Patent Publication Number: US-2022220743-A1

Title: Apparatus for cleaning gutters and methods of use

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to cleaning means, and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for cleaning debris from gutters. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     While cleaning house gutters of leaves and other debris remains a task that few look forward to doing, failure to do so can cause major issues for a home. Blockages can, for example, cause water to pour over the sides of a gutter and pool around the foundation of the house. This water can cause the foundation to crack and can lead to the growth of mold. In colder weather, a blocked gutter can form an ice dam, a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. The backed-up water can eventually leak into the home, causing damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. 
     Gutters are conventionally cleaned by getting on a ladder and manually removing the debris. Unfortunately, falls from ladders are quite common, and hundreds of injuries and deaths result every year as a result. Solutions that do not require accessing a gutter by ladder typically involve attaching long tubular attachments to leaf blowers, dry vacuums, or pressure washers. However, these attachments remain difficult to use and may not provide acceptable results. 
     For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for new apparatus and methods that allow gutters to be effectively cleaned in an easy and safe manner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention address the above-identified needs by providing apparatus and methods for cleaning gutters. 
     Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising rigid tubing and a nozzle assembly attached to the rigid tubing. The nozzle assembly comprises a proximal nozzle portion characterized by a tubular shape and defining a first bend, and a distal nozzle portion attached to the proximal nozzle portion and defining a second bend. The distal nozzle portion transitions distally from a tubular shape into a mouth-like opening with a first projection in opposed, spaced relation to a second projection. 
     Additional aspects of the invention are directed to a method including obtaining an apparatus comprising rigid tubing, a nozzle assembly attached to the rigid tubing, a blower, and flexible tubing spanning between the blower and the rigid tubing. The nozzle assembly comprises a proximal nozzle portion characterized by a tubular shape and defining a first bend, and a distal nozzle portion attached to the proximal nozzle portion and defining a second bend. The distal nozzle portion transitions distally from a tubular shape into a mouth-like opening with a first projection in opposed, spaced relation to a second projection. After all of these elements are obtained, the apparatus is placed in contact with a gutter. Air from the blower is propelled through the flexible tubing, the rigid tubing, and the nozzle assembly into the gutter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a user using an apparatus in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention to remove debris from a gutter attached to a two-story building; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the  FIG. 1  apparatus alone; 
         FIG. 3  shows a top perspective view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom exploded perspective view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus; 
         FIG. 5  shows a top exploded perspective view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus; 
         FIG. 6  shows a sectional view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus along the cleave plane indicated in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows a top perspective view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus cleaning debris from the gutter; 
         FIG. 8  shows a side elevational view of the nozzle assembly in the  FIG. 1  apparatus cleaning debris from the gutter; 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a modified apparatus in accordance with another illustrative embodiment of the invention being used to clean debris from the gutter; and 
         FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of the  FIG. 9  modified apparatus along the cleave plane indicated in  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made to these embodiments and the results will still come within the scope of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments described herein are intended or should be inferred. 
     As used herein and in the appended claims, “about,” when used to modify an angle, means within plus or minus ten degrees. “Directly” means without any intervening elements. 
     Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus for removing leaves and other debris from rain gutters associated with buildings.  FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a user  1000  using an apparatus  100  in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention to remove debris  2000  from a gutter  3000  attached to a two-story building  4000 . The apparatus  100  allows the user  1000  to propel high-velocity air into the gutter  3000  to cause the debris  2000  therein to be expelled from the gutter  3000  and to fall to the ground. There, the debris  2000  can be safely collected and discarded. The gutter  3000  is thereby cleaned while the user  1000  stays safely on the ground, and issues associated with blockages are avoided by effectively cleaning the gutter  3000 . 
