Removable gutter and fastener system

The present invention relates to a novel removable, yet secure, gutter and fastener system. More particularly, the invention relates to elongated roof gutter sections which include a bottom member and a front wall and a rear wall attached lengthwise along the member's opposite edges thereby forming a channel. The gutter sections further include an overhanging lip consisting of the bottom member and protruding away from the channel at either end of the channel. The elongated roof gutter sections are removably mounted using a hook and slot, or an interlocking flange system to an elongated fastener member which, in turn, is mounted along the roof line of a building.

The present invention relates to the field of roof gutter assemblies and, 
more particularly, to a novel removable, yet secure, gutter and fastener 
system. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Roof gutters have been in use for many years. Their principal function now, 
as it has been in the past, is to catch the rain water descending off of a 
roof surface and funnel it away from the foundation of the supporting 
house structure. The funneling of the water away from the house foundation 
prevents the water from closely compacting the surrounding soil, 
undermining the foundation itself, and eventually seeping into and through 
the foundation walls. 
In the past, various gutter systems have been designed and implemented by 
manufacturers. The most often used gutter system is a permanent type 
system which employs long spiked nails to attach the gutter to the edge of 
a roof truss. The elongated gutter system is pitched downward to channel 
the falling water into a downward spout which, in turn, leads the falling 
water down and away from the house. 
The permanent type gutter system has a number of inherent problems 
associated with it. It tends to damage the roof edge fascia where it is 
attached and it is difficult to replace when the gutters rot, become 
damaged, or are otherwise unusable. Most importantly, as is explained in 
detail below, it is very hard to clean and keep free of accumulated 
debris. 
As is clear to any homeowner, all objects which fall onto the roof of a 
house eventually become channeled into and lodged in that house's gutter 
system. Such objects include leaves, tree limbs, toys, and various other 
airborne objects. As these objects accumulate in the gutter system, they 
eventually block the flow of water for which the gutters were originally 
designed. Many times the blocked gutters even conduct water into the house 
itself along the fascia of the roof eave. 
This problem is exacerbated in the northern climates where every fall 
brings a cascade of thousands of falling leaves which accumulate in the 
gutters; once temperatures have fallen below freezing, the accumulated 
debris soaked with water freezes, overweights the gutter structure and 
makes the gutter system wholly useless for its purpose and even dangerous 
to persons passing underneath. 
The only solution to the above gutter problem is the frequent cleaning and 
removal of collected debris. Since these gutters are generally 
irremovable, house owners must climb up to the level of the gutter itself. 
While balancing on a ladder, a home owner must reach into a tight opening 
and remove the accumulated debris. Once the owner has removed the debris, 
he or she generally must let it fall to the ground level where it must 
still be swept into piles and disposed of. It is clear why many house 
owners find the chore distasteful. 
A number of improvements have been suggested to the often used permanent 
gutter system. For example, separable gutter and hanger arrangements have 
been designed which allow for the removal of the gutter from its position 
around the roof line. While this arrangement facilitates easier cleaning 
of the gutter, these systems have had problems of their own. They are 
generally in a single piece which is difficult to remove and, once 
removed, difficult to clean and reinstall. Also the removable gutter and 
hanger systems of the past have tended to come apart easily during violent 
weather. 
Furthermore, previous removable gutter and hanger systems have been found 
to leak between their seams, and have, in other ways, been impractical due 
to their expense. For example, some systems which were slideably mounted 
tended to become obstructed by small twigs and other foreign matter while 
being susceptible to rust and freeze up during winter thereby making 
removal very onerous. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide for a well 
constructed, inexpensive, and, because it is in short sections, an easily 
removable gutter and fastener system. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide for a gutter and 
fastener system whose longevity would be improved due to its ease of 
removal, cleaning, and reinstallation allowing for more frequent and 
easier on-the-ground cleaning by a homeowner with a hose. 
It is still a further object of this invention to provide for a removable 
gutter and fastener system which could be easily installed to replace a 
traditional permanent gutter system. 
It is also a further object of this invention to provide for a removable 
gutter and fastener system which, due to its secure fastener 
configuration, would keep its structural integrity even during violent 
weather. 
It is another object of this invention to provide for a removable gutter 
and fastener system which would not leak as it conducted water along its 
length. 
It is yet another object of this invention to provide for a removable 
gutter and fastener system which could be easily adapted for various types 
of roofs and lengths therefor. 
It is still another object of this invention to provide for a gutter and 
fastener system which would add value to any house it was installed on and 
thereby become a feature that could be positively promoted by a builder or 
the owner. 
The objects of this invention are accomplished by providing an elongated 
roof gutter section including a bottom member with a front wall and a rear 
wall attached lengthwise along the member's opposite edges thereby forming 
a channel. The channel includes a lip at either end consisting of an 
extension of the bottom member and protruding away from the channel. The 
rear wall includes one or more hooks mounted on its backside. An elongated 
fastener strip is in turn mounted along the roof line of a building. This 
elongated fastener strip includes one or more slots which can securely, 
yet releasably, fasten the hooks mounted on the backside of the channel's 
rear wall. 
