Gutter assembly and method of installation
AssigneeEave-in-One, Inc.
InventorCarlton D. Olson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gutter assembly with a leaf guard and soffit strip for attachment along a roof edge. Mounting brackets are provided for installing the assembly to rafters having variations in spacing, length, height, and parallelism, and for supporting one side of a soffit strip. The gutter, including its leaf guard and connectors, is integrally constructed as is both the soffit strip and its accompanying wall connector. The soffit strip is shaped to allow slidable insertion into and removal from the assembly. The leaf guard has numerous elongated aperatures with rearward facing depressions. Assemblies having combinations of these features are also disclosed as are methods of installation, the assemblies being adapted both for new construction with or without fascia and for replacing existing gutters.
Claims30
A universal gutter assembly for use adjacent the roof edge of a structure having plural spaced rafters notwithstanding variations in at least one of the spacing, height, length and parallelism of the rafters to each other comprising:
- an elongated gutter having a bottom and upstanding front and rear walls:
- rearward facing bracket connecting means having mating channels carried by said rear wall continuously along the length thereof;
- a plurality of mounting brackets each having forward facing gutter connecting means, rearward facing rafter mounting means, rearward facing wall mounting means, and forward facing soffit strip connecting means carried continuously along the length thereof;
- said gutter connecting means being configured with upper and lower ends adapted for sliding engagement with said channels so that each of said brackets may be connected to said gutter at any selected position along the length thereof;
- said rafter mounting means being substantially planar and extending rearwardly in a generally vertical plane for attachment to a generally vertical side of a rafter;
- and
- said wall mounting means being configured for attachment to a wall of the roofed structure;
- elongated soffit strip mounting means adapted to be mounted on said wall and having means for slidably receiving the rear edge of a soffit strip;
- and
- an elongated soffit strip having a rearward facing lateral edge adapted to be slidably received by said elongated soffit strip mounting means and a second lateral edge adapted to slidably receive the soffit strip connecting means of said mounting brackets.
A method for supporting a gutter along a roof edge for a plurality of rafters notwithstanding variations in the spacing, vertical height and length thereof comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a gutter having rearward facing bracket connecting means with mating channels continuously along the length thereof and a plurality of adjustable mounting brackets with rearward facing rafter mounting means and forward facing gutter connecting means adapted for sliding engagement with the mating channels;
- (b) slidably engaging the plurality of brackets with the channels of the bracket connecting means at positions selected to correspond to the approximate spacing of the rafters to be mounted thereon;
- (c) positioning the gutter and connected brackets in the desired position of the gutter relative to the roof edge;
- (d) adjusting the longitudinal position of each of the brackets relative to the gutter to correspond to the actual spacing of the rafters;
- and
- (e) mounting each of the longitudinally positioned brackets to a rafter in the position determined by the position of the bracket relative to the rafter to thereby support the gutter in the desired position notwithstanding variations in the spacing and in the height and length of the rafters.
A method for supporting a gutter along a roof edge from a plurality of rafters notwithstanding variations in the spacing, vertical height and length thereof comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a gutter having rearward facing bracket connecting means continuously along the length thereof and a plurality of adjustable mounting brackets with rearward facing rafter mounting means;
- (b) positioning the gutter in the desired position relative to the roof edge;
- (c) connecting each of the plurality of brackets longitudinally along the gutter at positions adjacent the rafters to be mounted thereon;
- (d) adjusting the longitudinal position of each of the brackets relative to the gutter to correspond to the actual spacing of the rafters;
- and
- (e) mounting each of the longitudinally positioned brackets to a rafter in the position determined by the position of the bracket relative to the rafter to thereby support the gutter in the desired position notwithstanding variations in the spacing and in the height and length of the rafters.
A one-piece gutter comprising a single elongated sheet of material integrally formed into an upwardly facing channel, an upstanding, substantially flat rear wall, a bottom, a front wall, an apertured leaf guard including an upwardly and rearwardly extending portion adapted to overlie a roof beneath the waterproofing thereon and a downwardly facing channel substantially co-planar with said upwardly facing channel, said channels being cooperatively configured to receive a plurality of mounting brackets selectively positioned along the length of said gutter for mounting said gutter along said rear wall to a plurality of rafters along the end faces thereof, said rear wall thereby operating as a fascia integral to said gutter.
A universal gutter assembly suitable for support by a plurality of spaced rafters notwithstanding variations in the horizontal spacing, the vertical height and the length of the rafters by which supported, said assembly comprising:
- a gutter having rearward facing bracket connecting means continuously along substantially the length thereof;
- and
- a plurality of brackets each having forward facing connecting means for mating with the bracket connecting means of said gutter and each having rearward facing rafter mounting means for attachment to a selected one of the rafters,
- each of said brackets mating with said gutter at a position longitudinally thereof corresponding to the actual spacing of the rafters so that said gutter may be supported from the rafters by said brackets notwithstanding variations in the horizontal spacing between the rafters and thus said brackets,
- the mounting means of each of said brackets being configured for mounting on a rafter adjacent an end face thereof:
- (a) at the vertical height determined by the actual position of the bracket when the bracket is mated with said gutter at the desired height adjacent the rafters, and
- (b) at the horizontal distance relative to the end face of the rafter determined by the position of the bracket when the bracket is mated with said gutter in the desired position relative to the rafter end faces,
- so that said gutter may be supported from the rafters by said brackets notwithstanding variations in the vertical height and in the length of the rafters.
A universal gutter assembly comprising:
- a gutter having a longitudinally extending bottom and upstanding front and rear walls;
- rafter mounting bracket connecting means with mating channels carried by said rear wall continuously along the length thereof;
- and
- a plurality of rafter mounting brackets configured for sliding engagment with said mating channels at any position along the length thereof.
A roof edge gutter mounting bracket comprising:
- a generally planar gutter connecting plate having upper and lower ends adapted for sliding engagement with mating channels on the rear wall of a gutter when said plate is oriented in a forward facing, generally vertical, position parallel to a roof edge;
- and
- a generally planar rafter mounting plate rearwardly extending from said gutter connecting plate intermediate the ends thereof in a generally vertical plane.
In a gutter assembly having a gutter with a longitudinally extending bottom and upstanding front and rear walls, a plurality of rafter mounting brackets, and rafter mounting bracket connecting means carried by said rear wall, the improvement wherein:
- said rafter mounting bracket connecting means is carried continuously along the length of said rear wall and is recessed therein, and
- said rafter mounting brackets are each configured for sliding engagement with said rafter mounting bracket connecting means at any position along the length of said rear wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.