Patent ID: 7347027

Claim:
In a conventional rain gutter having a generally trough-shaped interior, a rear wall extending along a roof fascia, and a front lip with a channel defined by a vertical leg, a horizontal leg and a depending end flange, the improvement of a guard, comprising: a cap having a rearward portion thereof shaped to extend along an associated roof, a medial portion thereof extending over the interior of said rain gutter, and a forward portion thereof extending adjacent the front lip of said rain gutter; and a mounting bracket having a rearward portion thereof abutting the rear wall of said rain gutter, an upper portion thereof supporting said cap to deflect debris from the interior of said rain gutter, and a forward portion thereof having an outwardly protruding nose with an upwardly extending support portion thereof received in said channel between said end flange and said vertical leg of said front lip; said rearward portion of said mounting bracket includes a generally flat rear surface abutting the rear wall of said gutter in a flush relationship to positively position said bracket in a perpendicular orientation within the interior of said gutter, and a generally flat bottom edge abutting a bottom wall of said gutter in a flush relationship to positively position said mounting bracket vertically within the interior of said gutter; said nose has at least a portion thereof with a predetermined width which tapers inwardly toward an outermost portion thereof, such that during installation said mounting bracket is positioned within the interior of said rain gutter in a laterally skewed orientation, and subsequently pivoted laterally along a generally horizontal plane into a generally perpendicular orientation within the interior of said rain gutter to retain said nose in the channel of said rain gutter with said support portion of said nose abuttingly supporting said front lip of said rain gutter.