Abstract:
A low-profile screen which allows water to pass through apertures formed therein to allow water to drain through the screen. A plurality of ridges are formed on the surface of the screen to allow water to drain at a number of different elevations, to increase the structural rigidity of the screen, to improve snow-melting, and to improve the screens reliance when compressive forces are exerted on the screen. Under compression the screen snaps into place. The ridges further promote debris being blown off of the surface of the screen.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus comprising a low-profile gutter screen that prevents leaves and other debris from entering a rain gutter. Certain exemplary embodiments relate to a rain gutter screens having a plurality of aperture water drains formed in the screen so as to permit rain water to flow into the gutter while simultaneously preventing debris from entering the gutter. 
     2. Background and Related Art 
     Many residential and commercial buildings utilize rain gutters as a means of channeling the flow of rain water. When properly functioning, rain gutters positioned on rooflines prevent erosion to both the ground and other surfaces, keep building patrons dry and also reduce the formation of ice in cold climates. 
     However rain gutters malfunction when filled with debris such as leaves which can be blown onto a roof. Debris can accumulate in gutters to form dams within the rain gutter or a down spout. Such dams can cause water to pool and overflow the rain gutter. In addition the pooled water can freeze, thus adding substantial weight to the gutter. This additional weight can deform attachments and supports connecting the gutter to the building thus causing the gutter&#39;s grade to be significantly changed, thus allowing even more pooling. In addition the additional stress on the drain supports can cause the supports to pull away from the building, thus allowing water to enter, freeze and cause additional damage. Similar problems occur when the water in a downspout freezes. 
     Preventative measures have been utilized to help reduce the formation of dams and in turn building damage. As a result rain gutter covers have been employed to reduce the accumulation of debris in the rain gutters. This is accomplished by channeling the debris across the length of the gutter and shedding the debris to the ground. Some of the water adheres to the surface of the shield through surface tension and drains into the gutter. 
     Problems still exist. Some shields fail to function properly in anything other than optimal conditions. 
     Finally, installation of some rain gutter covers requires large equipment and tools such as a hand brake or siding brake to bend the rain gutter cover to match the angle between the roof pitch and the plane created by the rain gutter&#39;s top. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Features of an exemplary embodiment include a system for straining debris from water flowing off a roof top by providing a low-profile screen comprising a plurality of drains or apertures. The drains or apertures may be provided in a ridged surface that facilitates drainage of the water as well as automatic removal of any caught debris by wind. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of gutter and screen; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross view of an exemplary embodiment of a gutter and screen; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates of an exemplary embodiment screen; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a detailed view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of the screen in connection with a gutter; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative exemplary embodiment of the screen connected to a structure; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a top view of an alternative exemplary embodiment showing debris resting on a screen. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the following disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and the scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims. 
     The term low-profile comprises a gutter screen which fits on top of a gutter where the screen lies generally between the front and back of the gutter and below the front lip of a gutter. The screen portion of the low profile screen is generally not visible unless a viewer is looking down into the gutter. 
     The term gutter is defined as a rain gutter affixed at the bottom edge of a roof and that catches rain water run-off. 
     Pitch is defined as the angle of the screen in relation to the ground. 
     The term “hand adjustable” or “hand manipulable” means the angle at which the shield may be bent or may be manipulated or adjusted by hand so as to conform to the angle formed by the pitch of the roof and the plane created by the top of the rain gutter. 
     The term snap comprises the screen being inserted between the two structures, including the building and the front of the gutter or the two outside edges of the gutter so as to place a compression force on the screen. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a gutter screen and gutter combination. The combination includes a gutter  10  that is essentially similar to or identical to known gutters commonly used to catch and divert rain water run-off from a roof during a rain storm. As is known, rain gutters such as gutter  10  catch water and diverts it to a desired location such as a down spout or other advantageous area where the water does not fall on an underlying surface and cause unwanted erosion or other damage to a structure or the underlying surface. 
