Abstract:
A gutter assembly with a leaf guard and soffit strip for attachment along a roof edge. Mounting brackets are provided for installing the assembly to rafters having variations in spacing, length, height, and parallelism, and for supporting one side of a soffit strip. The gutter, including its leaf guard and connectors, is integrally constructed as is both the soffit strip and its accompanying wall connector. The soffit strip is shaped to allow slidable insertion into and removal from the assembly. The leaf guard has numerous elongated aperatures with rearward facing depressions. Assemblies having combinations of these features are also disclosed as are methods of installation, the assemblies being adapted both for new construction with or without fascia and for replacing existing gutters.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a gutter assembly for installation along the roof edge of a building structure. More particularly, the invention relates to a universal gutter and leaf guard assembly and to the method of installation. 
     Gutter assemblies are generally attached to the ends of the rafters of a roof. Variations in spacing between rafters, and variations in rafter length, height, and parallelism can easily occur as a result of improper installation techniques or natural irregularities in the individual rafters. These variations often prevent or complicate efforts to effect secure attachment of the gutter assembly to the rafters. For example, variations in rafter length and thus the end faces of are inconsistent with the desired straight appearance of the gutter along the roof edge. Such variations, as well as variations in rafter height, spacing, and parallelism often complicate attachment of the gutter to the roof edge. 
     Known attempts to obviate these problems include assemblies such as shown in the Maloney, Jr., et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,808 dated June 6, 1978, which permits variable spacing but requires require rafters to be generally uniform in length and be parallel, so as to present aligned rafter end faces. 
     Other known efforts to provide gutter assemblies that can accomodate variations in the spacing between rafters include mounting brackets, such as those disclosed in the Merkin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,048 dated July 30, 1974, that are attached to the roof as well as the rafters and may thus be selectively positioned along the length of the gutter. However, such brackets may unduly load the roof edge and are not easily installed on an existing roof. In addition, no accomodation is made for variation in the length, height or parallelism of the rafters. 
     Other efforts include providing gutters shave mounting brackets, such as those disclosed in the Webster U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,131 dated Apr. 1, 1975, which can be selectively mounted to the sides of rafters and thus accomodate variations in both height and spacing of the rafters. However, such brackets generally require the use of an intermediate structure between the brackets and the gutter, i.e., an intermediate structure is mounted to the brackets, and the gutter thereafter mounted to the intermediate structure. Three piece assemblies of this type are thus more complex and expensive than two piece assemblies. Moreover, variations in rafter length and parallelism remain potential problems. 
     It has long been desirable to simplify construction and installation of gutter assemblies as any reduction in the time necessary to assemble and install the gutter along a roof edge reduces construction and labor costs. Ease of disassembly is also desired so that subsequent removal from the roof edge may be effected to effect painting or repairs, or even to effect replacement of assembly components. 
     Assemblies such as disclosed in the previously mentioned Webster patent have easily removed gutters, but also have the complications of the longitudinally extending fascia. 
     Other assemblies such as disclosed in the Middleby U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,756 dated Apr. 28, 1981, include a minimum of component parts, but require modification of the roof edge and the adjacent wall of the building structure in order to effect a secure attachment of both the gutter and soffit strip, and once attached, are not readily removed. 
     Still another known assembly of the type disclosed in the Crawford U.S. Pat. No. 803,670 dated Nov. 7, 1905 includes an integral gutter and leaf guard construction, but is attached to the roof rather than the rafters and is not quickly or easily removed once installed. 
     It is accordingly an object of the present invention to remedy the deficiencies of know assemblies as discussed above and to provide a novel assembly that can be readily installed along and removed from the roof edge of a building structure. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a universal assembly with novel mounting brackets for installing the assembly along a roof edge having variations in rafter length, height, spacing, and parallelism. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel soffit strip which can be both slidably inserted and slidably removed from the assembly after the gutter has been installed. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a novel construction having a reduced number of components, simplified installation and reduced cost, as well as the elimination of wooden components such as facia, easily adapted for installation on new construction and as a replacement gutter assembly. 
     It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a novel leaf guard cover for the assembly for rejecting unwanted leaf matter while capturing roof drainage water. 
     These and many other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments read in conjunction with the appended drawings. 