     Additional details of the illustrative apparatus  100  are shown in  FIG. 2 , which shows a perspective view of the apparatus  100  alone without other added elements. The apparatus  100  comprises: a blower  105 , flexible tubing  110 , rigid tubing  115 , and a nozzle assembly  120 . The nozzle assembly  120  is attached to the rigid tubing  115 , which, in turn, is connected to the flexible tubing  110 . The flexible tubing  110  is attached to an output of the blower  105  so as to span between the flexible tubing  110  and the rigid tubing  115 . So configured, an interior of the nozzle assembly  120  is in gaseous communication with an interior of the rigid tubing  115  and an interior of the flexible tubing  110 . The blower  105  is thereby able to propel high-velocity air through the flexible tubing  110 , the rigid tubing  115 , and out the nozzle assembly  120 . 
     In the apparatus  100 , the rigid tubing  115  is provided in segments with compression collars  125  between segments to removably join one segment to another. Each segment of the rigid tubing  115  is smaller in diameter than the previous, providing the rigid tubing  115  with a telescoping capability, which allows its overall length to be readily adjusted via the compression collars  125 . The nozzle assembly  120  also includes a small segment of rigid tubing  115  at the nozzle assembly&#39;s proximal end. This small segment of rigid tubing  115  attaches the nozzle assembly  120  to the remainder of the rigid tubing  115  via a compression collar  125 . 
     Aspects of the nozzle assembly  120  are described in  FIGS. 3-6 , with  FIG. 3  showing a top perspective view of the nozzle assembly  120  in association with a top of the rigid tubing  115 ,  FIG. 4  showing a side exploded perspective view of the nozzle assembly  120 ,  FIG. 5  showing a top exploded perspective view of the nozzle assembly  120 , and  FIG. 6  showing a sectional view of the nozzle assembly  120  along the cleave plane indicated in  FIG. 3 . The nozzle assembly  120  can be conceptually broken down into two portions: a proximal nozzle portion  130  and a distal nozzle portion  135 . The proximal nozzle portion defines a first bend  140  ( FIG. 6 ), while the distal nozzle portion  135  defines a second bend  145  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     The distal nozzle portion  135  is removably attached to the proximal nozzle portion  130 . More particularly, the distal nozzle portion  135  defines an insertable region  150  that may be inserted into the distal nozzle portion  135 . At the same time, a rod  155 , a washer  160 , a rubber bumper  165 , and a clamping handle  170  are implemented to draw the two nozzle portions  130 ,  135  together. A distal end of the rod  155  emerges from a distal hole  175  in the distal nozzle portion  135  and terminates in the washer  160 . A proximal end of the rod emerges from a proximal hole  180  in the proximal nozzle portion  130 , passes through the rubber bumper  165 , and terminates in an eyelet  185 . The clamping handle  170  engages the eyelet  185  via a pin  190 . The rod  155  thereby spans between the distal nozzle portion  135  and the proximal nozzle portion  130 . Rotating the clamping handle  170  into its downward position causes an eccentric cam in the clamping handle  170  to place a tensional force on the rod  155 . This tensional force acts to draw the proximal and distal nozzle portions  130 ,  135  together. 
     In addition to holding the proximal and distal nozzle portions  130 ,  135  together, the above-described drawing means also allows the orientation of the distal nozzle portion  135  to be quickly modified in relation to the proximal nozzle portion  130 . Such a modification can be accomplished by manually raising the clamping handle  170  to relieve some of the tension on the rod  155 , and then rotating the distal nozzle portion  135  relative to the proximal nozzle portion  130  about a rotational axis that is colinear with the rod  155 . Once the desired orientation is reached, the clamping handle  170  can again be rotated downward to reapply the requisite tensional force on the rod  155 . In this manner, the distal nozzle portion  135  may be removably attached to the proximal nozzle portion  130  with a plurality of different orientations therebetween. 
     In accordance with aspects of the invention, the distal nozzle portion  135  transitions distally from a tubular shape into a mouth-like opening  200  with a first projection  205  in opposed, spaced relation to a second projection  210 . The first projection  205  terminates in a first distalmost straight edge  215  and defines a first outward-facing surface  220  facing away from the second projection  210 . The second projection  210  is basically a mirror image of the first projection  205 . The second projection  210  terminates in a second distalmost straight edge  225  and defines a second outward-facing surface  230  facing away from the first projection  205 . Both the first and second distalmost straight edges  215 ,  225  have a width smaller than the width of the gutter  3000 . 
     The apparatus  100  also includes a first anti-wear plate  235  attached to the first outward-facing surface  220  of the first projection  205 , and a second anti-wear plate  240  attached to the second outward-facing surface  230  of the second projection  210 . The first anti-wear plate  235  and the second anti-wear plate  240  are held in place by bolts  245 . In the present illustrative embodiment, each of the first and second anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  describes a T-shape and are formed of a different material from the first and second projections  205 ,  210 . As will be further described below, the first and second projections  205 ,  210  may be formed of plastic while the first and second anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  may be formed of metal. 
     As indicated above, the nozzle assembly  120  comprises two fixed bends, the first bend  140  defined by the proximal nozzle portion  130 , and the second bend  145  defined by the distal nozzle portion  135 . Experimentation with prototypes of the apparatus  100  have suggested that the first bend  140  preferably be about 60 degrees. The second bend  145  is preferably about 90 degrees. These angles help to allow the user  1000  to easily obtain a comfortable position on the ground while utilizing the apparatus  100  in the manner detailed herein. 
     The blower  105  may comprise any type of equipment capable of providing a source of high-velocity air, such as a conventional leaf blower or a shop vacuum that is capable of blowing in addition to providing a vacuum. The blower  105  in  FIG. 1 , for example, is part of a conventional gas-operated backpack leaf blower, which includes a back unit  295  that provides high-velocity air through a bellow tube to the flexible tubing  110  in a manner that puts the flexible tubing  110  into gaseous communication with the blower  105 . 
     In use, the user  1000  may stand safely on the ground next to the building  4000  and place the nozzle assembly  120  into the gutter  3000  to be cleaned with the first or second anti-wear plate  235 ,  240  resting on the floor of the gutter  3000  so that the apparatus  100  is in direct contact with the gutter  3000 . The telescoping rigid tubing  115  may be adjusted to accommodate the height of the gutter  3000 . The user  1000  may then command the blower  105  to propel high-velocity air through the nozzle assembly  120  while manipulating the nozzle assembly  120  in the gutter  3000  to cause debris  2000  therein to be expelled. During use, the user  1000  may grasp the rigid tubing  115  in order to manipulate the nozzle assembly  120  while allowing the flexible tubing  110  to drape (i.e., span) between the blower  105  and the rigid tubing  115  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     Effective gutter cleaning may be accomplished by walking the nozzle assembly  120  forward along the gutter  3000  from a starting point in a single direction and then, if it is felt that the gutter  3000  would benefit from another pass, resetting the nozzle assembly  120  back to the starting point so the process can be repeated.  FIGS. 7 and 8  show views of the nozzle assembly  120  during the cleaning of the gutter  3000  with  FIG. 7  showing a top perspective view of the nozzle assembly  120  and the gutter  3000 , and  FIG. 8  showing a side elevational view of these same elements. Because of the unique design of the nozzle assembly  120 , air propelled through the nozzle assembly  120  departs the mouth-like opening  200  both in forward and lateral directions into the confined channel of the gutter  3000 . This pattern of high-velocity air forcefully pushes the debris  2000  away from the nozzle assembly  120  and out of the gutter  3000 . If a gutter hanger is encountered in the gutter  3000  when cleaning, the user  1000  may simply raise the nozzle assembly  120  over the gutter hanger using the rigid tubing  115  and then lower the nozzle assembly  120  back into the gutter  3000  so that the apparatus  100  again makes direct contact with the floor of the gutter  3000  in the manner shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     Notably, during gutter cleaning in the manner indicated above, only the first anti-wear plate  235  or the second anti-wear plate  240  directly contacts the gutter  3000 . The anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  thereby act to protect the nozzle assembly  120  from wear. If the anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  are formed of a harder, more robust material than the nozzle assembly  120 , the lifespan of the apparatus  100  is substantially extended. 
