US 7,740,755 B2Granted

Foam insert for rain gutter

AssigneeOwens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC

InventorsGeoffrey Howard Wilson, Aaron Robert Rasor

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Abstract

A foam insert for a rain gutter for a residential dwelling is provided. The foam insert prevents debris such as leaves, pine needles, gravel, and dirt from entering the rain gutter and permits water to pass through the foam and into the gutter. The foam insert has a channel in the outer side to receive the inwardly projecting lip of a gutter when the foam insert is placed into the gutter. As the foam inserts are installed in the gutter, the lip of the gutter is positioned within the channel. The foam is flexible, which permits the foam insert to be bent and maneuvered into position within the gutter. The foam inserts are formed with a pore size of 14 ppi or below. The foam inserts are inexpensive and may be quickly and easily installed or removed from the gutter by a single individual.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A foam insert for a longitudinally extending rain gutter having a rear wall, a front wall and a bottom wall interconnecting said rear wall and said bottom wall with said front wall including an inwardly extending upper lip, said foam insert comprising:

an elongated foam body having an outer side and an angular side, the angular side extending downwardly and rearwardly from the outer side, the angular side defining a void between said angular side and said front and bottom walls of said rain gutter, the foam body having an upper side that is positioned above said front wall of said rain gutter, said outer side of said foam body being formed with a longitudinally extending channel to receive said upper lip of said rain gutter and to hold said foam body within said rain gutter,
wherein an upper portion of said foam body along said outer side of said foam body is above said channel and a lower portion of said foam body along said outer side is below said channel such that said upper lip of said rain gutter is located within said channel between said upper and lower portions, and
wherein said foam body allows the passage of water through said foam insert, said foam body restricting debris from entering into said rain gutter and from being trapped between said foam body and said upper lip of said rain gutter.

A combination of a rain gutter and a foam insert therefore comprising:

a rain gutter having a rear wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall, said front wall having an inwardly projecting upper lip, and
an elongated foam body having an angular side extending downwardly and rearwardly from an outer side that defines a void between said angular side and said front and bottom walls of said rain gutter and a top side that is positioned above said front wall of said rain gutter, said outer side of said foam body being formed with a channel to receive said upper lip of said rain gutter and to hold said foam body within said rain gutter,
wherein a portion of said foam body along said outer side of said foam body being above and a portion below said upper lip of said rain gutter, and
wherein said foam body permits the passage of water and prevents the passage of leaves and debris into said rain gutter and from being trapped between said foam body and said upper lip of said rain gutter.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.