Patent Publication Number: US-2013233398-A1

Title: Air Inductor for Gutter Downspout

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/608,812, filed on Mar. 9, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to gravitational draining systems, and more particularly, to devices that prevent clogging of downspouts. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Gutters are mounted along the edges of roofs to collect water running off of the roof&#39;s surfaces. The gutters are mounted such that they direct the water, via gravity, towards a downspout which extends downwardly from the gutter and serves as a pathway to the ground/storm sewer/french drain for the water. 
     While leaves, twigs, silt, and other debris will sometimes create clogs in a downspout, in times of particularly heavy rain a clog can occur as a result of too much water entering the downspout at once and preventing the flow of air through the downspout. If the flow of air is restricted, the water will back up the downspout creating a clog. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object and advantage of the present invention to provide a device for supplying air into the downspout in order to prevent a hydrolock due to the lack of airflow. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter. 
     In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention provides an air induction device to be mounted to a downspout to induce the flow of air in a downspout. The air induction device comprises a tubular member that is sealingly fitted through the downspout such that it provides fluid communication between the atmosphere and the interior of the downspout. The air induction device is preferably mounted on an upwardly facing surface of the downspout and at a location where the downspout is extending angularly downward or at a bend in the downspout, thereby orienting the tubular member at an upwardly extending oblique angle relative to the downspout. 
     Although the air induction device in and of itself will provide for the flow of air into the downspout by virtue of water running through the downspout, thereby creating a pressure differential between the atmosphere and the fluid pathway created by the tubular member, a fan or blower could also be mounted within the tubular member to draw air into the downspout. The fan could be powered, for example, by a solar cell, battery, or piezoelectric energy harvesting device that could be actuated via the wind. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of the device mounted on a straight run of downspout; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial side elevation view of the air induction device mounted on an interior bend of downspout; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial side elevation view of the air induction device mounted on an exterior bend of downspout; and 
         FIG. 4  is a view of an alternate embodiment of the air induction device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in  FIG. 1  an air induction device, designated generally by reference numeral  10 , mounted to a downspout  12  having an inner channel  24 , and having a bore formed therethrough  26  in fluid communication with inner channel  24  and the outside air  28 . Downspout  12  interconnects gutter  14  to a storm sewer/french drain/day lighting pipe or simply to the ground for purposes of carrying rain water and snow that runs off roof  16  and into gutter  14 . It should be recognized by those of skill in the art that while the primary application of the present invention is for gutters used in home and commercial rain drainage systems, the present invention can be used with any gravitational drain systems, such as those employed on bridges, schools, factories, and apartments, including inside gravitational drain systems. 
     In  FIG. 1 , air induction device  10  is mounted to the upwardly facing surface of a diagonally extending, straight run of downspout  12 , such as the portion extending along diagonal X-X of  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 2 , air induction device  10  is mounted to the upwardly facing surface of an elbow  18 , and more precisely to the interior angle of elbow  18 . In  FIG. 3 , air induction device  10  is mounted to the upwardly facing surface of an elbow  18 , and more precisely to the exterior angle of elbow  18 . The present invention may be thus used with any gravity drain having a lateral extending between elbows on an angle causing the speed of the rain inside to increase, thereby providing suction and preventing hydrolocking when used with air induction device  10 . 
     In each instance, air induction device  10  is mounted along an axis Y-Y that is perpendicular to the axis of the downsput  12  or the tangent T-T of the elbow  14 , and also to the upwardly facing surface  30  of a non-vertically oriented run of downspout  12 /elbow  18  to ensure that there is space between the water running through the downspout and the air induction device  10  due to the need for the running water to create a slight pressure differential between the open space within downspout  12 /elbow  18  and the atmosphere. This pressure differential creates air flow from the atmosphere, through air induction device  10  and into downspout  12 /elbow  18 . By continuously supplying a flow of air into downspout  12 /elbow  18 , even in times of heavy rainfall, a hydrolocked condition will not occur within the downspout, and thus creating a backflow of rain water into and over the gutters  14 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , air induction device  10  may be equipped with a fan/blower  20  that is powered by way of a power source  22 . Power source  22  may be any conventional type of low energy power source, such as a solar cell, piezoelectric energy harvester (such as one that utilizes vibrations caused by wind to create and store energy), or a battery. In the event the rush of rain water through downspout  12  is not sufficient to induce the flow of air through air induction device  10  and into downspout  12 , fan/blower  20  can provide the means for inducing the introduction of air into downspout  12 .