    
    
     THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a preferred embodiment of the assembly of the present invention as installed; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation of the assembly of FIG. 1 in cross-section illustrating its construction, the attachment of a soffit strip and mounting bracket, and the apertures of the leaf guard; 
     FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 illustrating the mounting of the selectively reversible mounting brackets; 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of a mounting bracket and leaf guard for raked rafters; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a third embodiment of a mounting bracket and leaf guard for a flat roof; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of the mounting bracket; 
     FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of the rear of the assembly of FIG. 1 showing alignment of a mounting bracket for rotatable insertion into the assembly at a selected position along the rear wall of the gutter; and 
     FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of a second embodiment of the soffit mounting bracket shown in FIG. 2. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the figures where like elements have been given like numbers to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, and particularly with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1, a longitudinally extending gutter 20 with a leaf guard 22 is attached to a plurality of rafters 24 along an overhanging roof edge 26 by means of a plurality of mounting brackets 28. A longitudinally extending soffit strip 30 is attached to a lower portion of the mounting brackets 28 of the gutter 20 and to the wall 34 of the structure which supports the roof by means of a longitudinally extending soffit connector 52 as described in more detail below. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, two opposing flanges 36 and 38 extend continuously along the length of the rear wall 32 of the gutter. These flanges and rear wall 32 form opposing channels 40 and 42 and provide the means for connecting a plurality of rafter mounting brackets 28 at any selected position along the length of the gutter. Because the rear surface is generally flat the gutter may be mounted directly for a facia or other flat surface without the use of mounting brackets. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the mounting brackets 28 has a generally planar mounting plate 60 with a plurality of holes 62 for fastening, by means of conventional fasteners such as nails or screws, to either side of a rafter 24 and to the roof supporting structure. As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting plate 60 may alternatively have a plurality of spikes or other deformations 62A, formed out of the plate for penetration into a rafter or wall made of wood. Each mounting bracket 28 also has a generally planar connecting plate 64 shaped for slidable insertion and retention in the channels 40 and 42 of the connecting means along rear wall 32. 
     After slidable insertion, a mounting bracket 28 can be slidably moved and positioned for attachment to any selected one of the rafters 24 regardless of variations in spacing between them. After installation, the gutter 20 can be slidably removed from the assembly if and when necessary for painting, repairs, or the like, thus leaving the mounting brackets 28 attached to the rafters 24. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting plate 60 may be attached to connecting plate 64 in an off-center position intermediate the ends thereof, and may extend rearwardly from the connecting plate 64 in a generally horizontal direction. The connecting plate 64 is selectively reversible so that mounting plate 60, as extended from an off-center position, may be attached to the side of a rafter at one of two elevations. In either position, it may be attached to a rafter which varies in vertical height relative to the vertical height of the other rafters. The extended length of the mounting plate 64 also serves to accommodate attachment to rafters 24 having varying length, and thus variations in the horizontal distance between the end faces and the rear wall 32 of gutter 20 when positioned along the roof edge 26 for installation. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 7, and 8, the vertical dimension of the mounting plate 60 may be small relative to the generally vertical dimension of the connecting plate 64. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the longitudinal axis of the mounting plate 60 may be at a right angle to the connecting plate 64 or at an acute angle to the connecting plate 64 to accommodate varying degrees of pitch associated with the rafters 24. The connecting plate 64, because it is selectively reversible, also allows selective positioning of the plate adjacent a rafter at an obtuse angle relative to the vertical. Also, the place of attachment of the mounting plate 60 may be generally in the center of connecting plate 64, as shown in FIG. 6, in lieu of an off-center position, to accommodate variations in the shape of the connecting plate 64. Great flexibility is thus available. 
     The shape of the connecting plate 60 may be rectangular, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the mounting bracket 28 is nonrotatably mated to the gutter 20, it may have curved ends as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 or it may have asymmetrically shaped ends as shown in FIG. 8. 
     The mounting bracket 28 desirably includes an additional flange 56 generally horizontal to the flange 58 which forms a channel to receive one end of the soffit strip 30. As illustrated in FIG. 2, one lateral edge 50 of the soffit strip 30 is shaped to be slidably received in the channel 46 of the mounting bracket 28. This slidable insertion and mating attachment is achieved by forming the edge 50 with a C-shaped lip, which when received by the flange 46 locks the soffit strip 30 onto the mounting bracket 28 and thus resists withdrawal. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, the soffit strip connector 52 may be attached to the wall 34 by means of any suitable conventional fastener 54 and includes a channel formed by parallel flanges 56 and 58. Once the rear lateral edge of the soffit strip 30 has been slidably inserted, it remains affixed until removal is desired for painting, repairs, or the like by sliding the soffit strip 30 longitudinally in either direction. 