     In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  a screen  12  lies on top of the gutter  10  between a front lip  14  and a back lip  16  of the gutter. The back lip  16  is typically positioned near the structure to which the gutter  10  is affixed, and the front lip  14  is positioned away from a structure to which the gutter  10  is affixed.  FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of the gutter screen and gutter combination shown in  FIG. 1 , illustrating an exemplary relationship between the illustrated embodiments of the gutter  10  and the screen  12 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the screen  12  separated from the gutter  10 . As may be seen in  FIG. 3 , the screen  12  includes a plurality of apertures  20  to allow draining of water which may flow onto the screen  12 . The screen  12  further comprises a plurality of pilot holes  22  that pierce a back mating surface  24 . The pilot holes  22  may be spaced apart in a variety of ways and may be circular to accommodate a single screw or similar fastener, as shown in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, the pilot holes  22  may be made oval in shape, with a long axis oriented along the length of the screen  12  to permit the screen  12  to slide back and forth to some extent, as desired. Permitting the screen  12  to slide laterally or side-to-side across the top of the gutter  10 , for example, might permit the user or installer to adjust the placement of the screen  12 , or similarly allow some access to the underlying gutter  10  without having to remove the entire screen  12 . 
     The apertures  20  may be varied in shape and size, and can be spaced to permit maximum draining of any water that may fall on the surface of the screen  12 . An objective of the aperture placement is to permit maximum draining in minimal time. Not only will quick draining of water from the surface of the screen  12  accommodate large amounts of rainfall, but it will also permit any debris which comes to rest on the screen  12  to dry quickly and blow away off the screen  12 , as will be discussed in more detail with respect to  FIG. 6 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 4  show cross-sectional views of alternative gutter screen and gutter combinations. The primary difference between the combinations illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4  is the use of an upwardly protruding gutter fastener  30  in the combination of  FIG. 4 . The gutter fastener  30  may be any fastener or fastener system used to attach gutters such as gutter  10  to structures, including screws and screw systems. The gutter fastener  30  of  FIG. 4  engages the front lip  14  as shown and extends through the back lip  16  into the underlying structure. Of important note, the gutter fastener  30  includes portions that extend somewhat above the uppermost portion of the front lip  14  of the gutter, such that placing a planar screen on the gutter  10  to rest at the level of the front lip  14  is inhibited. Instead, the screen  12  may be bent or flexed as shown in  FIG. 4  to accommodate the gutter fastener  30  underneath the screen  12  without impairing the function of the screen  12 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the gutter  10  supports or is connected to the screen  12  at the front lip  14  and the back lip  16 . The back mating surface  24  may rest flat against a fascia board, a drip edge or other structure that is part of a structure to which the gutter  10  is affixed such as a house, or against the back lip  16  of the gutter  10 . The back mating surface  24  may be attached to the structure such as by placing screws  26  or other fasteners through the pilot holes  22 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Increasing the number of screws  26  attaching the screen  12  to the structure provides strength and support to the screen  12  and may also strengthen an attachment of the gutter  10  to the structure if the screws  26  or other fasteners pass through the gutter  10 . Essentially, the screws  26  or other fasteners act as a secondary hanging system for the gutter  10  in such installations. 
     In addition, the use of the screws  26  or other fasteners to attach the screen  12  at the back mounting surface  24  and independently of the installation of the gutter  10  in this way permits an installer to vary the pitch of the screen during installation of the screen  12 . Controlling the pitch of the screen  12  allows varying the installation of the screen  12  to improve function of the screen  12  according to anticipated circumstances of use of the screen  12 . For example, in situations where unusually heavy debris is anticipated (e.g. where many deciduous trees are present), the installer may decide that a slight down pitch (away from the structure) of the screen  10  would shed more debris than a perfectly level installation. Alternatively, in areas of unusually heavy water flow, the installer may decide that a slight back pitch (toward the structure) would better control water flowing off the structure&#39;s roof by acting to better interrupt or slow down the flow of water from a roof of the structure. 
     The exemplary gutter screen and gutter combinations illustrated by  FIGS. 1 through 4  show specific potentially-advantageous features of the screen  12 . Starting from the back mating surface  24  and moving towards a front portion  40  of the screen  12 , a sloped portion  42  of the screen  12  extends from the back mating surface  24 . The sloped portion  42  is sloped so that debris will not rest near the structure, but will instead be moved toward the front portion  40  of the screen  12 . Moving any debris towards the front portion  40  allows the debris to more easily blow off the screen  12 . 
     In the illustrated embodiments, the sloped portion  42  has fewer apertures  20  per unit area than portions of the screen in between the sloped portion  42  and the front lip  42 . This promotes water flow over the top of the screen  12  to help flush any debris that may be resting on the sloped portion  42  towards the front of the gutter  10 , where it can more easily be blown off In certain alternative embodiments, the apertures  20  are formed with a similar frequency and size all the way to the edge of the back mating surface  24  while in other embodiments no apertures  20  are provided on the sloped portion  42 . The appropriate embodiment employed can be varied to satisfy the demands of the particular environment of installation. For example, one alternative embodiment of a screen  12  with greater number of apertures per unit area in the sloped portion  42  may be used in areas of high rainfall. The screen  12  with more apertures in the sloped are  42  may be used to increase draining. In contrast, if debris is a primary concern, a panel with fewer or no apertures  20  formed on the sloped portion  42  may be used to improve flushing the debris to the front of the gutter  10  and away from the structure during water flow. 
