Patent Publication Number: US-6904718-B2

Title: Leaf guard for gutters

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/702,521, filed Nov. 7, 2003. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to rain gutters used on houses and other structures, and more particularly, to a gutter cover that directs water flow from a roof into a rain gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter, and preventing the nesting of bees and other insects under the gutter cover. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Gutter covers are used to prevent debris such as leaves and twigs from entering and accumulating in gutters. The covers typically extend from the roofline of a house to the outside rim of the gutters and include either holes or a trough to allow water to flow into the gutters while preventing debris from doing the same. By preventing the accumulation of debris in gutters, gutter covers allow homeowners and maintenance workers to avoid the problems associated with clogged gutters without having to periodically use a ladder to clean the gutters. 
   Although useful for preventing the accumulation of debris in gutters, prior art gutter covers suffer from several known drawbacks. Perhaps the most common drawback associated with gutter covers is the nesting of bees and other insects. Gutter covers that consist simply of a solid sheet of material extending from a roofline to the gutter rim with a single trough disposed along the inner aspect of the gutter rim provide an ideal environment for bees and other insects to nest. Bees and other insects build their nests on the underside of the cover where they remain dry in all but the most severe rainstorms. Examples of gutter covers particularly susceptible to nesting of bees and other insects in this manner are provided by U.S. Pat. App. No. 2002/0152692 published Oct. 24, 2002 on behalf of G. Bahroos et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,916 issued Oct. 17, 1995 to S. J. Tenute; U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,965 issued Oct. 24, 1995 to A. F. Meckstroth; U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,809 issued Jun. 24, 1997 to A. M. Iannelli; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,344 issued Aug. 8, 2000 to G. P. Albracht. 
   Another problem associated with gutter covers relates to the manner in which they are installed. The use of customized clips, brackets or hangers is required to install and maintain many prior art gutter covers. However, these customized clips, brackets and hangers not only add to the expense of the covers but they also often complicate and lengthen the installation of the covers. Examples of gutter covers installed with customized parts are provided by U.S. Pat. App. No. 2002/0069594 published Jun. 13, 2002 on behalf of V. L. Sweet; U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0029129 published Feb. 13, 2003 on behalf of A. B. Walters; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,495,694 and 6,161,338 issued, respectfully, Mar. 5, 1996 and Dec. 19, 2000 to R. L. Kuhns; U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,631 issued Jan. 25, 2000 to E. G. Lowrie, III; U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,592 issued Aug. 7, 2001 to K. M. Rutter; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,228 issued Jul. 2, 2002 to A. F. Meckstroth. 
   Gutter covers lacking a trough typically consist of a substantially planar piece of material extending from the roofline to the gutter rim with rows of holes aligned parallel to the gutter rim, as exemplified by the devices taught by U.S. Pat. App. Nos. 2002/0166290 and 2003/0009951 published, respectfully, Nov. 14, 2002 and Jan. 16, 2003 on behalf of R. S. Bergeron; U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,875 issued Dec. 30, 1986 to C. D. Olson; and United Kingdom Pat. App. No. GB 2138046A published Oct. 17, 1984 on behalf of C. R. Wooward. During heavy rains water flows off the roof and across the cover at a speed where little of the water is able to drop through the holes into the gutter. Instead much of the water simply flows over the outer gutter rim rendering the gutter useless. 
   Accordingly, there is a need for a single gutter cover that prevents bee nesting, is easily installed without customized parts, and minimizes or eliminates ineffectiveness during heavy rains. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In the first embodiment, the leaf guard for gutters is an elongated sheet of enamel coated aluminum adapted to fit over the rain gutter on a house in a manner that directs water flow from the roof into the gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. The device is formed into a planar section that is secured to a roof, a curved nose section extending from the planar section, a trough under the curved nose section and a cornered lip extending from the trough to secure the device to the outer rim of a gutter. The device also has one or more rows of elongated slits in the planar section that permit some water to drip through to prevent bees and other insects from nesting on its underside. The device is bendable such that the slope of the planar section can be changed to meet the varying needs of different roof styles. 
   In the second embodiment, the leaf guard for gutters is an elongated sheet of enamel coated aluminum adapted to be connected to the facia board of a house in a manner that directs water flow from the roof into the gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. The device is formed into a planar section, a inwardly bent connection section that is adapted to connect to the facia board, and a curved nose section extending from the planar section that is positioned close to the outer rim of the gutter such that a gap is provided to allow water to flow into the gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. The device also has one or more rows of elongated slits in the planar section that permit some water to drip through to prevent bees and other insects from nesting on its underside. 
   It is the principal object of the invention to provide a gutter cover that directs water flow from a roof into a gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a gutter cover that permits some water to drip through to its underside to prevent bees and other insects from nesting under the cover. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a gutter cover that is bendable such that the slope of its planar section can be changed to meet the varying needs of different roof styles. 
   Still another object of the invention is to provide a gutter cover that acts to reduce the velocity of the water running down the leaf guard in order to ensure that the water flows into the gutter. 
