Aluminium gutter system

A guttering kit or assembly, comprising at least two gutter pieces, a mounting bracket and a connector that connects or is for connecting the gutter pieces, wherein

• each of the gutter pieces comprises one or more mounting parts, each of the one or more mounting parts comprising an extending part that extends from, and away from, an external side wall portion of the drainage channel at least to a pair of lock pieces that extending from, and away from, the extending piece and away from each other, and an elongate drainage channel for conveying fluid therealong;
• the mounting bracket comprises a mounting member for mounting to the surface, and a pair of opposing slots, each of the opposing slots being formed by a respective slot forming member, each slot forming member comprising a spacing portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly away from the mounting member to an end portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly from the spacing portion so as to form the slot between the end portion and the mounting member;
• and wherein respective slots of the pair of opposing slots of the mounting bracket accommodate or are configured to receive respective lock pieces of the pair of lock pieces to mount the gutter piece to the mounting bracket;
• the connector comprises a wall member that defines a profile matches an interior profile of the elongate channel of the gutter piece and that extends between two edges, one edge being provided with a chamfered profile, and the connector further comprising a protruding catch member that extends outwardly from an outer surface of a side wall part of the wall of the connector on a side of the connector that is opposite to the side on which the chamfered edge is provided;
• and
• each of the gutter pieces comprises a protruding catch that extends out from an inner side of the other side wall portion of the drainage channel and configured to resiliently receive and releasably lock the catch member of a connector when the connector is in a position abutting the interior of the drainage channel of the gutter piece.

A method of mounting a gutter piece to a mounting bracket,

• the gutter piece comprising an elongate drainage channel and one or more mounting parts, each of the one or more mounting parts comprising an extending part that extends from, and away from, an external side wall portion of the drainage channel at least to a pair of lock pieces that extend from, and away from, the extending piece and away from each other;
• the mounting bracket comprising a mounting member for mounting to the surface, and a pair of opposing slots that include an upper slot and a lower slot, each of the opposing slots being formed by a respective slot forming member, each slot forming member comprising a spacing portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly away from the mounting member to an end portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly from the spacing portion so as to form the slot between the end portion and the mounting member;
• and wherein
• respective slots of the pair of opposing slots of the mounting bracket accommodate or are configured to receive respective lock pieces of the pair of lock pieces to mount the gutter piece to the mounting bracket;
• and
• the method comprising:
• angling the gutter piece obliquely with respect to the mounting bracket and thereafter inserting the one of the lock pieces into the upper slot;
• then rotating the gutter piece until the other lock piece is aligned with the lower slot;
• and thereafter moving the mounting part so that the other lock piece is inserted into the lower slot such that at least part of each lock piece is inserted into a respective slot.

A method of demounting a gutter piece from a mounting bracket,

• the gutter piece comprising an elongate drainage channel and one or more mounting parts, each of the one or more mounting parts comprising an extending part that extends from, and away from, an external side wall portion of the drainage channel at least to a pair of lock pieces that extend from, and away from, the extending piece and away from each other;
• the mounting bracket comprising a mounting member for mounting to the surface, and a pair of opposing slots that include an upper slot and a lower slot, each of the opposing slots being formed by a respective slot forming member, each slot forming member comprising a spacing portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly away from the mounting member to an end portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly from the spacing portion so as to form the slot between the end portion and the mounting member;
• and wherein
• respective slots of the pair of opposing slots of the mounting bracket accommodate or are configured to receive respective lock pieces of the pair of lock pieces to mount the gutter piece to the mounting bracket;
• and
• the method comprising:
• moving the gutter piece so that one of the lock pieces is removed from the lower slot, with another one of the lock pieces remaining in the upper slot;
• rotating the gutter piece with respect to the mounting bracket so that the lock piece is rotated away from the mounting bracket;
• removing the other one of the lock pieces from the upper slot to thereby release the gutter piece from the mounting bracket.

Producing a gutter piece and a mounting bracket by additive manufacturing, extruding or moulding the gutter piece and the mounting bracket, the gutter piece comprising an elongate drainage channel and one or more mounting parts, each of the one or more mounting parts comprising an extending part that extends from, and away from, an external side wall portion of the drainage channel at least to a pair of lock pieces that extend from, and away from, the extending piece and away from each other;

• and
• the mounting bracket comprising a mounting member for mounting to the surface, and a pair of opposing slots that include an upper slot and a lower slot, each of the opposing slots being formed by a respective slot forming member, each slot forming member comprising a spacing portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly away from the mounting member to an end portion that extends obliquely or perpendicularly from the spacing portion so as to form the slot between the end portion and the mounting member;
• and
• the respective slots of the pair of opposing slots of the mounting bracket are configured to receive respective lock pieces of the pair of lock pieces to mount the gutter piece to the mounting bracket in a rock and lock manner in which the gutter piece is oriented to be obliquely angled with respect to the mounting bracket and one of the lock pieces is inserted into the upper slot before the gutter piece is rotated until the other lock piece is aligned with the lower slot, and thereafter the gutter piece moved so that the other lock piece is inserted into the lower slot, so that each lock piece of the gutter is received and retained in a respective slot of the pair of opposing slots.