Patent Publication Number: US-7216458-B2

Title: Contoured gutter end cap

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to rain gutters, and more particularly, to a rain gutter end cap with front and end walls contoured to correspond to the contours of an attached gutter. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Rain gutters are commonly used to carry rainwater from the roof of a house or other structure to a desired location on the ground. Typically, they are continuous lengths of metal formed with an open top, a front wall, a bottom and a back wall. The back wall is normally positioned flush against a vertical surface on the house or other structure such that the open top is positioned under the bottom edge of the roof. For aesthetic purposes, the front wall is usually formed with at least one decorative ridge or crease extending the length of the gutter. 
   End caps are used to close off the ends of a gutter where the gutter does not extend completely around the periphery of a house. These end caps consist of a flat vertical wall with edges that mate with the bottom and walls of the gutter. Unfortunately, these end caps suffer one well-known drawback. Because the flat vertical surface of an end cap contrasts sharply with the contoured surface of a front wall, the end caps are conspicuously unsightly. 
   Examples of gutter end caps that are comprised of a flat vertical wall are provided by U.S. Design Pat. No. 297,561 issued on Sep. 6, 1988 to P. P. Leisemann; U.S. Pat. No. 1,460,733 issued on May 25, 1922 to T. Rigby; U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,370 issued Mar. 6, 1979 to L. G. Giordano; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,097 issued on Oct. 4, 1983 to J. H. Allen. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,800 issued Sep. 21, 1993 to R. G. Davenport teaches a gutter end cap having a curved outside end wall and interior sloped flat walls to help the flow of water into the gutter. However, the interior walls of this end cap present at least four known drawbacks. First, the interior walls add time and expense to the manufacture of the end cap. Second, the interior walls increase the time and complexity of installation of the end cap. Third, the interior walls prevent the end caps from being easily stacked, stored and transported. And fourth, the interstice between the interior and outer walls provide an ideal nesting location for bees and other insects. 
   Consequently, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a gutter end cap solving the aforementioned problem is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The contoured gutter end cap has front and end walls with contours that correspond to the contours on the front wall of a length of standard gutter and thereby forms a more attractive gutter end when attached to the end of the gutter. It is formed with a bottom and three adjoining walls—a front wall, end wall and back wall. The back wall is substantially flat to allow for positioning against a vertical surface on a house or other structure. 
   The device also allows a gutter to be extended slightly beyond the corner of a structure on which the roofline extends slightly beyond the end of the fascia board. Thus, in such circumstances, the gutter would catch all of the rainwater running off the roof. 
   Additionally, with its end wall sloped inward into the gutter, the gutter end cap assists the flow of water into and through the gutter. 
   Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a gutter end cap with contoured front and end walls that correspond to the contours on the front wall of a gutter and thereby provide a desirable looking gutter end. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a gutter end cap that allows a gutter to be extended slightly beyond the corner of a structure on which the roofline extends slightly beyond the end of the fascia board. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a gutter end cap with its end wall sloped inward into the gutter to thereby assist the flow of water into and through the gutter. 
   It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
   These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a contoured gutter end cap according to the present invention shown attached to a gutter that is mounted along the roofline of a house. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a contoured gutter end cap according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a contoured gutter end cap according to the present invention as attached to a gutter. 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a contoured gutter end cap according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 5  shown in relation to a gutter. 
   

   Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The present invention is a contoured gutter end cap designated generally as  10  in the drawings. Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , the invention  10  includes a front wall  20 , an end wall  40 , a back wall  60 , and a bottom  80 . 
   The front wall  20  has a top edge  22 , a bottom edge  24 , and two side edges  26  and  28 . Wall  20  is contoured to correspond to the contours of the front wall GF of a standard length of contoured gutter G. From bottom edge  24 , wall  20  extends upward substantially vertically and then arcs outward and upward first forming a convex arc, then a concave arc relative to wall  20  outer surface. Wall  20  then extends substantially vertically again to wall  20  top edge  22 . Wall  20  has two holes  30  through which setscrews S are used to secure wall  20  to a length of gutter G. 
   The end wall  40  has a top edge  42 , a bottom edge  44 , a proximal edge  46  and a distal edge  48 . It  40  is also contoured to correspond to the contours of the front wall GF of a standard length of contoured gutter G, and from its  40  bottom edge  44 , extends upward substantially vertically and then arcs outward and upward first forming a convex arc then a concaved arc relative to its  40  outer surface. It  40  then extends substantially vertically again to its  40  top edge  42 . 
   The back wall  60  has a top edge  62 , a bottom edge  64 , and two side edges  66  and  68 , and is substantially flat and substantially vertical. It  60  has a hole  70  through which a setscrew S is used to secure it  60  to a length of gutter G. 
   The bottom  80  has a front edge  82 , a back edge  84 , and two side edges  86  and  88 , and is substantially flat and substantially horizontal. Its  80  front edge  82  adjoins the bottom edge  24  of the front wall  20 . Its back edge  84  adjoins the bottom edge  64  of the back wall  60 , and one  86  of its side edges adjoins the bottom edge  44  of the end wall  40 . It  80  has a hole  90  through which a setscrew S is used to secure it  80  to a length of gutter G. 
   One of the side edges  26  of the front wall  20  adjoined the distal edge  48  of the end wall  40 , and the proximal edge  46  of the end wall adjoins one of the side edges  66  of the back wall  60 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 2–6 , the second edge  88  of the bottom  80  adjoins the second edge  28  of the front wall  20  and the second side edge  68  of the back wall  60  at an acute angle. 
   The contoured gutter end cap  10  is attached to a length of gutter G by positioning its bottom, and front and back walls over the outer surface of corresponding walls on a length of gutter G, inserting a set screw S through the holes  30 ,  70  and  90 , and into the gutter walls, and applying a calking sealant to the seams formed by the overlap of the end cap walls  20 ,  60  and  80  with the length of gutter G and to holes  30 ,  70  and  90  and setscrews S. 
   In an alternative embodiment  100 , a top wall  112  extends horizontally from the top edge  142  of the end wall  140  to mate with lengths of gutter G having corresponding top walls. See  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     FIG. 1  shows the invention  10  attached to a length of gutter that is mounted along the roofline of a house. 
   The invention  10  is constructed from sheet metal, such as aluminum or copper, or from plastic, and is formed by cutting, pressing, wielding or molding. 
   It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.