Patent Abstract:
The invention is a retractable gutter system that allows the gutter to be moved under the eaves in climates that are typically below freezing, to prevent an ice dam from forming under the eaves, and at times when leaf debris risks clogging the gutter. Slide retainers are affixed to the soffit and the gutter affixed to the extendible slides held in the slide retainers. The gutter is slidable between a first position in which the gutter is placed at the drip edge and a second position in which the gutter is stowed away under the eaves.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The field of the invention relates to gutters on residential and commercial buildings. More particularly, the invention relates to a retractable gutter. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     Gutters are typically attached to the fascia under the eaves of a structure, to collect rainwater that drains from the roof. The fascia is a trim board that is fixed vertically on edge to the rafter ends or wall which conventionally carries the gutter around the eaves of the roof. In many regions that experience cold winters, snow falls on the roof of the structure and eventually melts, either due to heat loss through the roof, rain, or an ambient temperature that is above freezing. The melting snow water runs to the eaves and then into the gutter. The eave, however, is colder than the roof, so, as the water reaches the gutter, it begins to freeze. The gutter then fills up with ice and may eventually cause an ice dam to form under the eave, which may then cause water to run back up under the shingles, resulting in damage to the structure because of water leaking into the interior of the structure. 
     Tree debris is another source of failure of the conventional gutter system. Leaves and needles from trees often end up in gutters, carried there by wind and rain. This debris can plug up the entry to the downspout, and, as a result, force water to leak back into the facia area of the roof. 
       FIG. 1  (prior art) illustrates the problem with the conventional gutter system resulting from a plugged gutter. 
     What is needed therefore is a gutter system that can quickly and easily be moved away from the normal functional position to a protected position, so as to protect the gutter from ice build-up and/or tree debris. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a retractable gutter system that includes a retractable support means that is mounted under the eaves of a structure and a gutter mounted on the retractable support means. In its gutter functional position, the retractable support means is pulled out, so that rainwater drains from the roof into the gutter. In regions that experience cold winters or in locations in which tree debris is copious at certain times of the year, it is desirable to avoid the build-up of ice and/or tree debris in the gutter. To that end, the retractable support means is constructed to be movable between a stowed position and its functional position, so that the gutter may be pushed in under the eaves in times of freezing temperatures or tree debris. On residential structures, the eaves overhang, i.e., the distance from the drip edge of the eaves to the outer surface of the wall, is typically 12 inches. The bottom face of this overhang is typically covered with a board, referred to as the soffit. The telescoping slides are not fastened to the fascia, but rather, are either mounted on cross brackets that are fastened to the soffit, or are fastened to the soffit directly. 
     During the spring and summer, the gutter is pulled out, so as to catch rainwater as it runs from the roof. In the fall, when leaves are coming down, and in the months when the temperature is frequently below freezing, the retractable support means may be pushed in to the stowed position, so that the gutter is under the eaves and, thus, protected from debris and ice. 
     The downspout on a gutter system includes a gutter downspout and a structure downspout. The gutter downspout is attached to the gutter and, in the conventional gutter system, is fitted into the top of the structure downspout from above. In the retractable gutter system according to the invention, the structure downspout has a cut-out at the top, on the wall that faces the structure. This allows the gutter downspout, when the gutter is pulled out to its functional position, to slide into the upper end of the structure downspout, so as to provide an enclosed conduit for the water to drain from the gutter into the spout. 
     The retractable gutter system according to the invention is adaptable to various types of structures. The gutters may be constructed of vinyl or metal gutter section, or be seamless metal lengths. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional gutter system (prior art). 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the retractable gutter system according to the invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the gutter of  FIG. 2  mounted on the retractable slide and pulled out to the drip edge of the fascia. 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a second means of mounting the gutter to the extension slide. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the gutter of  FIG. 2 , mounted on the eaves of a structure and retracted. 
         FIG. 5  shows a structure downspout with a cut-out. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates how the gutter downspout fits into the structure downspout. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the mounting means for an open-style eave. 
         FIG. 7A  shows a wall-mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a long-handled tool for manipulating the retractable gutter system. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a modified downspout. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional gutter system. Snow is lying on the roof and the gutter is clogged with debris and/or ice. As a result, an ice dam has formed at the drip edge, which is forcing water back up under the roof shingles and into the interior of the structure. 
