Patent Application
20170089071
None.
None.
The present disclosure generally relates to gutter guard apparatuses and methods for making the same. More specifically, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to easily installable gutter guard apparatuses made from two or more materials for preventing debris from entering rooftop rainwater collection systems, and related methods for making the same.
The present disclosure pertains generally to gutter guard systems used in relation to rooftop rainwater collection systems (e.g., gutters or gutter systems) to prevent accumulation of debris in the gutter system while still capturing the water the system is intended to collect.
In general, rainwater collection systems are installed to collect rainwater from rooftops and direct the water to desirable drainage locations around a structure. Often times, gutter systems can become undesirably clogged with debris (e.g. sticks, pine straw, leaves, acorns, etc.). To prevent such accumulation, there are numerous systems available that may be installed on or within the gutter system to enable collection of water while preventing the accumulation of debris within the gutter system. (See, e.g., U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2015/0033638 titled Gutter Guard Apparatuses and Methods).
Unfortunately, existing systems are often expensive, and are frequently either ineffective, or deteriorate quickly. Also, known systems are made from single materials (for example, only plastic or only metal), rather than combinations of metals and plastics that effectively combine to match each material's best qualities to their most suitable function. For example, plastics are lightweight and typically comprise desirable characteristics for easily coupling the apparatus to a gutter system. On the other hand, these lighter weight plastics typically lack the strength and durability needed in the central portion of the gutter where the greatest wear and stresses are felt. It is therefore metals, not plastics, which are typically better suited for this central spanning portion.
Unfortunately, the use of metal materials on metal gutters can lead to undesirable corrosion. For example, the use of an aluminum or steel gutter guard on a copper gutter can lead to significant corrosion. Corrosion can occur in a host of other metal combinations as well. Such corrosion can be avoided despite the use of materials that might otherwise corrode, however, where non-reactive materials prevent contact between the otherwise reactive materials. For example, plastics may be used to provide a non-conducting buffer between otherwise reactive materials such that the free electrons that might otherwise lead to corrosion cannot pass between the reactive materials. Plastics may also offer lighter overall weight, greater flexibility, and other desirable attributes.
Accordingly, what is needed is a gutter guard apparatus that is easy to manufacture at a low cost that effectively utilizes a combination of materials to exploit the best characteristics of such materials in different aspects of the apparatus. Also desirable would be a gutter guard apparatus that can utilize materials that might otherwise react with certain types of gutter systems, which can result in unwanted corrosion.
The present disclosure pertains generally to gutter guard systems for preventing accumulation of debris while capturing water.
In one embodiment, a gutter guard apparatus for attachment to a gutter in a rainwater collection system and configured for mounting to a longitudinal edge of a rooftop is disclosed, the gutter defining a longitudinal and upward facing rainwater collection opening with a bead at an upper lip of the gutter. The gutter guard apparatus may include a central portion extending longitudinally along the length of the gutter and laterally across at least a portion of the upward facing rainwater collection opening, the central portion comprising a first metallic material defining perforations permitting rainwater to pass into the upward facing rainwater collection opening, and first and second end portions comprising a second non-metallic material, the first and second end portions extending longitudinally along the length of the central portion; wherein the first end portion is coupled to a side of the central portion configured for placement adjacent to the edge of the rooftop, and the second end portion is coupled to a side of the central portion configured for placement opposite the rooftop; wherein the second end portion is adapted to couple to an upper portion of the gutter proximate to the bead; and further wherein the first end portion, the central portion, and the second end portion extend substantially across the water collection opening.
The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presently disclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter provides a gutter guard apparatus for installation on new and/or existing rooftop rainwater collection systems. Advantageously, the gutter guard apparatus may be constructed of two or more materials. For example, expanded metals (e.g. expanded galvanized steel, aluminum, etc.) may be used in a central portion of the apparatus to provide a sturdy, long-lasting structure across the opening of the gutter system where the apparatus will encounter the greatest loads and stresses. On the edges of the apparatus, however, plastics may be used which advantageously offers reduced weight, reduced cost, greater flexibility, and non-conductive properties at the points where the apparatus attaches to the rainwater collection system and/or rooftop. The result is an overall lighter weight apparatus that embodies the durability and strength of heavier and more expensive metallic gutter guard devices, and the lower weight, greater flexibility, superior adapting ability, and non-conductive qualities of plastics.
Referring now to
End portions 14, 16 may be made of a second material having a reduced weight and cost and better suited for mounting the apparatus to the rainwater collection system and/or rooftop. The second material may also be non-conducting, such that free electrons in the gutter system and/or the central portion 12 cannot be conducted to one another, which can lead to unwanted corrosion. In some embodiments, end portions 14, 16 may be made primarily from, for example, plastic or vinyl (e.g. polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, or polyethylene), though any suitable material may be used.
End portions 14 and 16 will typically (though not necessarily) take on different configurations depending on the gutter system and rooftop onto which the apparatus will be installed. For example, end portion 14 may, in some circumstances, take on an elongated, flat form to facilitate sliding end portion 14 under shingles that may be installed on the rooftop. End portion 14 may, alternatively, take on any other shape or configuration to facilitate attachment to the roof structure and/or gutter that enables rainwater to flow from the rooftop to the gutter system.