     The sloped portion  42  provides additional advantages including permitting the slope or angle of the sloped portion  42  to be adjusted to allow the effective width of the screen  12  to be modified. Modification of the effective width of the screen  12  may permit compatibility with a variety of gutter widths, and with at least some embodiments may be accomplished by hand at the site of installation. An illustration may include bending the sloped portion  210  to be closer to horizontal, thereby making the effective width of the screen  12  wider. By increasing the effective width of the screen  12 , a screen  12  primarily designed for five-inch gutters can be effectively used in connection with gutters wider than, for example, the standard five inches. Alternatively, if a gutter is narrower than the standard five inch gutter, the sloped portion  42  can be bent up or down to make the effective width of the screen  12  narrower. With certain embodiments of the screen  12 , the sloped portion  42  may be bent both up or down to reduce the effective width of the gutter cover. Also, the screen  12  may be bowed up or down along any portion of the screen  10  to permit compatibility with a variety of gutter widths. Certain embodiments provide hand adjustability in manipulating the width of the screen  12  so that any portion of the screen  12 , such as the sloped portion  42  may be adjusted by hand. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , certain embodiments of the screen  12  include a ridged surface  44  having a plurality of faces  46  and ridge tops  48  separated by channels  50 . The ridged surface  44  of the screen  12  allows the screen  12  to drain water regardless of the angle at which the screen  12  is installed. Thus if the screen  12  is installed with an upward pitch to help control high water flow from the structure&#39;s roof, the ridged surface  44  provide a plurality of angled surfaces to direct water flow to the channels  50 . Similarly, if the screen  12  is installed utilizing a downward pitch the plurality of angles again directs the water to the channels  50 . The same principles control water flow and draining if the screen  12  is bowed to fit a narrower gutter  10  trough, such that a portion of the screen  12  is upwardly pitched and a portion is downwardly pitched. The ridged surface  44  also allows water to drain into the holes even if the panel is installed other than perfectly level. Although the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate certain numbers of ridge tops  48  and channels  50 , it should be understood that differing amounts of ridge tops  48  and channels  50  may be used in other embodiments. 
     Embodiments of the screen  12  having the ridged surface  44  provide additional advantages beyond the capture of water leaving the roof by way of interrupting the outward flow of water. For example, in certain embodiments, the apertures  20  are placed on several aspects or surfaces of the ridged surface  44 , as may be appreciated from  FIGS. 1-4 . For example, in the illustrated embodiments the apertures  20  are placed on the ridge tops  48 , as well as on each of the faces  46  adjacent each ridge top  48  and in the channels  50 . The placement of apertures in these locations allows water to drain even if the channels  50  are clogged. 
     Additionally, the ridged surface  44  provides different planes and angles that allow debris which may fall onto the panel to be carried off by the wind. The ridged surface  44  creates varying relief which allows airflow across the surface of the screen  12  to dry and lift even heavy wet debris, the ridges forming air foils which create turbulence and spaces underneath the debris to facilitate lifting of the debris from the surface. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 6 , not only does the screen  12  prevent debris  60  from entering and clogging the gutter  10  by at least trapping the debris  60  on the surface of the screen, the features of the screen  12  facilitate automatic removal of the debris  60  from the screen  12  in multiple ways, first by the action of water passing over the screen  12 , such as coming down the sloped portion  42 , second by the action of the ridged surface  44  which prevents the debris from contacting the screen on all surfaces and being trapped by a film of water around the debris  60  through the water&#39;s surface tension, and third by the action of the ridged surface  44  that allows airflow underneath the debris  60  that tends to dry the debris  60  and also to cause the debris  60  to be more easily blown away. 
     Furthermore, the ridge of the ridged surface  44  give the screen  12  increased structural rigidity to help support any load, such as snow, ice, or debris, which may be placed thereon. The faces  46  may aid in melting snow and ice faster because of the increased surface area exposed to sunlight. 
