Rain gutter debris preclusion device

2- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said ribs each have a common height between a base end of each rib adjacent said floor and a free end of each rib opposite said base end.

3- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said floor is planar.

4- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said channel includes a tab adapted to be placed between shingles and a roof upon which said shingles are mounted, said tab being generally flat and extending in a plane parallel with said floor.

5- The barrier of claim 4 wherein said tab includes a tab slot, said tab slot closed on three sides and open on one side, when said tab slot is viewed in a section perpendicular to a long axis of said ribs, said open side of said tab slot defining a portion of said slot closest to said ribs, said tab slot located within a plane parallel with said floor and spaced from said floor and aligned with said free ends of said ribs.

6- The barrier of claim 5 wherein said channel includes a lip on an edge thereof opposite said tab, said lip adapted to be supported upon a portion of a rain gutter most distant from the roof, said lip including a lip slot oriented in a common plane with said tab slot, with said lip slot facing said tab slot, both said tab slot and said lip slot spaced apart a distance similar to a width of said screen, said tab slot and said lip slot having a width sufficient to allow said screen to be oriented therein, said screen oriented within both said tab slot and said lip slot and with said screen in contact with at least one of said ribs.

7- The barrier of claim 6 wherein said tab includes an upper shelf between said tab slot and said ribs, and wherein said lip includes a lower shelf between said lip slot and said ribs, said upper shelf and said lower shelf oriented in a common plane aligned with said free ends of said ribs.

8- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said channel is substantially rigid.

9- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said channel is formed of aluminum.

10- The barrier of claim 9 wherein said screen is formed of stainless steel.

11- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said fenestrations in said screen are provided in a quantity of about 8,000 holes per square inch.

12- The barrier of claim 1 wherein said channel includes at least two troughs between at least three adjacent said ribs, said at least two troughs each including said apertures therein, said apertures sized sufficiently large to prevent surface tension in water from blocking water travel through said apertures.

13- The barrier of claim 12 wherein said apertures within each said trough are located closer to an adjacent one of said ribs closest to said lip than an adjacent one of said ribs closest to said tab.

15- The method of claim 14 wherein a second edge of the channel opposite the first edge extends to a portion of the rain gutter spaced from the roof, such that the entire width of the gutter is covered by the channel.

16- The method of claim 14 including the further step of sizing the fenestrations of the screen smaller than debris to be kept out of the rain gutter and larger than water molecules.

17- The method of claim 15 including the further step of fastening the second edge of the channel to a portion of the rain gutter spaced from the roof.

18- The method of claim 14 wherein said tab extends between the shingles and the roof, and away from the rain gutter, at least one centimeter.

19- The method of claim 14 wherein said channel is oriented with said first edge above said second edge, such that water falling off of the shingles and on to the screen covering the channel will travel down away from the shingles before passing through the screen.

20- A rain gutter debris preclusion device, comprising in combination:

• a channel having a substantially constant cross-sectional form with portions of said channel oriented within an upper plane and portions of said channel located in a lower plane, said lower plane parallel with said upper plane, said channel including a floor extending within said lower plane with a plurality of ribs extending up from said floor to free ends at said second plane;
• and
• a screen oriented within said upper plane, said screen in contact with said free ends of said ribs.

21- The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said upper plane and said lower plane are tilted away from horizontal with an elevated side of said channel adapted to be coupled to a roof above a portion of a rain gutter coupled to the roof and with a lower edge of said channel adapted to abut a portion of a rain gutter spaced from the roof.

22- The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said ribs extend linearly from said floor at said lower plane to said free ends, said ribs exhibiting substantially straight sides between said floor and said free ends.

23- The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said floor includes apertures therein.

24- The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said apertures are located between said ribs.

25- The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said apertures are located closer to adjacent ribs below said aperture than from adjacent ribs above said aperture.

26- The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said apertures are longer than they are wide, with a width extending between adjacent said ribs and a length extending substantially parallel with a long axis of said ribs.