Integrated Gutter Guard and Hanger for Thermal Deformation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gutter guards fail to effectively prevent leaves and debris from entering gutters while allowing rainwater to flow, and they often require additional fasteners that restrict the thermal deformation of gutters, leading to potential damage from bending, shearing, or ripping.
Innovation Solution
A dual-purpose gutter guard that acts as both a gutter hanger and guard, featuring a front portion with an upwardly extending hook member and a central portion with throughholes, which engages with the gutter's front and rear walls without additional fasteners, allowing for thermal deformation of the gutter while preventing debris entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional gutter guards are used to prevent debris entry, then debris protection is improved, but additional fasteners are required which restrict thermal deformation of gutters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the gutter guard function and gutter hanger function into a single integrated component. The gutter guard includes front and rear hanger portions that engage with the gutter walls, eliminating the need for separate fasteners and allowing thermal deformation without restriction.
Solution Approach 2:
The gutter guard is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a debris barrier, a support structure, and a hanging mechanism. The front and rear portions engage with the gutter walls to provide support while the central portion blocks debris entry.
2Reliability
If additional fasteners are used to secure gutter guards, then gutter guard stability is improved, but the gutter becomes restricted from thermal deformation leading to potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The gutter guard integrates the support and guarding functions into one component that uses the gutter's own structure (front and rear walls) for attachment, eliminating external fasteners that would restrict thermal movement and potentially cause structural damage.
3Strength
If conventional gutter hangers are used to support the gutter, then gutter support is provided, but they do not effectively prevent debris from entering the trough
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the gutter hanger function with the gutter guard function into a single component. The front and rear portions provide support by engaging with the gutter walls, while the central portion extends across the trough opening to prevent debris entry.
4Ease of manufacture
If gutter guards are installed separately from hangers, then each component can be optimized, but the overall system complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated gutter guard component that includes both support and guarding features, simplifying the system and reducing the number of parts that need to be manufactured and installed separately.
Data Source
AI summary
A gutter guard for retaining a gutter and for covering an opening of the gutter provided. The gutter has a front wall and a rear wall and the opening is defined by a top edge of the front wall and the top edge of the rear wall. The gutter guard includes a front portion for operatively engaging the front wall of the gutter, a rear portion having an upwardly and rearwardly extending hook member for retaining the rear wall of the gutter and an upstanding member fastenable to an upstanding support structure, and a central portion extending between the front portion and the rear portion and having a plurality of throughholes formed therein. The gutter guard may be multi-layered, having a first sheet member and a second sheet member that are spaced apart and having non-aligned throughholes. A gutter guard kit can include at least one gutter guard and a gutter that are operatively engageable with one another.