover a rain gutter with a mesh or with a solid sheet material leaving only a small gap at the edge of the gutter for water to enter. While this is somewhat effective, it prevents access for cleaning. Although such products greatly reduce the need for cleaning, it is still inevitable that some debris enters the gutter and that periodic cleaning may be necessary.

It would be desirable to provide a device for preventing downspouts of rain gutters from overflowing that is inexpensively produced, can be easily removed and reinstalled for cleaning, and which will not deteriorate quickly based on exposure to moisture, UV radiation and general atmosphere conditions.

SUMMARY

Briefly stated, the present invention provides a non-woven mesh guard which can be inserted into a downspout opening in a rain gutter in order to prevent debris from entering the downspout. Preferably, the non-woven mesh includes a large free area to allow for the flow of water therethrough while preventing debris from entering the downspout. It is also possible to increase the free area for the flow of water while allowing small pieces of debris to be carried out of the downspout through a plurality of small channels extending through the guard. Anchor pins may be installed in the guard to prevent it from being forced too far down into the downspout opening. Alternatively, the non-woven material may also be formed such that it includes an enlarged top portion which rests in the base of the gutter over the downspout opening while a reduced size portion is inserted into the downspout. It is also possible to form a handle directly in the non-woven mesh material which forms the guard to allow for easier gripping for both installation and removal as well as increased penetration area for draining water therethrough.

In another aspect of the invention, a debris shedding fence is anchored to the guard and sits in the rain gutter upstream from the downspout opening. The debris shedding fence prevents large debris from reaching the guard.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the guard includes a piece of non-woven material having a top surface, and a plurality of cross-sections that increase in area toward the top surface. The cross sections are generally complementary to an opening of the downspout. The material is adapted to extend at least partially into the downspout. The increase in area of the cross-sections toward the top surface prevents the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a guard in accordance with the invention being installed in a rain gutter downspout.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a guard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a guard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a barbed support pin used in conjunction with the guard shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through a fourth embodiment of a guard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through a fifth embodiment of a guard in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a debris shedding fence used in conjunction with the guard shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the guard in accordance with the present invention installed in a rain gutter downspout and the debris shedding fence installed in the rain gutter.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a guard in accordance with the present invention, installed in a rain gutter downspout.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the guard shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Certain terminology is used in the following detailed description for convenience only and is not considered limiting. The word “upper” and “lower” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Additionally, the terms “a” and “one” are defined as including one or more of the referenced item unless specifically noted. As used herein, “generally complementary” refers to a shape that generally corresponds to a mating shape, while allowing for the possibility of an interference fit based on the material properties of one or both shapes as well as the possibility of providing void areas within the one shape or along a surface of the one shape at the interface with the mating shape.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a first preferred embodiment of a guard 10 for use in connection with a rain gutter downspout is shown. The guard 10 is formed from a piece of non-woven matting, such as that described in the inventors' prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,579, which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. Other types of non-woven matting may be utilized. However, the matting described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,579 has proven successful in outdoor roof ridge vent applications and is resistant to both UV and moisture. The non-woven material has a large net free area of at least 60%, and preferably over 70%, and is formed of filaments which are randomly spun together and adhered in place utilizing an adhesive binder.

In the first preferred embodiment, the guard 10 includes a notch 12 which acts as a handle on an upper portion of the guard 10. Preferably, anchor pins 14 are installed which rest upon the bottom of the rain gutter 16 to prevent the guard 10 from being over-inserted into the opening 18 for the downspout 20. The guard 10 may be made from two pieces of non-woven material which are glued, laminated or otherwise connected together in order to form a guard 10 having a desired thickness. The notch 12 is preferably cut utilizing an abrasive cutting wheel. However, other cutting methods may be utilized in order to form the notch 12. In use, a user would grip the upper portion of the guard 10. The support pins 14 may be pre-installed or installed in position by the user either prior to or after inserting the bottom portion of the guard 10 into the opening 18 for the downspout 20. If the guard 10 needs to be removed for cleaning, it can be gripped by the notch 12 which provides a hand grip area in order to remove the guard 10 from the downspout opening 18. Alternatively, it would be possible to attach a handle or pull string to the top of the guard 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, preferably the support pins 14 are serrated so that they do not become dislodged from the non-woven material of the guard 10 after they have been installed. Preferably, the support pins 14 are made of copper or stainless steel to resist corrosion. However, other materials may be utilized.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of the guard 30 is shown. The guard 30 is also made of the non-woven material, as described above, and includes an upper lip 32 on at least one side, and preferably on both sides to prevent the guard 30 from being over-inserted into the gutter. Preferably, a handle 34 is connected to the top of the guard 30. The handle 34 may be a loop of nylon or other suitable material and may be semi-rigid such that the loop extends upward and remains in an open position in order to allow the guard 30 to be removed using an extension pole having a hook without the need for a ladder.

