Gutter drains and gutter structures
The drain design with protruding portions on the upper member prevents adhesive from reaching the screw connection, enabling easy removal and reinstallation by blocking adhesive flow, addressing the adhesive-related challenges in existing drain systems.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- PANASONIC HOUSING SOLUTIONS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-01-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-29
AI Technical Summary
The challenge of removing a drain from an eaves gutter is exacerbated by adhesive overflow, which complicates the removal process due to bonding with male threads, making it difficult to reinstall or replace the drain.
The drain design features an upper member with protruding portions on its outer circumferential surface to prevent adhesive flow towards the male screw, ensuring easy removal by blocking adhesive from reaching the screw connection.
The protruding portions effectively suppress adhesive flow, allowing for easy disassembly of the drain components without adhesive interference, facilitating reinstallation and maintenance.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drain for an eaves gutter and an eaves gutter structure.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, rainwater flowing down into an eaves gutter attached to the roof of a building is collected and sent to a downspout, and is discharged from below through the downspout. At this time, a drain is installed at the opening of the eaves gutter, and the downspout is connected to the eaves gutter through the drain.
[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that a drain for an eaves gutter includes an upper member and a lower member, and the upper member and the lower member sandwich the bottom plate of the eaves gutter and are screwed together to couple the drain to the eaves gutter. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, a cylindrical portion is provided below the flange of the upper member, and the cylindrical portion is connected by a curved surface portion. The cross-sectional shape formed by a plane including the central axis on the outer peripheral surface of the curved surface portion is formed only by a substantially circular arc-shaped smooth curve.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] Traditionally, when installing the upper flange of a gutter, adhesive is usually applied to the underside of the upper flange. The purpose of applying adhesive is to firmly fix the upper flange to the gutter and to ensure a water seal to prevent water from leaking between the upper flange and the gutter. However, if a large amount of adhesive is applied to the underside of the upper flange in order to ensure a water seal, the adhesive may overflow from the underside of the upper flange and the top surface of the gutter's bottom plate onto the curved side, travel along the curve, and even reach the male threads on the outer circumference of the cylindrical part. If the adhesive reaches the male threads, for example, if it becomes necessary to reinstall the drain and remove the upper and lower members from the gutter, the removal work becomes difficult.
[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a drain and gutter structure for eaves gutters that allows for easy removal of the upper and lower members from the gutter, even when adhesive is provided between the lower surface of the flange of the upper member and the gutter. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] A drain for a gutter according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a drain for a gutter that is installed in an opening formed in a gutter, and comprises an upper member and a lower member, the upper member having an upper flange installed on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the gutter, an upper cylindrical portion provided below the upper flange, and an upper curved surface portion connecting the upper flange and the upper cylindrical portion, the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion having male threads for screw connection with the lower member, and the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved surface portion having protruding portions.
[0008] A gutter structure according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a gutter structure comprising a gutter and a gutter drain according to one aspect of the present disclosure installed in the gutter. [Effects of the Invention]
[0009] According to one embodiment of the gutter drain and gutter structure of this disclosure, even when adhesive is provided between the lower surface of the upper flange of the upper member and the gutter, the flow of adhesive from the upper flange side to the inner circumference side can be suppressed by the protruding portion, thereby preventing the adhesive from reaching the male screw. This makes it easy to remove the upper and lower members from the gutter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows a cross-sectional view of the schematic configuration of a gutter drainage structure including a gutter drain according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view of section A in Figure 1, showing the drain for the eaves gutter in the embodiment. [Figure 3A] Figure 2 is a front view of the upper member of the drain for the eaves gutter. [Figure 3B] This is an enlarged view of section B in Figure 3A. [Figure 4] This is a view of the upper member shown in Figure 3A, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 5] Figure 3A is a right side view of the upper member. [Figure 6] Figure 3A is a rear view of the upper member. [Figure 7] Figure 3A is a top view of the upper member. [Figure 8] Figure 3A is a bottom view of the upper member. [Figure 9] This is a view of the upper member shown in Figure 3A, taken from diagonally below. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 7. [Figure 11] This is a view from diagonally above, showing the upper and lower members combined in the drain for the eaves gutter according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a front view showing the upper and lower members combined. [Figure 13] This is a view of the right side after the upper and lower members have been combined. [Figure 14] This is a view of the rear after the upper and lower parts have been combined. [Figure 15] This is a view of the top surface after the upper and lower members have been combined. [Figure 16] It is a view looking at the bottom surface by combining an upper member and a lower member. [Figure 17] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 15. [Figure 18] It is a view corresponding to the cross-section C-C of FIG. 15, showing the usage state of the eaves gutter drain of the embodiment.
Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the eaves gutter drain according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The shapes, numbers, materials, etc. described below are examples for explanation, and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications of the eaves gutter drain or the eaves gutter drainage structure including the eaves gutter drain. In the following, the same reference numerals will be given to equivalent elements in all the drawings for explanation.
[0012] Embodiments will be described using the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing a cross-section of a schematic configuration of an eaves gutter drainage structure 80 including an eaves gutter drain 10 of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 1 showing the eaves gutter drain 10.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the eaves gutter drainage structure 80 includes an eaves gutter structure 70, a downspout 94, and a vertical pipe 96, and is attached to a building (not shown). In FIG. 1, the side away from the building (the left side in FIG. 1) is the front side, and the side close to the building (the right side in FIG. 1) is the left side.
[0014] The eaves gutter structure 70 includes an eaves gutter 81 and an eaves gutter drain 10 installed in the eaves gutter 81. The eaves gutter 81 is a resin molded product, and has a bottom plate 82, a front wall 83 erected from the front end of the bottom plate 82, and a rear wall 84 erected from the rear end of the bottom plate 82, and its cross-section is formed in a groove shape. The eaves gutter 81 is suspended by a suspension tool (not shown) attached to the building, and is formed to receive rainwater flowing down from the eaves of the roof.
[0015] An opening 82a (Figure 2) is formed in the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81. The gutter drain 10 consists of an upper member 11 and a lower member 90. The upper member 11 is installed so as to pass through the opening 82a. Hereafter, the gutter drain 10 will be referred to as drain 10. The structure of drain 10 will be explained in detail later.
[0016] The downpipe 94 has an upstream elbow 97 and a downstream elbow 98 connected to both ends. The downpipe 94 allows rainwater introduced from the eaves gutter 81 via the drain 10 and the upstream elbow 97 to flow laterally and is introduced into the downpipe 96 via the downstream elbow 98. In Figure 1, the sandy area represents the rainwater.
[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the upper member 11 of the drain 10 has an upper flange 16 installed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81, an upper cylindrical portion 11a provided below the upper flange 16, and an upper curved surface portion 14 connecting the upper flange 16 and the upper cylindrical portion 11a. Male threads 13 for screw connection with the lower member 90 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion 11a. The upper member 11 is formed by injection molding of a resin such as rigid polyvinyl chloride resin, polycarbonate, or ABS. The upper member 11 may also be made of a metal such as cast iron.
[0018] On the other hand, the lower member 90 of the drain 10 has a lower cylindrical portion 91 and an outward-facing lower flange 92 formed at the upper end of the lower cylindrical portion 91. Female threads 91a are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the lower cylindrical portion 91. The female threads 91a are formed intermittently in the circumferential direction of the lower cylindrical portion 91, but they may be continuous overall. The lower member 90 is connected to the upper end of the upstream elbow 97 by fitting the lower cylindrical portion 91 inside the large-diameter cylindrical portion 97a formed at the upper end of the upstream elbow 97. The lower member 90, like the upper member 11, is formed by injection molding of a resin such as rigid polyvinyl chloride resin. The lower member 90 may also be made of metal such as cast iron.