End portion 16, on the other hand, may be configured for attachment to the non-roof side edge of the gutter system. In some embodiments, end portion 16 may include a mechanism for coupling to the non-roof edge of the gutter system. Such mechanisms may include, for example, a snap attachment that snaps onto an outer edge of the gutter system.
For example, end portion 16 may include a mechanism that includes a gutter receiving portion 17 for receiving an upper portion of the outer edge of the gutter system. The gutter receiving portion 17 may also include a securing component for securing end portion 16 of the apparatus 10 to the gutter. The securing component may, in some embodiments, include teeth 18 that extend substantially perpendicularly from gutter receiving portion 17. The teeth may be continuous or spaced incrementally along receiving portion 17. Similarly, the securing component (e.g. receiving portion 17) may extend continuously along the end portion 16, or may be spaced incrementally.
In such exemplary embodiments, the upper portion of the outer edge of the gutter may include a roll or other type of bead structure that adds strength to the gutter system. Accordingly, the roll or bead may fit into the gutter receiving portion 17 and teeth 18 may snap around the roll or bead to facilitate a secure connection between end portion 16 and the gutter system. A person having skill in the art will appreciate that this is but one example of how the gutter guard apparatus 10 could be coupled to the outer edge of the gutter system, and that other coupling mechanisms could likewise be employed (e.g. screws, glue, magnets, fasteners, etc.).
In application, central portion 12 and end portions 14, 16 may be coupled together to form the single gutter guard apparatus 10. Referring now to
Alternatively, gutter guard apparatus 10 may be manufactured in other ways. For example, end portions 14, 16 may be manufactured using a more simplified extrusion process, or any other manufacturing means to produce end portions 14, 16 of desired lengths. Referring now to
The size of the perforations 19 in central portion 12 may vary depending on the configuration of the apparatus. In some embodiments, very fine perforations may be employed, allowing water to flow through the perforations 19 but preventing larger debris from flowing through and entering the gutter system. In certain other embodiments, larger perforations may be employed, which advantageously reduces the weight and amount of raw material required for central portion 12. For example, the perforations 19 may, in some embodiments, comprise substantially evenly spaced openings approximately 0.25 inches by 0.125 inches in size.
Undesirably, however, larger perforations may allow an unacceptable amount of debris to pass through the central portion 12 and into the gutter system. Accordingly, with reference to
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gutter guard apparatus 10 may be reversible, allowing for installation of the gutter guard apparatus 10 in at least two configurations on the gutter system. An exemplary embodiment of such a reversible configuration is shown with reference to
One advantage of such a reversible configuration of the gutter guard apparatus 10 is the ability to have the first surfaces 52, 62, and 72 colored a first color, and second surfaces 54, 64, and 74 colored a second color. Advantageously, the first and second colors may optionally be distinguishable from one another, thereby giving consumers the option of installing the gutter guard apparatus 10 with the first color exposed or the second color exposed (the opposite surface being effectively hidden as facing to the gutter and/or rooftop). Having both colors available on a single apparatus has a further advantage of giving the consumer the option of seeing both color options on their house before fully installing one color versus the other. Indeed, many consumers would prefer to have their gutter guard system 10 match the color of their roof, and having two colors to choose from on one device 10 enables more effective color matching (i.e. the ability to actually see the color on the house rather than relying on a color sample). Other exemplary advantages include the ability of sellers of gutter guard apparatus 10 to carry less inventory, effectively carrying half the inventory that may otherwise be required to provide options to match the myriad roof color options available in the marketplace. Of course, in some embodiments the first and second color may be the same, but in preferred embodiments the first and second colors will be distinguishable from one another.
To manufacture end portions 14, 16 with the first surfaces 52, 62 a the first color and second surfaces 54, 64 a the second color, a co-extrusion process may, in some embodiments, be used. The co-extrusion process may rely on, for example, an extruder mechanism 600 such as the exemplary mechanism shown in
During the extrusion process, the extruder 600 may be configured to produce the first surfaces 52, 62 of end portions 14, 16 with melted raw materials from the first raw material receiver 602, thereby yielding the first surface 52, 62 of end portions 14, 16 having the first color. Similarly, the extruder 600 may be further configured to produce the second surfaces 54, 64 of end portions 14, 16 with raw materials from the second raw material receiver 604, thereby yielding the second surface 54, 64 of end portions 14, 16 having the second color. Advantageously, the co-extruder may be further configured to yield the first surface 52 and second surface 54 (and likewise the first surface 62 and second surface 64) together such that they are each produced as a single unit. The co-extrusion process may further be used to extrude end portions 14, 16 together with central portion 12 as discussed above (see
Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in this application, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a subject” includes a plurality of subjects, unless the context clearly is to the contrary (e.g., a plurality of subjects), and so forth.
Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items.
For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, sizes, dimensions, proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, percentages, parameters, quantities, characteristics, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter. For example, the term “about,” when referring to a value can be meant to encompass variations of, in some embodiments, ±100% in some embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±100/0, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods or employ the disclosed compositions.
Further, the term “about” when used in connection with one or more numbers or numerical ranges, should be understood to refer to all such numbers, including all numbers in a range and modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers, e.g., whole integers, including fractions thereof, subsumed within that range (for example, the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as fractions thereof, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, and the like) and any range within that range.
Although the foregoing subject matter has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62233650 | Sep 2015 | US |
