Rain gutter accessory

Abstract

An accessory for a rain gutter which directs over-flowing rain water away from the front face of a gutter is described. The accessory extends along the front wall of the gutter and also serves to cover any unsightly stains or discolorations along the upper edge of the gutter. The rain gutter accessory can be easily and quickly attached to new or existing rain gutters, by merely snapping the accessory into place. Also described are combinations of the rain gutter accessory and a rain gutter, and one-piece units of the accessory and gutter.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority upon U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 874,521, filed on Dec. 11, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to the field of rain gutters or other water collecting troughs typically provided along the rooflines of buildings.[0003]The typical rain gutter on a residential building consists of a U-shaped, roll-formed length of aluminum cut to match the length of the eave. Rain gutters, either for residential or commercial buildings, can also be fabricated using polymeric materials such as polyvinyl chloride or other metals such as copper. A continuous gutter is usually installed with longitudinally spaced anchor nails. The nails pierce through the walls of the gutter and extend through spacer tubes into the vertical fascia board and the ends of the supporting rafters of the building. This typical rain gutter is designed to collect rain water or melting snow ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, after a period of time the outer face of most rain gutters often becomes stained from dirty water or other contaminants flowing over the outer wall of the rain gutter.

As a result of over-flowing gutters, the region of the gutter front face at which the over flow occurs, often becomes stained, discolored, or otherwise blemished.

As will be appreciated, it is undesirable for the outer faces of rain gutters to deteriorate from their initial, newly finished and attractive appearance.

Deteriorating gutters can become a significant eyesore, particularly for expensive or relatively new homes.

Although satisfactory, these light strings and their attachments do not address the problem of diminishing aesthetics of the rain gutter, and particularly deterioration as a result of staining or discoloration.

Although satisfactory for deflecting such debris, the outer edge portion 52 of the rain gutter cover 45 does not serve to effectively cover the front face of the rain gutter, thereby leaving that front face exposed.

In addition, the projecting outer portion 52 of the rain gutter cover 45 described in the '379 patent would likely interfere when periodic maintenance requires roof access by way of an extension ladder or similar means.

However, in the event that the outer portion 52 did not return to its original shape, it would no longer extend along a straight line along the eave and / or the rain gutter and thus would appear as unsightly.

And, if the outer portion 52 cracked or broke, such as might be likely in cold temperatures, the homeowner would then be faced with having to replace the assembly.

In addition, it is believed that although such covers as those described in the '379 patent would likely prevent clogging of the rain gutter, it is also possible that such covers would actually promote staining of the gutter front face.

Thus, the rain gutter cover system of the '379 patent is simply not needed, nor appropriate.

Although offering an alternative to stained or unsightly gutters, the assembly of the '685 patent is either as large as the gutter itself, or requires a relatively large number of components and thus involves a labor intensive and time-consuming installation.

In addition, for the versions of the device that include the screen cover, the previously noted tendency for staining from organic matter collecting on the screen would likely occur.

Furthermore, after a period of time, the front faces of gutters that are stained or discolored can corrode or otherwise become prone to pitting and oxidation.

Such pitting and oxidation makes it practically impossible to paint the gutter in order to improve its appearance.

This further detracts from the overall appearance and serviceability of a gutter system.

Further deterioration of a gutter system often requires that the entire gutter system or at least portions thereof, be replaced.

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