[0019] The upper member 11 of the drain 10 is installed in the opening 82a of the gutter 81, with the upper cylindrical portion 11a of the upper member 11 protruding downward from the opening 82a, and the male thread 13 formed on the outer surface of the upper cylindrical portion 11a is connected to the female thread 91a of the lower member 90. In this state, as will be described later, the lower flange 92 of the lower member 90 and the upper flange 16 of the upper member 11 sandwich the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81 from both above and below, thereby fixing the drain 10 to the gutter 81.
[0020] The downpipe 96 is fixed to the building along the exterior wall surface of the building using multiple fasteners (not shown) or the like, in the vertical direction. The lower end of the downpipe 96 may be connected to a drainpipe buried underground, so that rainwater flowing down the downpipe 96 is drained into the drainpipe.
[0021] Figures 3A to 10 show the upper member 11. The upper member 11 is a drainage member that has a high-performance rainwater drainage function when a large amount of rainwater flows into the gutter 81, such as during heavy rain. The upper member 11 is composed of vanes 30 connected at multiple circumferential positions on the upper surface of the upper flange 16 and the inner surface of the upper curved portion 14, an inner cylindrical portion 40 connected to the radially inner ends of the multiple vanes 30, and a funnel portion 41 continuous with the upper end of the inner cylindrical portion 40.
[0022] The funnel portion 41 extends radially outward in a trumpet shape, continuously from the upper end of the inner cylinder portion 40 upwards. The conical inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the funnel portion 41 and the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the inner cylinder portion 40 are smoothly connected by a curved surface that includes a curved surface with a circular arc cross-section.
[0023] The upper cylindrical portion 11a of the upper member 11 is substantially cylindrical. A male thread 13 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion 11a. The male thread 13 can be screwed into the female thread 91a (Figure 2) formed on the lower member 90.
[0024] As shown in Figure 10, the upper curved portion 14 has a smooth curved surface with a circular arc cross-section on its inner circumferential surface. The inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion 11a and the upper surface of the inner end of the upper flange 16 are smoothly connected by the inner circumferential surface of the upper curved portion 14.
[0025] Furthermore, the upper curved portion 14 has a plurality of protrusions 15 on its outer circumferential surface. As shown in Figure 10, each protrusion 15 has a substantially arc-shaped cross-section and is provided to protrude outward in an annular manner around the entire circumference of the upper curved portion 14. This allows the flow of adhesive from the upper flange 16 side to the inner circumference side to be suppressed by the protrusions 15, even when adhesive is applied between the lower surface of the upper flange 16 of the upper member 11 and the gutter 81, as will be explained in detail later.
[0026] Preferably, the diameter D1 (Figure 3A) of the largest circumscribed circle that is tangent to the outside of at least one protruding portion 15 provided on the upper curved portion 14 is larger than the inner diameter D2 (Figure 2) of the lower cylindrical portion 91 of the lower member 90 (D1 > D2).
[0027] Furthermore, in the upper member 11, the portion separated by the multiple vanes 30 described later, between the outer peripheral end of the upper surface of the upper flange 16 and the outer peripheral end of the upper end of the funnel portion 41 described later, becomes an inlet opening 20 (Figure 10) for introducing rainwater that has flowed into the gutter 81 into the upper member 11.
[0028] Multiple blades 30 are plate-shaped and extend radially, connected at multiple circumferential positions on the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion 11a, extending from the upper end of the outer circumference of the upper flange 16 to the inner circumference of the lower end of the upper curved surface portion 14. The radially outer end of each blade 30 is a plane substantially parallel to the central axis O (Figure 10) of the upper cylindrical portion 11a, or a tapered surface slightly inclined radially outward toward the lower end. Each blade 30 may be inclined with respect to the radial direction in a plan view. Both circumferential sides of each blade 30 are flat, but may be curved. The number of multiple blades 30 can be an odd number, such as 5.
[0029] Each blade 30 has a projection 31 that extends upward from a position radially outward from the outer circumference of the upper end of the funnel portion 41. Furthermore, a notch 32 with a roughly rectangular cross-section is formed in the radially inward portion of the lower end of each blade 30. The multiple blades 30 have the function of straightening the flow of rainwater that flows in from the inlet opening 20. The notch 32 enhances the drainage function of rainwater that flows in from the inlet opening 20.