   Still another object of the invention is to provide a gutter cover that does not require or include the use of customized parts including customized clips, brackets or hangers. 
   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 a fragmented, environmental, perspective view of the first embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention shown mounted on the gutter of a house. 
       FIG. 2  is an elevational, perspective view of the first embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention shown mounted on the gutter of a house. 
       FIG. 4  is a fragmented, environmental, perspective view of the second embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention shown mounted above a gutter on a house. 
       FIG. 5  is an elevational, perspective view of the second embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters according to the present invention shown mounted above a gutter on a house. 
   

   Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention is a leaf guard for gutters, designated generally as  10  in  FIGS. 1–3  (first embodiment) and as  60  in  FIGS. 4–6  (second embodiment), that is designed to direct water flowing off of a roof and into a gutter while preventing leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1–3 , the first embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters  10  is formed from an elongated sheet of rigid material into four sections—a planar section  20 , a curved nose section  30 , a trough section  40  and an outer lip section  50 . 
   The planar section  20  is substantially flat with one or more rows  28  of elongated slits  22  aligned parallel to its roof-side edge  24 . More preferably, the leaf guard  10  includes at least two rows  28  of elongated slits  22 . Each slit  22  is oriented perpendicularly to the roof-side edge  24 . The preferred length of each slit  22  is between ¼ inch and about 2 inches. The preferred width of each slit  22  is between about {fraction (1/32)} inch and about ¼ inch, preferably about {fraction (1/16)} inch, just wide enough to allow the flow of enough water through the slits in order to disrupt the activity of any insects. The slits  22  are evenly spaced with a uniform distance of between about 1 inch and about ¼ inch separating each slit  22  from each immediately adjacent slit  22  within each row  28 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a portion  26  of the planar portion  20  is securable to a roof R by being positioned between the substructure of the roof R and the shingles of the roof R. 
   The curved nose section  30  extends in a downward and then inward arc from the planar section  20  continuing its arc until it curls under the planar section  20  to form a trough section  40 . The curved nose section  30  of the leaf guard  10  is solid, without apertures or perforations. 
   The trough section  40  extends first in a downward arc and then in an outward and upward arc from the nose section  30 . The trough section  40  forms a trough with elongated slots  42  aligned along the base of the trough  40 . The elongated slots  42  are oriented parallel to the roof-side edge  24  and are preferably about five inches in length. 
   An outer lip section  50  extends outward and then downward from the trough section  40  forming a corner that has a horizontal segment  54  and a vertical segment  56 . The outer lip section  50  mates with the outside rim OR of a gutter G and has apertures  52  disposed on its vertical segment  56 . 
   When a portion  26  of the planar section  20  is secured to the roof R of a house and the outer lip section  50  is secured to the outside rim OR of a gutter G on that house, as depicted in  FIG. 1 , water flowing off the roof R flows across the planar section  20 , over the curved nose section  30 , into the trough section  40 , through the elongated slots  42 , and into the gutter G. Under a principle known as the Coanda Effect, water flowing over the curved nose section  30  flows along its arc even though the arc curls under the planar section  20 . Because leaves and other debris are not subject to the Coanda Effect, they do not flow along the arc but instead flow off the leaf guard  10 , bypassing the trough section  40 , and fall to the ground. 
   To prevent bees and other insects from nesting on the underside of the leaf guard  10 , a small amount of the water flowing across the planar section  20  seeps through the elongated slits  22  rendering the area on the underside of the planar section  20  an undesirable nesting location for bees and other insects. 
   Each of the elongated slits  22  for the first embodiment of the leaf guard is formed by having the material on either side of the elongated slit bent upward. See  FIG. 2 . The elongated slits  22  of each row  28  can be aligned or offset from the elongated slits in the other rows of elongated slits.  FIGS. 1–3  depict aligned elongated slits. In a preferred embodiment, the entire width of the planar section  20  will be covered with rows of elongated slits  28 , except for the portion  26  of the planar section  20  for positioning under the roof R. 
   The leaf guard for gutters  10  can be constructed from a variety of different rigid materials. The preferred rigid material is metal. Copper, steel, and aluminum are suitable metals, but enamel coated aluminum is the preferred rigid material. The leaf guard  10  is bendable such that the slope of the planar section  20  relative to the trough section  40  can be changed to meet the varying needs of different roof styles by applying finger force thereto  10 . 
   The apertures  52  in the outer lip section  50  are dimensioned to allow the threaded portion of commercially available gutter screws or the stem portion of a commercially available gutter rivets to pass through and into the outside rim OR of a gutter G thereby securing the outer lip section  50  to the outside rim OR of the gutter G. Additionally, the apertures  52  can be disposed on the horizontal segment  54  as well as on the vertical segment  56  of that section  50 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 4–6 , the second embodiment of the leaf guard for gutters  60  is formed from an elongated sheet of rigid material into three sections—a planar section  70 , an inwardly bent connection section  90 , and a curved nose section  80 . 