     In addition, as discussed above, the ridges of the ridged surface  44  may facilitate bending of the screen  12  slightly in order to be installed over protruding gutter hangers or other fasteners, as shown in  FIG. 4 . This ability to bend or bow permits the screen  12  to be used with a variety of gutters and gutter hanging systems and both as a new system and as a retro-fit system. 
     Certain embodiments of the screen  12  include the front portion  40  that may incorporate an angle which promotes debris blowing off the screen  12 . In addition, the front portion  40  in some embodiments further may include apertures similar to or identical to apertures  20  to permit water that may reach the front of the screen  12  to drain off the surface of the screen  12  into the gutter  10  below. The front portion  40  in some embodiments also incorporates a small vertical section  64  that acts as a positive stop to further prevent water from flowing off the front of the screen  12 . The vertical section  64  on the front of the screen  12  may extend to approximately the height of the gutter&#39;s front lip  14 , thus the height of the vertical section  64  may depend on how recessed the screen  12  is in the trough of the  10 . In addition, the vertical section  64  may be farmed to mate with the front lip  14  of the gutter  10  so that the screen  12  can be installed by snapping the screen  12  into place. The snapping action utilizes a compression force imposed between the sloped portion  42  and the front portion  40 . The compression force secures the screen  12  in place in some embodiments and improves the efficiency of installing the screen  12  when screws or other fasteners are placed through pilot holes in the front portion  40  of the screen  12  and into the front lip  14  of the gutter. In one embodiment, pilot holes are located approximately every two inches along the front portion  40  to permit an installer to make the attachment as secure as desired or to have an attachment point anywhere deemed necessary. 
     Certain embodiments involve installation of the screen  12 . One exemplary method of using the screen  12  involves, working from one end of the gutter  10  or the other, an installer who takes a first section of screen  12 , tilts the back mating surface  24  into a gutter  10  and places the back mating surface  24  onto the structure&#39;s fascia hoard or drip edge. The installer may then snap the front of the screen  12  into place so that the front portion  40  is substantially flush, or may become flush against front lip  14  of the gutter  10 . If necessary to accomplish this step, the installer may bend or flex the ridged surface  44  or the sloped portion  42  or both of the screen  12  so the effective width of the screen  12  matches the width of the gutter&#39;s trough. 
     The installer may then attach the front portion of the screen  12  to the gutter  10  using two zip screws, one on the beginning end of the screen  12  and one in the middle. The screws might be placed in pilot holes located along the front portion  40  of the screen  12 . The installer may then attach the back mating surface  24  of the screen  12  to the structure including the structure&#39;s fascia hoard or drip edge using two zip screws, such as about a foot from either edge. 
     The installer may then take a second section of the screen  12  and place it on the gutter  10  so that one edge of the second section of screen  12  overlaps the ending edge of the first section of screen  12  until the last pilot hole of the first panel is aligned with the first pilot hole of the second. The second section of screen  12  is snapped into place in a similar fashion to that discussed above and a zip screw is then inserted into the aligned pilot holes to secure both panels through this hole. This process is repeated using two screws to attach each of the front and the hack of the sections of screen  12  into the gutter  10  front lip  14  and the fascia board/drip edge and overlapping the sections of screen  12  by at least the first pilot hole on the seams in front. 
     When the installer reaches a corner, a miter panel may be placed to fit inside and outside comers leaving a length of miter to overlap each section of the screen  12  to improve the strength of the conjunction between the screen and the miter. 
     Embodiments of the invention may be manufactured of any material having suitable characteristics to perform the functions discussed herein. For example, the screen  10  may be formed of materials similar to those used for existing gutters, including aluminum, vinyl and the like. As may be seen from the Figures, each section of the screen  12  may be formed from a sheet of material that is bent, thermoformed, or otherwise formed into the desired profile, such as the cross section shown in  FIG. 2 . The apertures  20  and/or pilot holes  22  may be formed in the sheet of material either before or after the sheet is bent, thermoformed, or otherwise formed into the desired profile. 
     As may be appreciated from the above discussion and the accompanying figures, the appearance from below of a gutter screen and gutter combination may be essentially identical to the appearance of a standard gutter without a screen from below. Only upon viewing from above would the screen  12  normally become visible. As such, the screen  12  is low profile, and may be formed of or coated in a material that may differ in appearance from that of the gutter  10 . For example, the screen  12  may be formed of or coated with a dark color material such that it better absorbs the sun&#39;s light to improve melting of ice and/or snow as well as drying of wet debris  60 , even if the gutter  10  is made of or coated with a light-colored material. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.