[0030] The inner cylindrical portion 40 is a cylindrical portion that is connected to the lower part of the radially inner ends of the multiple blades 30, extends vertically, and has its lower end facing the inner space of the upper cylindrical portion 11a.
[0031] A disc-shaped outward-facing flange 42 is formed at the upper end of the funnel portion 41. The funnel portion 41 is connected to the upper portion of the radially inner ends of the multiple vanes 30. The outer diameter of the upper end of the funnel portion 41 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical inner surface of the upper cylindrical portion 11a. The central axes O of the funnel portion 41, the inner cylindrical portion 40, and the upper cylindrical portion 11a coincide.
[0032] Figures 11 to 17 show the upper member 11 combined with the lower member 90, that is, the male thread of the upper member 11 is screw-connected to the female thread of the lower member 90 to form the drain 10. As shown in Figures 11 to 17, the lower member 90 is connected to the lower flange 92 and the lower cylindrical portion 91 via a stepped portion 93 that is bent in a roughly L-shape in cross-section. The stepped portion 93 includes an outward-facing disc portion 93a that is continuous from the upper end of the lower cylindrical portion 91, and a curved surface portion 93b that is connected to the outer circumference of the disc portion 93a and curved so that its diameter increases towards the radially outward direction. As shown in Figure 17, the inner circumferential surface of the curved surface portion is an inclined surface whose diameter increases towards the radially outward direction.
[0033] The method for assembling the gutter drainage structure 80, including the drain 10 described above, will now be explained. First, an opening 82a is formed in the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81 at the position where the upper member 11 will be attached. Next, the upper member 11 is inserted into the gutter 81, and the upper cylindrical portion 11a is inserted first into the opening 82a of the gutter 81, protruding downwards, and the upper flange 16 is locked to the periphery of the opening 82a of the bottom plate 82. At this time, adhesive is applied between the lower surface of the upper flange 16 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 82 to create a water seal. For example, with adhesive already applied to the lower surface of the upper flange 16, the upper flange 16 is placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 82.
[0034] Then, as shown in Figure 18, the lower member 90 is fixed to the outer circumference of the upper cylindrical portion 11a that protrudes downward from the opening 82a of the gutter 81 by screw connection, and the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81 is sandwiched and fixed from both the upper and lower sides by the upper flange 16 of the upper member 11 and the lower flange 92 of the lower member 90. After that, the downpipe 96 is connected to the lower member 90 via the upstream elbow 97, the connecting pipe 94, and the downstream elbow 98. Then, in the state of use, the downpipe 96 is positioned to extend in the vertical direction.
[0035] With this type of gutter drainage structure 80, rainwater that falls on the roof flows into the gutter 81, enters through the inlet opening 20 of the upper member 11, passes inside the upper cylindrical section 11a, and is introduced into the downpipe 96 via the connecting pipe 94, etc. In this state, when the amount of rainwater flowing through the downpipe 96 exceeds a predetermined flow rate, the rainwater that has flowed down the downpipe 96 is forcefully drained downwards (in the direction of the white arrow in Figure 1) by the siphon effect.
[0036] According to the drain 10 described above, the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion 14 of the upper member 11 has multiple continuous protrusions 15 that extend around its entire circumference. This allows the flow of adhesive from the upper flange 16 to the inner circumference to be suppressed by the multiple protrusions 15, even when adhesive is applied to the lower surface of the upper flange 16 of the upper member 11 and adhesive is provided between the lower surface of the upper flange 16 and the bottom plate 82 of the gutter 81. Specifically, if there are no protrusions on the upper curved portion 14, the adhesive may travel along the curved outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion 14 and be rapidly guided to the outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion 11a where the male screw 13 is located. On the other hand, as in the embodiment, if there are protrusions 15 on the upper curved portion 14, the protrusions 15 can block the flow of adhesive to the inner circumference, preventing the adhesive from rapidly flowing towards the male screw 13. This suppresses the reach of adhesive to the male screw 13. Therefore, even if it becomes necessary to reinstall the drain 10 and remove the upper member 11 and lower member 90 from the gutter 81, the male screw 13 and female screw 91a will not be bonded together with adhesive, making it easy to remove the upper member 11 and lower member 90 from the gutter 81.