     Note: The reference designation D shown in the figures shall refer to debris, which term shall encompass leaves, ice, and any other matter that may clog a gutter. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a retractable gutter system  100  according to the invention that is in its functional position. The figure is a top plan view of the system attached to a soffit S. For illustration purposes, roof shingles and fascia that are part of a roof system are not shown. The soffit S is the board that forms the underside of the eaves E, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The retractable gutter system  100  comprises a gutter  10 , at least two retractable slides  20 , mounting means  30 , and a downspout  40 . Any conventional gutter may be used. The retractable slides  20  may be any type of telescoping slide or bracket that is suitable for this purpose. Drawer runner hardware is quite suitable, because the ball bearings in the runners ensure smooth motion. An example of suitable hardware are the Ball Bearing Side-Mount Drawer Slides Do-It-Yourself D806, made by Liberty Hardware Manufacturing Corp. Ideally, the retractable slide  20  is made of a metal or alloy that does not rust readily. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the gutter  10  is attached to the extension slide  20 C of the retractable slide  20  by a gutter-fastening means  22 , which, in this embodiment is a bolt that passes through a hole in the retractable slide  20  and through the bottom of the gutter  10  and is secured with a rubber washer and a nut. Other means of attaching the gutter  10  to the slide  20  are within the scope of the invention. For example,  FIG. 3A  illustrates a second embodiment, in which a brace  24  that is dimensioned to extend approximately the largest cross-sectional dimension transverse to axial direction of the gutter trough is attached to the underside of the extension slide  20 C by means of the gutter fastening means  22 , which is now a shortened bolt that passes through the slide  20  and the brace  24 , but not through the bottom of the gutter  10 . Fastening means  26  fasten the brace  24  to the front and rear walls of the gutter  10 . The fastening means  26  may be screws, wing nuts, pins, or other suitable means. A particularly suitable material for the brace  24  is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW PE), because it will not change dimensions to any significant extent as a function of temperature and humidity and is very rugged. Other suitable materials, however, may also be used. 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  3 A illustrate the mounting means  30 . There are various suitable mounting means  30  and the following descriptions are not intended to be limiting. In the embodiment shown in these figures, the mounting means  30  includes at least two cross brackets  34  that extend the length of the eaves E that is to be fitted with the retractable gutter system  100 . A front cross bracket  34 A is affixed to the soffit S at a position closer to the structure and a rear cross bracket  34 B affixed to the soffit closer to the fascia F. The cross brackets  34  may be provided as wooden or metal straps, but preferably, UHMW PE straps are used. In the embodiment shown, two cross brackets  34  are fastened through the soffit S to the rafters R. A rafter R is shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 3A . The retractable slides  20  has a slide retainer  20 A and an extension slide  20 C captured in the slide retainer  20 A, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The slide retainer  20 A has a distal end that is mounted to the cross bracket  34 A closer to the structure wall and a proximal end that is mounted to the cross bracket  34 B closer to the fascia F. The retractable gutter system  100  is shown truncated, but it is understood that the gutter  10  extends the entire length of the eaves E and that a plurality of retractable slides  20  may used with the retractable gutter system  100 , sufficient in number and evenly spaced apart to ensure a substantially even sliding motion of the entire length of gutter  10 . An even sliding motion is particularly important if the gutter  10  along a single run is constructed in sections, as any “snaking” along the length of the gutter  10  may cause seams to open. For this reason, seamless gutters are preferred, as a long single gutter can withstand some snaking, without damaging the gutter. 
     Another example of the mounting means  30  includes the front cross-bracket  34 B mounted to the soffit S closer to the fascia edge F of the eaves E. At each location where the retractable slide  20  is to be mounted, a transverse bracket that extends generally transverse to the axial direction of the front cross bracket  34 B is affixed at a first end to the front cross bracket  34 B and at a second end to the wall W. This mounting means  30  provides support for the retractable slide  20  from front to back and facilitates adjusting the position of the retractable slide  20  so that the gutter  10  is positioned directly under the drip edge of the eaves E. This particular mounting means  30  is not shown, but it is understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art will know how to place and secure the transverse brackets. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the retractable gutter system  100 , retracted under the eaves E.  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate details of the downspout  40 , which includes a gutter downspout  42  and a structure downspout  44 . A rear wall  44 A in the structure downspout  44  has a cut-out  44 B, that is dimensioned to receive the gutter downspout  42 .  FIG. 6  is a plan view of the downspout  40 , viewed from the wall of the structure, showing how the gutter downspout  42  fits into the structure downspout  44  when the retractable gutter system  100  is extended out to its functional position. 
