Patent Publication Number: US-8978312-B2

Title: Rainwater runoff diverting attachment for building roofs

Description:
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/613,574 filed on Mar. 21, 2012. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to home gutters. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for redirecting rainwater runoff from building roofs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and the contents of the building from the effects of weather, invasion of animals and other undesirable environmental factors. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a single family house to a cathedral or stadium, with dwellings being the most numerous. In most countries, a roof protects the inside of a building primarily against rain. Depending on the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, sunlight, cold, snow and wind. 
     The construction of a roof is determined by its method of support, how the underneath space is bridged, and whether or not the roof is pitched. The pitch is the angle at which the roof rises from its lowest point to its highest point. Most domestic architecture in the United States, except in very dry regions, has roofs that are sloped, or pitched. Roofs are sometimes pitched for reasons of tradition and aesthetics but have traditionally been pitched so that rainwater runs off the roof and does not collect on the roof. Sometimes, modern construction elements such as drainpipes remove the need for pitching of roofs. 
     A rain gutter is a narrow channel, or trough, forming a component of a roof system that collects and diverts rainwater shed by the roof. The main purpose of a rain gutter is to protect a building&#39;s foundation by channeling water away from its base. The gutter also helps to reduce erosion, prevents leaks in basements and crawlspaces, and protects painted or stained surfaces by reducing exposure to water, and provides a means to collect rainwater for later use. Many buildings are built with rain gutters installed around the edges of the building&#39;s roof. However, in some cases, a rain gutter is not pre-installed, and rain water being displaced off the edge of a roof without being collected or channeled away from the edge of the roof may result in undesirable effects, such as water damage or nuisance cause by roof rain water falling off the roof onto electrical components such as an air conditioning unit, walkways, people, gardens, or other items beneath the roof line that are desired to be protected from the falling water. 
     Current roof rainwater diverting systems must be installed during the construction phase of the building or at the time of a reroofing operation in order to adequately seal the inner construction of the building against water intrusion into the disturbed roof area. In a residential home, for instance, a contractor must often be hired in order to install said rainwater diverting systems due to the knowledge and skills required, and cost is a prohibitive factor when a contractor has to install the rainwater diverting system. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for diverting roof rainwater runoff that can be cheaply, easily, and permanently installed by nearly any homeowner to divert rainwater as desired without requiring special tools or experience, and without the need to disturb or modify existing roofing components. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevated rear perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an elevated front perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the present invention in use on a building. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     The present invention is an apparatus for a building roof attachment that diverts rainwater runoff from the roof, and which may be installed cheaply and easily. The present invention is a solid, elongated structure with an invariant cross section, made from aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, titanium, or any other material that is strong, stiff and reasonably light enough to bear the weight of rainwater runoff, snow, leaves or other debris without unintentionally becoming detached from the building. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the present invention is an arrangement of thin, planar bodies connected to each other in two dimensions and elongated in a third dimension. The cross section of the present invention is invariant along the dimension in which the thin, planar bodies are elongated. The present invention comprises an attachment flange  1 , a runoff diversion trough  2 , a projecting overhang  3 , a first lateral extremity  4 , and a second lateral extremity  5 . An exception to the invariance of the cross section of the present invention occurs at a plurality of rounded lateral corners  7 . The attachment flange  1  allows the present invention to be installed on a building. The runoff diversion trough  2  collects rainwater runoff and diverts the rainwater runoff laterally. The projecting overhang  3  ensures total containment on the rainwater runoff in the runoff diversion trough  2 . The first lateral extremity  4  and the second lateral extremity  5  are the endmost sides of the present invention along a total length  6  of the present invention. The plurality of rounded lateral corners  7  is for safety purposes, in an attempt to avoid injury to a user or damage to the building if an accident occurs. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 2-3 , the first lateral extremity  4  and the second lateral extremity  5  of the present invention are positioned opposite each other along a total length  6  of the present invention, wherein the lateral cross section of the present invention is invariant along the total length  6  as previously described with the exception of the plurality of rounded lateral corners  7 . The total length  6  of the present invention is defined along the third dimension in which the cross section of the present invention is elongated. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the total length  6  is 35.8 inches, though in alternate embodiments the total length  6  may be much less or much greater than 35.8 inches. Each of the plurality of rounded lateral corners  7  is positioned at either the first lateral extremity  4  or the second lateral extremity  5 . Additional instances of the present invention may be joined adjacently to each other in order to provide a larger area of coverage for diverting roof rainwater runoff. The additional instances of the present invention may be joined together with a coupling or extender piece. 