[0037] Furthermore, if the diameter D1 of the largest circumscribed circle that touches the outside of at least one protruding portion 15 is larger than the inner diameter D2 of the upper end of the lower cylindrical portion 91 of the lower member 90, then even if the adhesive that is blocked by the protruding portion 15 falls away from the outer surface of the upper curved portion 14, the adhesive can be caught by the upper surface of the disc portion 93a of the stepped portion 93 of the lower member 90, further suppressing the adhesive from reaching the male screw 13.
[0038] In the above description, a case in which multiple protrusions 15 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion 14 was explained, but a configuration in which only one protrusion is provided on the upper curved portion is also possible. Furthermore, each protrusion 15 is not limited to being formed over the entire circumference of the upper member, but may be provided intermittently over the circumferential direction of the upper member. On the other hand, from the perspective of suppressing the reach of adhesive to the male screw 13, it is preferable that the protrusions 15 are formed over the entire circumference of the upper member 11, and furthermore, that a configuration in which multiple protrusions 15 are provided is preferred.
[0039] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the protruding section is not limited to a roughly circular arc; various shapes such as a roughly triangular shape can be adopted.
[0040] Furthermore, the drain is not limited to the type used in the eaves gutter drainage structure 80 having a downpipe 94 and elbows 97, 98 as shown in Figure 1, but may also be configured in which a long downpipe is directly connected to the underside of the drain. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0041] 10 Gutter drain (drain), 11 Upper member, 11a Upper cylindrical part, 13 Male screw, 14 Upper curved part, 15 Protruding part, 16 Upper flange, 20 Inlet opening, 30 Wing, 31 Projection part, 32 Notch, 40 Inner cylindrical part, 41 Funnel part, 42 Outward flange, 80 Gutter drainage structure, 81 Gutter, 82 Bottom plate, 82a Opening, 83 Front wall, 84 Rear wall, 90 Lower member, 91 Lower cylindrical part, 91a Female screw, 92 Lower flange, 93 Stepped part, 93a Disc part, 94 Downpipe, 96 Downpipe, 97 Upstream elbow, 97a Large diameter cylindrical part, 98 Downstream elbow.
Claims
1. A drain for eaves gutters, which is installed in an opening formed in the eaves gutter, It comprises an upper member and a lower member, The upper member has an upper flange installed on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the gutter, an upper cylindrical portion provided below the upper flange, and an upper curved portion connecting the upper flange and the upper cylindrical portion. The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion has male threads formed on it for screw connection with the lower member. The outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion has a protruding ridge, The aforementioned protruding portion is formed to be continuous with the male screw side end of the portion of the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved surface that is inclined with respect to the axial direction, and is an annular shape provided around the entire circumference of the upper curved surface. Drain for eaves gutters.
2. In the drain for eaves gutters according to claim 1, Multiple protrusions are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion, spaced apart in the axial direction. Drain for eaves gutters.
3. A drain for eaves gutters, which is installed in an opening formed in the eaves gutter, It comprises an upper member and a lower member, The upper member has an upper flange installed on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the gutter, an upper cylindrical portion provided below the upper flange, and an upper curved portion connecting the upper flange and the upper cylindrical portion. The outer circumferential surface of the upper cylindrical portion has male threads formed on it for screw connection with the lower member. The outer circumferential surface of the upper curved portion has a protruding ridge, The aforementioned protrusions are annular in shape and extend around the entire circumference of the upper curved surface, and a plurality of them are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the upper curved surface, spaced apart in the axial direction. Drain for eaves gutters.
4. The aforementioned gutter and, A gutter structure comprising a gutter drain according to any one of claims 1 to 3, installed in the gutter.