An alternative to the hook and slot method of mounting would be the use of 
a dovetail flange. The elongated fastener strip would include a shaped 
flange and the gutter section would include a similarly shaped, yet 
reversed flange that would securely, yet releasably, connect with the 
shaped flange of the elongated fastener strip. The gutter section herein 
would also include an overhanging lip protruding from either side of the 
channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment 
of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1, two gutter sections, 2 
and 4, of the gutter and fastener system are shown. Gutter section 2 
includes a bottom member 6, rear wall 8, and front wall 10. As shown in 
FIG. 1, the front wall 10 and rear wall 8 are attached lengthwise along 
the bottom member's 6 opposite edges and together they form the gutter 
channel. Section 2 of the gutter and fastener system shown includes a 
leader 12 which leads to downspout 14. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the back of the gutter section's 2 rear wall 8 
includes hooks 18 which can be either part of the actual gutter, if 
nonmetallic materials are used, or, if the materials used are metallic, 
are secured thereto using an attachment method such as welding. Further in 
FIG. 1, an elongated fastener strip 20 is shown which includes slots 22 
which are designed to securely, yet releasably, receive and hold hooks 18. 
A more detailed version of hook 18 is shown in FIG. 3. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, elongated fastener strip 20 is permanently 
attached to roof fascia 23. The elongated fastener strip 20 could be 
attached with glue, screws, or another means but the preferred attaching 
means herein is nailing through holes 24. This allows for easy and 
inexpensive installation. The elongated fastener strip 20 is attached in a 
sloping fashion along the roof fascia roof line of roof 26 so that the 
later attached gutter sections will be able to easily conduct the flow of 
water to downspout 14. The elongated fastener strip 20 is generally about 
three inches high and cut to fit in length. 
Once the elongated fastener strip 20 is attached to roof fascia 23 around 
the perimeter roof line of roof 26, the actual gutter member section 
installation can begin. The gutter sections are produced in easily handled 
lengths. Preferred dimensions for each gutter section are three feet long 
and each would include a two inch overhanging lip 28. Three hooks 18 
should be adequate to anchor each gutter section in place. As shown in 
FIG. 1, one hook is approximately one half inch from the no-lip end of 
each gutter section, the middle hook eight inches from the overhanging lip 
end of each gutter section, and another hook three inches from the 
overhanging lip end of each gutter section. 
Further with reference to FIG. 1, the section of gutter 2 which includes a 
drop outlet leader 12 would be installed first. Generally, this gutter 
section 2 would be hung exactly as the other sections so that it could be 
removed in the same lift-off fashion. This gutter section 2 includes a 
short tube (not shown) which fits into leader 12. The leader 12 itself is 
affixed to the structure by a metal band 13 including a method of 
attachment such as screws 15. This section of gutter could also be made 
permanent; however, a removable downspout gutter section would tend to 
facilitate easier hose cleaning of the same and of the extending downspout 
itself thereby helping to prevent downspout clogging due to irregular 
cleaning. In any case, it would be cut to adjust to the overall length of 
the gutter system. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the next section 4 of the gutter system would then be 
affixed to elongated fastener strip 20 so that the lip 28 would fit into 
the gutter channel and on top of the bottom member 6 of the gutter section 
2 already in place. The lip 28 is an extension of bottom member 6 and 
protrudes about two inches away from the present channel into the previous 
gutter section 2 and its leading edge 29 is beveled in order to enhance 
water flow and create a tight fit between gutter sections 2 and 4. This 
tight and precise fitting would assure that no water would drip at the 
section joints. 
The installation would proceed in this way until all gutter sections were 
in place. A partial end gutter section, shown in FIG. 2, would be added as 
the last gutter section. This last gutter section would include a standard 
ending flap 19 on its end opposite the lip overlap. In order to remove the 
gutter sections, the homeowner would simple reverse the previous 
installation and lift off each section from the end furthest from the 
downspout. 
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This 
embodiment uses a dovetail flange system for releasably supporting the 
gutter sections. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, gutter section 40 includes a 
rear wall 42 whose upper edge end is bent into an inverted U-shape 44. 
This inverted U-shape 44 in turn fits over the U-shape 46 which is formed 
along the front of fastener strip 48. The elongated fastener strip 48 is 
about three inches high and nailed permanently to fascia 50 with nails. 
The U-shape 46 is approximately three quarter inches deep and one half 
inch wide and is the receptacle for the inverted U-shape 44 formed at the 
upper edge end of the rear wall 42 of removable gutter section 40. 
The next gutter section 52 includes a lip 54 which fits tightly into the 
channel of the previously installed section 40. This lip 54 assures that 
water will not insinuate itself between the two gutter sections and it 
adds rigidity to the overall structure. The lip 54 again protrudes about 
two inches into the previous section 40 and water passage is enhanced 
through the slight beveling, as shown in FIG. 7, of the leading edge 56 of 
the protruding lip 54. 
In the foregoing specification, this invention has been described with 
reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident, 
however, that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto 
without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as 
set forth the appended claims. The specifications and drawings included 
here are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a 
restrictive sense. 
For example, the removable gutter and hanger system disclosed by the 
present invention could be made of various materials such as aluminum, 
steel, galvanized metal, plastic, or fiberglass. Of course, since the ease 
of installation and 
removal is central to the idea of the present invention, lighter weight 
materials would be preferable. Furthermore, variously shaped gutter 
channels are easily usable with both the invention embodiments as herein 
disclosed. 
The gutter section arrangements can also vary immensely depending on the 
requirements of a particular house roof design For example, a downspout 
section could be placed anywhere along a series of gutter sections while 
the connecting gutter sections would interlock in both directions 
therefrom, with beveled lips extending at the downsloped side of each 
succeeding gutter section. 
End gutter sections could, of course, be added as necessary. Removal would 
then take place from the high point of each gutter line down towards the 
lowest gutter section containing the downspout. All sorts of corner and 
other configurations may be called for and the various designs of the 
gutter and hanger sections would make virtually any shaped construction 
possible.