Referring to FIG. 3, a third embodiment of the guard 40 is shown. The guard 40 in accordance with the third embodiment of the invention is similar to the guard 10 except that the notch 12 has been omitted.

In the preferred embodiments described above, the lower portion of the guards 10, 30, and 40 are sized to be slightly greater than the opening 18 for a downspout so that they are installed with a slight interference fit. Since the non-woven material utilized to make the guards 10, 30, and 40 is compressible, this ensures that the guards 10, 30, and 40 remained anchored in position in the downspouts. The guards 10, 30, 40 are provided in different shapes and sizes that are generally complementary to known gutter/downspout configurations.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, additional embodiments of the guards 50 and 60 are shown and can also include one or more channels 52, 62 extending generally longitudinally along the sides of and/or through the guard 50, 60. This allows for an increased volume of water to flow through the guard 50, 60 and down the downspout, and also allows for smaller debris to be carried through the guard and out of the downspout by the water, while preventing larger debris from clogging the downspout. This higher flow through rate of the water also helps to clear small debris from the mesh material. In a preferred embodiment, the combined area of the channel(s) is no larger than about 25% of the cross-sectional area of the downspout. In a more preferred embodiment, the combined area of the channel(s) is between 5% and 20% of the area of the downspout. In the most preferred embodiments, the combined area of the channel(s) is between 10% and 15% of the area of the downspout.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the channels 52, 62 are located at an outer edge of the guards 50, 60 such that the channels are located against the wall of the downspout. However, it is possible to place the channels through the center of the guard 50, 60, or any other location on the guard 50, 60.

The guards 50, 60 are provided in different shapes and sizes and are generally complementary to known gutter/downspout configurations.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, an additional embodiment of the invention is shown which utilizes the guard so in combination with a debris blocking/shedding fence 70. The fence 70 has a grid portion 72 and an attachment portion 74, generally in the form of a spike. The fence 70 attaches to the guard 50 by inserting the attachment portion 74 into the portion of the guard 50 which protrudes from the opening 18 of the downspout 20. Once assembled, the grid portion 72 rests in the rain gutter 16 and prevents large debris from reaching the guard 50 in the opening 18 of the downspout 20, while still allowing water and smaller debris to pass through. The fence 70 also allows for debris to spill over the side walls of the rain gutter 16 in the event that too much debris is collected against the fence 70.

While the fence 70 is shown standing generally vertically in the rain gutter 16, in the embodiment shown, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the fence 70 can be angled, for example a 60° angle, in order to further enhance the debris shedding capability of the fence guard 70.

As shown, the fence guard 70 is placed in the rain gutter 16 with its horizontal edge facing down to complement the horizontal floor of the rain gutter 16. The fence guard 70 can also be placed with its curved edge facing down to complement rain gutters with curved bottoms. The grid portion 72 is made such that pieces can be easily broken off, as desired, to account for varying dimensions in different rain gutter designs. This allows the debris shedding fence 70 to be manufactured as a single item that can then be adapted to any number of various gutter configurations.

As an alternate to the pins 14, which are installed on each of the four sides of the guards 10 and 40, two pins having greater lengths may be utilized that are inserted all the way through the guard such that each pin extends through two opposing sides. Alternatively, the pins 14 can be omitted entirely.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate a further embodiment of the invention. As shown most clearly in FIG. 10, guard 80 may include a substantially tapered piece of non-woven material includes a plurality of respective cross-sections 82, 84, 86, 88 that are generally complementary to an opening of the downspout 20, the material being adapted to extend at least partially into the downspout as shown in FIG. 9.

More specifically, the piece of non-woven material of guard 80 includes a top surface 82, and a plurality of stepped cross sections 84, 86, 88, 90 that increase in area toward the top surface 82, as shown in FIG. 10. (In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, cross section 84 has the smallest area, and cross section 90 has the largest area.) Each stepped cross section 84, 86, 88, 90 has a respective substantially horizontal abutment surface 84A, 86A, 88A, 90A. The increase in area of the stepped cross-sections 84, 86, 88, 90 toward the top surface 82 prevents the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening 18. (In view of the representation of the downspout opening 18 in FIG. 1, it will be understood that the downspout opening 18 is hidden from view in FIG. 9.)

In other words, the generally tapered shape of the non-woven material facilitates insertion of the guard 80 into the downspout opening 18. When a stepped cross section 84, 86, 88, 90 with an area that is greater than an area of the downspout opening 18 meets the downspout opening 18, however, its respective substantially horizontal abutment surface 84A, 86A, 88A, 90A contacts a bottom surface 92 of the rain gutter, thereby preventing the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening 18.

The guard 80 may further include one or more channels 102 extending through the non-woven material as described above with reference to guards 50 and 60. The configuration and function of the channels 102 of guard 80 are virtually the same as those of guards 50 and 60, except that the channels 102 of guard 80 typically extend generally longitudinally along the sides or outer edges of each cross section 84, 86, 88, 90 (as shown in FIGS. 9-11) and/or through the guard 80 (not shown).