     As indicated earlier, the relative orientation of the distal nozzle portion  135  relative to the proximal nozzle portion  130  can be altered as desired by the user  1000  when cleaning the gutter  3000  with the apparatus  100 . Such a manual adjustment can be accomplished utilizing the combination of the rod  155  and the clamping handle  170  in the manner set forth above. This ability to reorient the nozzle assembly  120  is a valuable added feature of the apparatus  100 . The orientation may, for example, be quickly changed when reversing the forward cleaning direction relative to the gutter  3000 . At the same time, because of the complicated geometry of the apparatus  100 , variations in the user&#39;s position relative to the gutter  3000  tend to translate into variations in the incident angle of the nozzle assembly  120  on the gutter  3000 . The ability to easily reorient the nozzle assembly  120  ensures that the user  1000  can achieve an effective forward cleaning orientation of the nozzle assembly  120  relative to the gutter  3000  in response to these variations. 
     Thus, the above-described apparatus  100 , and, more generally, apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention, provide several advantages over preexisting gutter-cleaning solutions. In particular, the novel shape of the nozzle assembly  120  provides a means to effectively clean debris from gutters by allowing intimate contact between the apparatus  100  and the gutter  3000  while directing high-velocity air both forward and lateral to the nozzle assembly  120  into the confined channel defined by the gutter  3000 . Even heavy objects resting in the gutter  3000 , such as tree branches, may be readily expelled with this pattern of air flow. Simultaneously, the anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  protect the nozzle assembly  120  from contact damage from the gutter  3000 . The ability to reorient the distal nozzle portion  135  relative to the proximal nozzle portion  130  and the telescoping rigid tubing  115  ensure that the user  1000  can ergonomically achieve an effective nozzle orientation relative to the gutter  3000  while safely on the ground. 
     Elements of the invention may be sourced from commercial vendors and/or manufactured using conventional manufacturing techniques that will be familiar to one having ordinary skill in the relevant arts. A suitable backpack leaf blower may be sourced from, for example, HUSQVARNA® PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS INC. (Charlotte, N.C., USA). Flexible and rigid tubing are commercially available from, for example, RIDGID® TOOL COMPANY (Elyria, Ohio, USA). Clamping handles (also called cam handles and clamping levers) capable of acting on a rod in a manner like that indicated above are commercially available from several different vendors, including, as just one example, MCMASTER-CARR® COMPANY (Elmhurst, Ill., USA). 
     A nozzle assembly suitable for use in embodiments of the invention may be formed of, for example, polymer such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) or a fiber-reinforced polymer such as carbon-fiber impregnated polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG+CF). Manufacturing techniques for the nozzle assembly may include, for instance, molding, computer-numerical-control (CNC) machining, three-dimensional (3d) printing, and the like. Suitable anti-wear plates may be formed of a metal such as stainless steel and may be cut from a plate of such a metal. 
     It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality. These numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     For example, in alternative embodiments of the invention, anti-wear plates like the anti-wear plates  235 ,  240  can be eliminated in favor of a more robust nozzle assembly. Moreover, an additional rotational sleeve may be added to the nozzle assembly to provide even greater ability to finetune the orientation of the nozzle assembly relative to the gutter being cleaned.  FIGS. 9 and 10  show aspects of a modified apparatus  400  in accordance with another illustrative embodiment of the invention having both of these optional alterations.  FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of the modified apparatus  400  being used to clean the debris  2000  from the gutter  3000 , while  FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of the region of the modified apparatus  400  indicated in  FIG. 9 . The modified apparatus  400  includes rigid tubing  405  attached to a nozzle assembly  410  with a proximal nozzle portion  415  and a distal nozzle portion  420 . The distal nozzle portion  420  transitions distally from a tubular shape into a mouth-like opening  425  in a manner similar to the distal nozzle portion  135  of the apparatus  100 . However, a new rotational collar  430  is disposed in the distal nozzle portion  420  proximal of the mouth-like opening  425 , allowing the mouth-like opening  425  to be independently oriented relative to a remainder of the distal nozzle portion  420 . At the same time, sidewalls  435  of the distal nozzle portion  420  are thickened to allow prolonged use without the need for anti-wear plates. 
     All the features disclosed herein may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.