   The planar section  70  is substantially flat with one or more rows  78  of elongated slits  72  aligned parallel to the planar section&#39;s  70  roof-side edge  74 . The roof-side edge  74  of this embodiment is the line separating the planar section  70  and the inwardly bent connection section  90 . The roof side edge  74  runs along the length of the leaf guard  60 . More preferably, the leaf guard  60  includes at least two rows  78  of elongated slits  72 . Each slit  72  is oriented perpendicularly to the roof-side edge  74 . The preferred length of each slit  72  is between about ¼ inch and about 2 inches. The preferred width of each slit is between about {fraction (1/32)} inch and about ¼ inch, preferably about {fraction (1/16)} inch, just wide enough to allow the flow of enough water through the slits in order to disrupt the activity of any insects. The slits  72  are evenly spaced with a uniform distance of between about ¼ inch and about 1 inch separating each slit  72  from each immediately adjacent slit  72  within each row  78 . 
   The curved nose section  80  extends in a downward curve and hangs just above the outer rim OR of the gutter G. The curved nose section  80  is preferably spaced between about ¼ inch and about ½ inch from the outer rim OR of the gutter G. The tip of the curved nose section  80  may optionally rest on gutter&#39;s facia hanger. The curved nose section  80  of the leaf guard  60  is solid, without apertures or perforations. 
   When the inwardly bent connection portion  90  is secured to the facia board F of a house and the curved nose section  80  is hanging above the outside rim OR of the gutter G on the house, as depicted in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , water flowing off the roof R flows across the planar section  70 , over the curved nose section  80 , and into the gutter G. Under a principle known as the Coanda Effect, water flowing over the curved nose section  80  flows along the arc of the curved nose section  80  even though the arc curls under the planar section  70 . Because leaves and other debris are not subject to the Coanda Effect, they do not flow along the arc of the nose section  80  but instead flow off the leaf guard  60  missing the gutter G and thus fall to the ground. 
   To prevent bees and other insects from nesting on the underside of the leaf guard for gutter  60 , a small amount of the water flowing across the planar section  70  seeps through the elongated slits  72  in the planar section  70  rendering the area on the underside of the planar section  70  an undesirable nesting location for bees and other insects. 
   These rows of elongated slits  78  also act to reduce the velocity of the water as it flows along the planer section  70  of the leaf guard  60 , ensuring that the water flows along the length of the curved nose section  80  and into the gutter G. 
   Each of the elongated slits  72  for the second embodiment of the leaf guard preferably have a slope where one side of the material along the elongated slit  72  is bent upwards and the material on the opposite side of the elongated slit  72  is bent downwards. See  FIG. 5 . It is further preferred that each elongated slit  72  in each row of elongated slits  78  have slopes in the same direction. It is further preferred that each immediately adjacent row of elongated slits  78  have elongated slits  72  with slopes in the opposite direction. In a further preferred embodiment the elongated slits  72  of each adjacent row  78  are offset such that the elongated slits  72  of each adjacent row  78  do not align. In a preferred embodiment, essentially the entire width of the plainer section  70  will be covered with rows of elongated slits  78 . The presence of additional rows of elongated slits  78  with varying slopes provide additional resistance to the water flow rate and thus further ensure that water will flow along the arch of the curved nose section  80  and into the gutter G. 
   The leaf guard  60  can be constructed from a variety of different rigid materials. The preferred rigid material is metal. Copper, steel, and aluminum are suitable materials, but enamel coated aluminum is the preferred rigid material. The leaf guard  60  is bendable such that the slope of the planar section  70  can be changed to meet the varying needs of different roof styles by applying finger force thereto. 
   The inwardly bent connection portion  90  of the leaf guard  60  is preferably connected to facia board F by commercially available gutter screws. The inwardly bent connection section  90  may also be connected directly to the wall of a building above a gutter G or to the inner rim IR of a gutter G by suitable means. 
   The leaf guard  60  is preferably available in stock pieces of about 4 foot in length. Each piece of stock leaf guard  60  need only be screwed into the facia board at the respective ends of the stock leaf guard piece. The preferred material of enamel coated aluminum does not require preformed apertures as the material is easily punctured by sharp tipped screws, but the inwardly bent connection section  90  could also be formed with apertures in order to facilitate the installation process. 
   It is to be understood that the different features of the two different embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 1–3  and  FIGS. 4–6  respectively can be combined as appropriate. For instance, the second embodiment of the leaf guard  60  may be constructed without the inwardly bent connection section  90 , but instead constructed with a portion  26  of the substantially planar section  70  adapted for connection to the roof R of a house as depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The first embodiment of the leaf guard  10  depicted in  FIG. 2  could have the elongated slit arrangement of the second embodiment of the leaf guard  60  as depicted in  FIG. 5 . Additionally, the second embodiment of the leaf guard  60  depicted in  FIG. 5  could have the elongated slit arrangement of the first embodiment of the leaf guard  10  as depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
   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.