As described above with reference to guards 10 and 30, guard 80 may include a handle for removing the guard 80 from an installed position in the downspout 20. The handle may be formed as a recess 12 in the non-woven material (as illustrated in FIG. 1), or may include a loop 34 connected to the non-woven material (as illustrated in FIG. 2). The configuration and function of each handle of guard 80 are virtually the same as those of guards 10 and 30.

Guard 80 may also be utilized in combination with a debris blocking/shedding fence 70 as described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

As described above with reference to guards 10, 30, 40, 50, and 60, guard 80 is provided in different shapes and sizes that are generally complementary to known gutter/downspout configurations. In the example illustrated, the top plan view of FIG. 11 shows that the general shape of the top cross section 90 is rectangular (as is the general shape of the remaining cross sections 84, 86, 88). The length L of each cross section 84, 86, 88, 90 may be approximately three inches, four inches, five inches, and six inches, respectively. The height H of each cross section 84, 86, 88, 90 may be approximately two to three inches. The present invention, however, is not limited to these dimensions. The stepped cross sections 84, 86, 88, 90 of guard 80 may be dimensioned, as desired, to accommodate various downspout configurations.

The guard 80 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes four stepped cross sections 84, 86, 88, 90. The present invention, however, is not limited to four cross sections, and a guard 80 may be manufactured to include any number of stepped cross sections, as desired, as long as the area of at least one of the cross sections is greater than the area of the applicable downspout opening. Alternatively, guards 80 may be manufactured with a predetermined standard number of stepped cross sections and the user may then remove (by cutting) any number of stepped cross sections, as desired, for a particular downspout configuration.

An alternative to the stepped configuration of the guard 80 is for the taper to be substantially smooth in shape (not shown). The principle of preventing the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening 18, as described above with reference to the stepped cross section configuration, applies for a smoothly tapered guard 80 as well.

The non-woven material utilized to make the guards 10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 is provided in large sheets from a webber, and may be formed to a desired thickness and then cut to size utilizing suitable means, such as an abrasive wheel cutter. Multiple pieces of the non-woven material may also be joined together in order to form the required thickness for a guard 10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above which should be considered as merely exemplary. Further modification and extensions of the present invention may be developed, and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A guard for preventing debris from entering a downspout of a rain gutter, the guard comprising: a substantially tapered piece of non-woven material comprising a plurality of respective cross-sections that are generally complementary to an opening of the downspout, the material being adapted to extend at least partially into the downspout.

2. The guard of claim 1, further comprising one or more channels extending through the non-woven material.

3. The guard of claim 1, further comprising a handle formed from a recess in the non-woven material.

4. The guard of claim 1, further comprising a handle formed from a loop connected to the non-woven material.

5. The guard of claim 1, further comprising a fence guard comprising a grid portion resting in the rain gutter and an attachment portion inserted into the non-woven material.

6. A guard for preventing debris from entering a downspout of a rain gutter, the guard comprising: a piece of non-woven material comprising a top surface, and a plurality of cross-sections that increase in area toward the top surface, the cross sections being generally complementary to an opening of the downspout, and the material being adapted to extend at least partially into the downspout, wherein the increase in area of the cross-sections toward the top surface prevents the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening.

7. The guard of claim 6, wherein the area of at least one of the cross sections is greater than an area of the downspout opening.

8. The guard of claim 6, wherein the cross sections are stepped with respect to each other.

9. The guard of claim 8, wherein each stepped cross section comprises a respective substantially horizontal abutment surface, and at least one of the substantially horizontal abutment surfaces contacts a bottom surface of the rain gutter, thereby preventing the material from being over-inserted into the downspout opening.

10. The guard of claim 6, wherein the plurality of cross-sections that increase in area toward the top surface result in a substantially smoothly tapered piece of non-woven material.

11. The guard of claim 6, further comprising one or more channels extending through the non-woven material.

12. The guard of claim 11, wherein the channel(s) have a combined area not greater than about 25% of a corresponding cross-sectional area of the downspout.

13. The guard of claim 11, wherein the combined area of the channel(s) is between 5% and 20% of a cross-sectional area of the downspout.

14. The guard of claim 11, wherein the combined area of the channel(s) is between 10% and 15% of a cross-sectional area of the downspout.

15. The guard of claim 6, further comprising a handle for removing the guard from an installed position in the downspout.

16. The guard of claim 15, wherein the handle comprises a recess formed in the non-woven material.

17. The guard of claim 15, wherein the handle comprises a loop connected to the non-woven material.

18. The guard of claim 6, further comprising a fence guard comprising a grid portion resting in the rain gutter and an attachment portion inserted into the non-woven material.

19. The guard of claim 6, wherein the non-woven material comprises a synthetic fiber web treated with at least one binding agent.

20. The guard of claim 6, wherein the non-woven material comprises a synthetic fiber web having at least a 60% net free area.