Gutter Cleaning Nozzle With Guide-Shoe for Hanger Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gutter cleaning methods are hazardous and inefficient, particularly due to the need to manually navigate attachments past gutter hangers, leading to difficulties and safety concerns when trying to remove debris without accessing the gutter by ladder.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising rigid tubing, a tubular nozzle with a guide-shoe, and a blower that allows for safe and effective debris removal by propelling air through the nozzle to expel debris from the gutter, with the guide-shoe enabling the nozzle to traverse hangers without manual manipulation and the nozzle's design minimizing reaction force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional attachments are used with leaf blowers or pressure washers, then gutter cleaning can be performed without ladders, but the attachments get hung-up on gutter hangers requiring repeated manual manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment is divided into multiple segments including a flexible shaft with articulating sections that can bend and flex. This segmentation allows the attachment to navigate around gutter hangers without requiring manual lifting and repositioning, as each segment can independently adapt to obstacles in the gutter path.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment incorporates dynamic elements such as flexible joints and articulating sections that allow it to move and adapt its shape as it progresses through the gutter. This dynamic flexibility enables the attachment to smoothly pass over hangers and maintain continuous contact with the gutter bottom, eliminating the need for repeated manual manipulation.
2Reliability
If long tubular attachments are used to reach gutters from ground level, then ladder access is avoided, but controlling the distal end of the attachment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional rigid mechanical control system with a flexible, self-guiding attachment design. The flexible shaft and articulating sections automatically navigate the gutter path without requiring precise manual control of the distal end, substituting operator control with self-adapting mechanical flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment uses flexible material construction that allows it to bend and conform to the gutter shape. This flexibility enables the long attachment to reach ground-level gutters while the material properties provide natural damping and control, making the distal end easier to manage despite the extended length.
3Productivity
If the nozzle must be lifted out of the gutter to traverse hangers, then continuous cleaning is interrupted, but staying in contact with the gutter bottom causes the attachment to hang up on hangers
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment employs dynamic flexibility with articulating sections that allow it to maintain continuous contact with the gutter bottom while automatically adjusting its shape to pass over hangers. The flexible design enables the nozzle to ride up and over obstacles without lifting out of the gutter, maintaining continuous cleaning operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible articulating sections act as intermediaries between the rigid nozzle and the long attachment shaft. These intermediate flexible joints allow the attachment to navigate hangers smoothly by distributing the mechanical stress and enabling gradual shape changes, preventing hung-up conditions while maintaining continuous gutter contact.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe and efficient gutter cleaning from the ground, reducing the risk of injury and improving ease of use by allowing the nozzle to smoothly navigate hangers and maintain contact with the gutter, while directing high-velocity air for effective debris expulsion.
Implementation Method 1
Air is propelled from the blower through the flexible tubing, the rigid tubing, and the tubular nozzle into the gutter
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes rigid tubing and a tubular nozzle. The tubular nozzle is attached to the rigid tubing and includes a proximal nozzle portion, a distal nozzle portion, and a guide-shoe. The proximal nozzle portion defines a first proximal nozzle sub-portion merging with a second proximal nozzle sub-portion at a first angle. The distal nozzle portion is removably attached to the proximal nozzle portion and defines a first distal nozzle sub-portion merging with a second distal nozzle sub-portion at a second angle. The guide-shoe projects outwardly from an exterior sidewall of the distal nozzle portion. In use, high-velocity air is propelled through the tubular nozzle to remove debris from the gutter. The guide-shoe allows the tubular nozzle to easily bypass hangers that are located in the gutter and to lock the tubular nozzle in the gutter so that it does not unintentionally depart the gutter.