The invention pertains to vertical downspouts connected to gutters for removing rain water.
Gutters with downspouts are used to remove rain water falling upon roofs of houses and buildings. Water is directed toward the edge of the roof and into a gutter. Openings in the bottom of the gutter allow for removal of the water. Vertical downspouts extend from these openings and transport the water to ground level where it is dissipated. Downspouts are considered functional necessities and are not normally esthetically pleasing.
The prior art discloses drainage systems including downspouts intended to blend with the roof and building structure so as to be inconspicuous. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,492 (Cucchiara et al.). The system uses a trough 20 to collect water from the roof. Collected water is transported under the eaves by a soffit channel 30, which connects with a hollow L-shaped spout post 35. The vertically extending spout post is connected to the building, over the siding, at a corner, with each leg of the soffit post covering a different wall. Another spout post 50, shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 1,597,104, (O'Donnell) discloses a building tile and wall construction having a gutter 40 with a gutter spout 41 leading to a space between walls 29, 30. A sewer conduit 43 carries water from between these walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,183, (Smith), discloses a water conservation system having a gutter depositing water within a reservoir. A supply line extends from the reservoir to inside wall 34, comprising a stud frame of timber or metal, as shown in
In one embodiment of this invention there is provided downspouts attached to a building by flanges extending from the downspout. The downspouts are attached to standard gutters and elbows. At the corner of a building, downspouts are attached to each wall forming the corner and an insert extends between the two downspouts to create a seamless appearance. Siding, brick, or other wall covering for the building extends from the downspouts.
In another aspect of this invention, downspouts also can be used in the inside corner of the middle of a wall of a building by a pair of flanges attached to the building.
In yet another aspect of this invention, the downspouts can be attached to a post, such as on a porch.
In still another embodiment, the downspout may also contain a right-angle turn. In a right-angle turn, a trap is provided for the easy cleaning of the vertical downspout.
In accordance with this invention there is provided a gutter system has a downspout with an upper end, a lower end, and a passageway for transporting water. A first flange extends from the downspout for attaching the downspout to a building.
A gutter system has a locking channel with a first leg and a second leg and a first clip on said first leg and a second clip on said second leg. A first downspout has a clip mating with the clip on the first leg of the locking channel. A second downspout has a clip mating with the clip on the second leg of the locking channel.
Also in accordance with this invention there is a building has a roof with at least one post supporting the roof. A gutter is attached to the edge of the roof and a downspout connected to said gutter for receiving collect water from the gutter. The post has a width and the downspout has a width substantially equal to the width of the at least one post.
A building has a wall with a first edge and a second edge. A gutter extends along a top of the wall and a downspout is attached to the wall at a location spaced from the first and second edge.
A building has a first wall and a second wall, said first joined to one another to form an inside corner. A downspout is attached to the inside corner and has a first wall extending along said building first wall and a second wall extending along said building second wall.
A method of replacing a downspout includes attaching a first downspout to a building wall by securing a flange of the downspout to the building wall. The flange is cut from the first downspout and the first downspout is removed. A second downspout is secured to the building wall by a flange. The second downspout flange is smaller than said first downspout flange
It is an object of the invention to provide vertical downspouts blending with the siding of the building.
It is another object of the invention to provide vertical downspouts usable with standard gutters and elbows.
It is another object of the invention to provide gutters which are easily replaced if damaged.
It is another object of the invention to provide vertical downspouts which are easy to install and repair.
It is another object of the invention to provide a gutter system that can be used at an inside corner of a building or on posts, such as on a porch.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vertical downspout system which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.
The vertical downspouts 13 of the invention can be seen in
The attachment of the downspouts to the building is illustrated in
Each downspout has a rectangular cross section allowing it to fit flush against the wall. A flange 16 extends from the rear wall of the downspout and is secured to the building nails 12. At the edge of the downspout opposite the flange 16, each downspout has an L-shaped locking clip 15. The locking clip 15 fits between the locking channel 10 and the L-shaped, locking member 14, and is retained thereby. A corner insert 18 occupies a space between the two vertical downspouts 13, providing a transition between the two to give a neater appearance. The corner insert 18 terminates in flanges able to extend between the locking clips 15 and locking channel 10, to be secured in place. The corner insert may have a curved outer surface, resulting in a sector-shaped cross-section, or may have a rectangular cross-section, or triangular cross-section, both shown in phantom lines in the drawings. The corner insert 18 helps the downspout blend with the exterior of the building.
An exploded view of all the components comprising the vertical downspout system is shown in
Rectangular-shaped draining spouts 26, attachable to the end of the vertical downspouts for directing water away from the building, are seen. Also seen in this view is connection module 24 attachable to the top end of the vertical downspouts 13. Connection module 24 has an opening surrounded by a flange 25 for connection to an elbow 22. The opening attaches to a standard elbow attached to a gutter. A standard elbow for residential systems has a rectangular cross section. The other end of the elbow 22 connects to a gutter. Of course, the downspout 13 and connection module 24 can be formed as one piece.
A cap 20 covers the top of the connection module 24. The cap permits access to the downspout for cleaning. Also, if an obstruction causes water to build up within the vertical downspout, the cap is designed to pop off to release water. The downspouts can be made in any width; widths of 4″, 5″, 6″, or 12″ are presently contemplated. A 12″ width is foreseen for a building having siding material such as vinyl siding, brick or stucco sides with a downspout that is covered with brick or stucco to match.
The downspout can turn at right angles to follow the contour of the building side wall, as shown in
The sections of vertical downspouts used to create a right-angle turn are shown in the exploded view of
A vertical downspout 40 for the inside corner of the building is shown in
An embodiment of a vertical downspout connected to a post is shown in
In some instances, it is desirable to provide a downspout in the center of a wall, rather than in a corner. For such an instance, a downspout 60 is provided with a pair of flanges 62 extending from either side of the downspout. The flanges are attachable to the side wall by such a means as nailing.
While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, variations or modifications would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Consequently, the appended claims should not be limited to their literal terms, but should be broadly construed in accordance with the scope of the invention, as described above.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3966121 | Littman | Jun 1976 | A |
4106243 | Horn | Aug 1978 | A |
4615153 | Carey | Oct 1986 | A |
5220755 | Roles | Jun 1993 | A |
5590492 | Cucchiara et al. | Jan 1997 | A |
5882508 | St-Jacques | Mar 1999 | A |
5985158 | Tiderington | Nov 1999 | A |
6041555 | Alpi | Mar 2000 | A |
6263618 | Jones | Jul 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1188-476 | Nov 1985 | CA |
5-148965 | Jun 1993 | JP |
5-230959 | Sep 1993 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20030221373 A1 | Dec 2003 | US |