     Gutters are installed with a slope toward the downspout end of the gutter, to ensure proper drainage of water from the gutter. The retractable gutter system  100  according to the invention is mounted to the soffit S, which provides a horizontal plane, so the retractable gutter system requires some means to ensure the slope of the gutter. To maintain the desired slope, spacers or washers are used when mounting the retractable slides  20  to the soffit S. For example, assuming the retractable slides  20  are mounted to the soffit S spaced five feet apart, then a series of spacers with increasing thicknesses may be used to provide the desired slope. At the end opposite the downspout end, at the first retractable slide  20 , no spacer is used, but then, at every mounting point toward the downspout end, a spacer with a slightly greater thickness is used, thereby achieving the desired slope of the gutter  10 . The spacers may be provided with increasing thickness, or multiple spacers may be used to achieve the desired thickness. A suggested increment in thickness is ⅛-inch. Over a 40-foot span, spacers ranging from ⅛-inch to 1-inch may be used to achieve a ¼-inch drop per every ten feet of span. As with the cross brackets  34 , the spacers may be stamped from UHMW PE. Metal washers or spacers made of other materials may also be suitable for this purpose. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a suitable mounting means  30  for an eaves that does not have a soffit. A cross bracket  34  is attached close to the leading edge of the eaves and wall-mounting brackets  36  are fastened to the outer wall at spaced intervals. The distal end  20 B of the slide  20  is supported by the wall-mounting bracket  36  and a proximal end  20 A of the retractable slide  20 , shown in  FIG. 2 , is then fastened to the cross bracket  34  and. The wall-mounting bracket  36  may be any suitable means to affix the distal end of  20 B of the retractable slide  20  to the wall of the structure.  FIG. 7A  is an enlarged view of a simple bracket  36  that provides sufficient support to hold the retractable slide  20  firmly in place. The bracket  36  is, for example, stamped or machined from a piece of UHMW PE, having two through-bores  36 A for mounting fasteners and a retainer bore  36 B that is dimensioned to receive the distal end of the retractable slide  20 . The distal end  20 B is inserted into the retainer bore  36 B and the proximal end  20 A of the slide  20  then mounted to the cross bracket  34 . Although the inventor has used UHMW PE for this bracket  36 , because of the ability of the dense material to hold a threaded fastener, it is understood that other materials and other types of brackets may be used for the wall-mounting bracket  36 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a device  200  for manipulating the retractable gutter system  100 . The device  200  has a handle  210  and, at its upper end, a C-shaped bracket  220  for engaging the body of the gutter  10 , when retracting the retractable gutter system and a hook  230  for engaging an upper edge of the gutter  10  when pulling the retractable gutter system to its functional position. The handle  210  may have extensions, to obtain the necessary height to engage the gutter  10  and move it between the protected and the functional positions. 
     The retractable gutter system  100  according to the invention will typically extend across a long expanse on a face of a structure, 20, 30, 40 feet or more. To ensure that the retractable gutter system  100  operates smoothly and easily, the retractable slides  20  are mounted on the cross brackets  34  at suitable distances apart, for example, every five feet or so. When a seamed gutter system is used, the inventor suggests strengthening the span of the gutter, to prevent cracks and, thus, leaks, from forming at the seams. One way to do this is to provide a reinforcing strip along the gutter  10 , to ensure that the various segments of the gutter remain aligned when the gutter is being deployed or stowed away. For example, a one-inch strip of perforated steel may be affixed to the gutter  10 , extending in the longitudinal direction of the gutter  10 , to provide the desired stiffness. Another method is to reinforce the joints between gutters with fiberglass. This misalignment when extending/retracting the retractable gutter system is not a concern with seamless gutters, because there are no seams that will open up if the length of gutter span “snakes” a bit. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a modified downspout  50 . It may be desirable to prevent snow, ice, debris from collecting in the upper part of the structure downspout  44  described above. The modified downspout  50  includes a structure downspout  54 , a gutter downspout  52 , and an extension trough  55 . The structure downspout  54  has shortened upper end  54 A that extends at an angle from the wall of the structure, whereby the end of the upper end  54 A is still under the eaves E. The gutter downspout  52  has a lower end  52 A that is angled toward the wall of the structure. The extension trough  55  is adjustable in length and connects the lower end  52 A of the gutter downspout  52  to the upper end  54 A of the structure downspout  54 , to provide a continuous trough to guide water from the gutter  10  into the structure downspout  54 . The extension trough  55  has a first rough section  55 A that is affixed to the gutter downspout  52  and a second trough section affixed to the structure downspout  54 . The first and second trough sections  55 A and  55 B are dimensioned such, that the free end of the first section is slidably held in the free end of the second section. When the gutter  10  is moved to the stowed position, the first section  55 A slides into the second section  55 B of the extension trough, so that the entire downspout system is now under the eaves E. When the gutter  10  is moved to its functional position, the extension trough  55  slidably accommodates the greater distance between the gutter  10  and the structure downspout  54 . The lengths of the first and second trough sections  55 A,  55 B are variable and are dictated by the specific depth dimension of the eaves E. 
     As a safety measure, a tether means  12 , shown in  FIG. 3A , may be provided to securely connect the gutter to the structure. It is conceivable that a gutter filled with leaves, ice, or snow could become so heavy, that its weight exceeds the weight limit to be supported by the gutter fastening means  22  that connects the gutter  10  to the slides  20 . The risk is such a situation is that the gutter  10  could inadvertently detach from the retractable slides  20 . If that were to happen, the gutter  10  could drop away from the retractable gutter system, which could result in damage to the gutter, to the structure, and/or to something that the gutter drops onto. To reduce this risk, the tether means is constructed to prevent the gutter from dropping away into a free fall. The tether means includes a cable that is attached at one end to the structure and at the other end to the gutter. One or more of such cables may be attached to a length of gutter. 
     It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the retractable gutter system may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed and as defined by the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4