     The soffit strip 30 may be provided with a plurality of spaced apertures as shown in FIG. 8 to ventilate the space above the soffit strip. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, the connecting plates 64 of the mounting brackets 28 may be inserted in the channels 40 and 42 of the connecting means at any point along the rear wall 32 of the gutter 20, in addition to being slidably inserted at either end of rear wall 32. The connecting plate 64, once inserted, may be selectively rotated so that its ends are positioned within channels 40 and 42 and thus held securely by the connecting means. The selective rotation of the connecting plate 64 permits the mounting bracket 28 to be adjusted to position the mounting plate 60 alongside a rafter having non-vertical sides as a result of warping or improper installation. 
     The mounting plate 60 may be pivotably carried by the connecting plate 64 by means of a suitable hinge as shown in FIG. 6, or it may be made of non-elastically deformable material that can be bent or twisted under pressure. Adjustable mounting plates 60 allow for installation adjustments with respect to rafters 24 that may have vertical sides but that otherwise have a nonparallel relationship with each other. Also, mounting brackets 28 which have hinged mounting plates 60 can be compactly stored before use. 
     The assembly desirably has a leaf guard 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, which has a generally planar surface 66 with a plurality of spaced parallel apertures 68 that allow for the passage of water from the roof into the gutter 20. The apertures 68 at the same time restrict the passage of leaves and like matter therethrough so as to prevent clogging the gutter 20. 
     The apertures 68 are of the same shape and have generally equidistant lateral spacing 72 and generally equidistant longitudinal spacing 74. Each aperture 68 has two generally parallel longitudinally elongated edges 76 and 78 with the edge 78 closer to rear wall 32 deformed below the planar surface 66 of the guard. As shown in FIG. 2, the depressions 80 thus slope toward the front wall 86 of the gutter 20. 
     The leaf guard 22 may also include an unperforated portion 82 extending longitudinally along the length of gutter 20 and extending laterally to overlay a portion of the roof beneath its waterproofing. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the position of unperforated portion 82 can vary depending upon the degree of pitch associated with rafters 24 as they extend up the roof. The unperforated portion 82 provides significant moisture protection to the roof edge 26. Fastening the unperforated portion 82 to the roof is not critical to the attachment of the gutter 20 along the roof edge 26. 
     Leaf guard 22 may also include a second unperforated portion 84 extending longitudinally along the length of gutter 20 to provide a front overhang from which any uncollected water may drip to the ground and away from the wall 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the front overhang or drip cap may have some vertical depth to thereby present, in combination with the deep gutter front, the appearance of a fascia board with the gutter concealed. This appearance may also be enhanced by concealment of the top of the downspouts behind the gutter and above the soffit strip. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the gutter 20, including the leaf guard 22 with unperforated portions 82 and 84, flange 36, flange 38, rear wall 32, front wall 86, and bottom portion 70, may be completely integral and formed from one continuous sheet of metal. However, other suitable materials known in the art may also be used in construction. The soffit strip connector 52 (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9) and soffit strip 30 may also be of onepiece construction thereby reducing the total number of component parts in an assembly, the on-site installation time, and thus the total construction and installation costs. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting bracket may have an apertured flange for mounting to the roof supporting structure. The use of all three attachments i.e., the leaf guard extension and rafter and wall attachments, provide an extremely secure mounting. 
     The gutter 20 can easily be attached along the roof edge 26. For example, the mounting brackets 28 can be connected to the gutter 20 while on the ground and then the gutter can be raised to the roof edge 26 for mounting to the rafters 24. Alternatively, the gutter 20 can be raised to the roof edge 26. When two mounting brackets have been located at the desired elevation on the rafters, the gutter can be horizontally inserted by sliding it over the brackets. The remaining one of the mounting brackets 28 may then be connected to the gutter for subsequent mounting to the rafters 24 and the roof supporting structure. 
     Under the second method, each mounting bracket 28 can be connected to the gutter 20 by presenting the smaller dimension of its connecting plate 64 to the bracket connecting means of the gutter 20 at a selected position along the rear wall 32, and then rotating the plate to present the larger dimension of the plate to the connecting means so as to prevent withdrawal therefrom. Following either of these basic methods, the mounting brackets 28, once connected to the gutter 20, can be adjustably positioned adjacent the rafters. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, many variations and modifications will naturally occur to those skilled in the art from a perusal hereof. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and that the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence.