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US 12,577,783 B1Granted
Self cleaning gutter and roof system
OwnerTim Bonerbinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The concept includes improvements in the method and apparatus for removing ice, snow, leaves and other debris from roofs and gutters using a flexible cover attached over the roof that moves via the operation of one or more inflatable membranes positioned under the gutter cover. The concept also uses a gutter frame secured on the surface of a roof which acts as a brake to keep snow and ice from suddenly and unexpectedly sliding off the roof which provides a high level of safety.
Claims20
A self-cleaning gutter system comprising:
- an L-shaped gutter frame (51) comprising a gutter frame bottom (51b) thereby forming a gutter trough (53), the gutter frame bottom attachable parallel to a plane of an eave (11) at a lowest end of a roof (10);
- an inflatable inflate membrane (26);
- an inflate membrane flap (27) attachable at a first end to the roof (10) uphill from the gutter frame (51) and attached at a second end to the inflate membrane (26), thereby securing the inflate membrane uphill from the gutter frame;
- and
- a flexible gutter cover (40) sized to be attached under a shingle (52a) uphill from the inflate membrane flap (27), cover the inflate membrane (26) in both a deflated state and an inflated state, and cover the gutter frame,
- whereby the inflate membrane (26) in the deflated state causes gutter contents (7) to be selectively retained on the roof by the gutter frame (51) in the gutter trough (53), and the inflate membrane (26) in the inflated state causes the gutter contents to be lifted upward and over an upper edge of the gutter frame (51) and out of the gutter trough (53), thereby selectively removing the gutter contents from the roof (10).
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.