     The attachment flange  1  is the portion of the present invention that facilitates attachment of the present invention to a building. The attachment flange  1  comprises an upper flange edge  11 , a lower flange edge  12 , and a plurality of attachment holes  13 . The runoff diversion trough  2  comprises a first trough wall  21 , a second trough wall  22 , and a trough bottom  23 . The plurality of attachment holes  13  traverse through the attachment flange  1  adjacent to the lower flange edge  12 . A lower rim flange  14  is connected to the lower flange edge  12  opposite the first trough wall  21 . The lower rim flange  14  is preferably ¼ inch in length. The lower rim flange  14  is a portion of the attachment flange  1  at the lower flange edge  12  that is bent over on itself away from the runoff diversion trough  2 . The lower rim flange  14  provides structural support to the attachment flange  1 , stiffening the attachment flange  1  against bending. The lower rim flange  14  additionally provides a dull edge to prevent users from being cut while handling the present invention, and improves the aesthetics of the present invention. The plurality of attachment holes  13  are equally distributed along the total length  6  of the present invention, and allow the present invention to be installed on a building using nails or screws. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , to install the present invention, the attachment flange  1  is connected to a fascia board  90  of the building below a roof edge  91  of the building by driving nails, screws or other appropriate fasteners through the plurality of attachment holes  13  into the fascia board  90 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of attachment holes  13  comprises three holes, but in alternate embodiments of the present invention the plurality of attachment holes  13  may comprise more or less than three holes. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the upper flange edge  11  is positioned opposite the lower flange edge  12  along the attachment flange  1  so that the upper flange edge  11  and the lower flange edge  12  are oriented vertically with respect to each other along the attachment flange  1 . The upper flange edge  11  is connected to the first trough wall  21 . The upper flange edge  11  and the first trough wall  21  are oriented substantially parallel to each other so that in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first angle  80  between the attachment flange  1  and the first trough wall  21  is near 0 degrees. However, in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the first angle  80  may have a larger dimension such as, but not limited to, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees, or 30 degrees. 
     The junction between the upper flange edge  11  and the first trough wall  21  forms a pliable prong  9 . Many buildings utilize a drip edge  93  in order to guide rainwater runoff away from the edge of the building in order to protect the roof sheathing and fascia board  90  from rotting. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , when installing the present invention on the building under the drip edge  93 , the pliable prong is inserted between the drip edge  93  and the fascia board  90 . The first trough wall  21  should press against the inside of the drip edge in order to assist in maintaining the present invention in place at the installation location. The present invention is easily installed below the drip edge  93  to the fascia board  90  with the combination of fasteners such as nails or screws that are driven through the plurality of attachment holes  13 , and the pliable prong  9  being held between the fascia board  90  and the drip edge  93 . 
     The runoff diversion trough  2  is a substantially U-shaped channel that catches rainwater runoff and diverts the rainwater runoff laterally. The rainwater runoff falling from the roof edge  91  is caught within the runoff diversion trough  2 . The rainwater runoff is dispersed toward either the first lateral extremity  4 , the second lateral extremity  5 , or both, so that the rainwater runoff is guided away from areas below the roof containing items or areas that may be damaged or otherwise disturbed by the falling rainwater runoff. 
     The trough bottom  23  is connected to the first trough wall  21  opposite the upper flange edge  11 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the trough bottom  23  is oriented horizontally, and a second angle  81  between the first trough wall  21  and the trough bottom  23  is near 90 degrees, though in alternate embodiments of the present invention, the second angle  81  may be more or less than 90 degrees. 
     The second trough wall  22  is connected to the trough bottom  23  opposite the first trough wall  21 . The first trough wall  21 , the trough bottom  23 , and the second trough wall  22  are connected in series to form a substantially U-shaped channel. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a third angle  82  between the second trough wall  22  and the trough bottom  23  is approximately 112 degrees, though in alternate embodiments of the present invention the third angle  82  may be more or less than 112 degrees. 
     The projecting overhang  3  is connected to the second trough wall  22  opposite the trough bottom  23 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fourth angle  83  between the second trough wall  22  and the projecting overhang  3  is 136 degrees. The projecting overhang  3  extends upward and toward the roof edge  91 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an upper rim flange  31  is connected to the topmost portion of the projecting overhang  3 . The upper rim flange  31  is a portion of the projecting overhang that is bent over on itself towards the runoff diversion trough  2 . The upper rim flange  31  is preferably ¼ inch in length. The upper rim flange  31  provides structural support to the projecting overhang  3 , stiffening the projecting overhang  3  against bending. The upper rim flange  31  additionally provides a dull edge to prevent users from being cut while handling the present invention, and improves the aesthetics of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of rounded lateral corners  7  comprises a first upper corner  71 , a second upper corner  72 , a first lower corner  73 , and a second lower corner  74 . The first upper corner  71  is at the uppermost extremity of the projecting overhang  3  at the first lateral extremity  4 . The second upper corner  72  is at the uppermost extremity of the projecting overhang  3  at the second lateral extremity  5 . The first lower corner  73  is at the lower flange edge  12  at the first lateral extremity  4 , and the second lower corner  74  is at the lower flange edge  12  at the second lateral extremity  5 . Each of the plurality of rounded lateral corners  7  preferably has a radius of ⅜ inch. 
     Linear dimensions for the preferred embodiment of the present invention are as follows. The following description is not intended to precisely limit the present invention, but to demonstrate the spirit of the present invention and to disclose the preferred embodiment. The vertical distance between the lower flange edge  12  and the trough bottom  23  is 1 inch. The vertical distance between the trough bottom  23  and the upper flange edge  11  is 2 inches. The horizontal length of the trough bottom  23  is 1 inch. The length of the second trough wall  22  along the orientation defined by the third angle  82  is 2.5 inches. The length of the projecting overhang  3  along the orientation defined by the fourth angle  83  is 3 inches. It is conceivable that one or more dimensions could be changed by one or more inches without impacting the functionality of the present invention. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.