Rain gutter assembly
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This relates in general to improvements in rain gutters attached to residences and other buildings, more particularly to a method and attachment for maintaining such rain gutters free from foreign debris, such as twigs, leaves, pine needles, and the like, which tend to collect therein and clog the gutters. 
     Many devices, such as slotted or perforated metal sheets, or screens of wire or other material, or plastic foam, have been used in the prior art to cover the open tops of the gutters to filter out foreign material and prevent it from entering the gutter. Success with such devices has been limited because small pieces of foreign material, and even long pine needles are allowed to enter into the gutter and accumulate, thereby clogging the gutter drain, stopping the flow of water. Hence, it is still necessary at intervals to open and clean the gutter. Also, several of these prior art types of covers are difficult and time consuming to install and remove. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a gutter combination or attachment which substantially eliminates the necessity to open and clean the gutter. 
     Another object is to provide gutter filtering means which is readily installed, and easily removed, if circumstances require it. 
     These, and other objects are realized in accordance with the present invention in a gutter filter attachment which comprises a screen with a coarse fiber glass lining attached to the underside of the screen. The screen is installed onto the gutter by means of resilient metal or plastic gutter straps equipped with clips which are fitted onto the end of the straps. The clip end of the gutter strap simply snaps into the screen; and the other end of the strap is bent outward, bearing against the inside rear wall of the gutter, thereby applying a downward pressure on the screen, holding it tightly against the gutter and the roof. A desired amount of pressure against the gutter and the roof may be achieved by simply adjusting the position of the clips in the screen. 
     The gutter filter attachment of the present invention has the advantage that it filters out even small pieces of foreign material, so that there is virtually no build-up of debris in the gutter, requiring the gutter to be periodically opened and cleaned. Another advantage of the gutter filter of the present invention is its ease of installation. 
     These, and other objects, features and advantages will be apparent in a study of the detailed specification hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a rear perspective showing, partially broken away, of the rain gutter filter attachment of the present invention; installed on a convential gutter. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view, partially broken away, of the rain gutter filter attachment of the combination of FIG. 1 being removed from the gutter; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the typical rain gutter of FIGS. 1 and 2, in place on the wall of a building; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the plane indicated by the arrows 4--4 of FIG. 1, of the rain gutter filter attachment of FIGS. 1 and 2, in place on a gutter; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top view of the rain gutter filter attachment of FIGS. 1 et seq. removed from the gutter; 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the rain gutter filter attachment of FIGS. 1 et seq. removed from the gutter; 
     FIG. 7 is a fragmentary bottom view of the filter attachment of FIGS. 1 et seq. removed from the gutter; 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary rear view of the filter attachment of FIGS. 1 et seq. removed from the gutter; 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragment of the sectional view of FIG. 5, showing the clip joined to the filter attachment; and 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view through a plane indicated by the arrows 10--10 of FIG. 5 of the filter attachment of FIGS. 1 et seq.; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a fragment of a gutter assembly as it would be disposed on the outside wall of a residence or other building. (See FIGS. 3 and 4). 
     In accordance with the present invention, the gutter assembly 1, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a conventional gutter 2, preferably of sheet metal, such as aluminum. In the embodiment under description, the gutter 1 is a hollow structure comprising a flat rectangular base plate 2d, 31/4 inches wide, and of a length necessary to be accommodated on the sidewall 10b below the eaves 10a of a residence, or other structure, on which it is mounted. The back plate 2c of the gutter is of matching length, and is welded or otherwise secured, in vertical normal relation to the rear edge of the base plate 2d. The flat plate 2e at one end, and a matching plate, not shown, at the opposite end, are welded, or otherwise secured, in normal relation to the lateral edges of the base plate 2d and the back plate 2c. The side plate 2e is flat along the bottom edge, 31/4 inches wide, to conform to the width of base plate 2d, and has a curved outer wall 2f, which forms an outwardly projecting lip 2g. The elongated outwardly-curved front plate 2h is welded, or otherwise secured, along the front edge of the base plate 2d, supported at its ends beween the flat end plate 2e and the matching end plate on the other end. Alternatively, back plate 2c, base plate 2d and the outwardly-curved front plate 2h can be formed integrally, from a single metal sheet, to form an open trough, say, 31/4 inches across the bottom, and 5 inches across the open top. 
     Respectively extending above the top front edge of the front lip 2g adjacent to the open end of the gutter 2, is a half-inch wide flange 2a which runs the length of the gutter, and which is constructed to fold inward flat to accommodate and hold in place the front edge of filter attachment 3-8, so that the latter completely covers the open top of gutter 2, the inner edge resting on the front edge of the roof 10a. 
     In spaced-apart positions along the length of the gutter 2, spaced-apart say, 91/4 inches, are nails 6 which pass through sleeves 6a disposed across the width of the gutter 2 from front to back, the ends of the nails 6 fastened into the sidewall 10b of the building to hold gutter 2 in place. 
     The screen 3, for the purposes of the present invention, may be formed of galvanized steel wire, vinyl-coated steel wire, aluminum wire, or plastic mesh. The openings may range in sizes from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch squares. In the present embodiment, the screen 3 is flat, just under 5 inches wide, formed of 0.028 inch diameter steel wire, woven into squares having 1/4 inch openings. Screen 3 covers the full length of the gutter 2. 
     A particular feature of the present invention is a filter pad 8, the same length and width as the screen 3, which is fastened in contiguous relation beneath the screen, forming the filter attachment 3-8. In the present embodiment, this pad 8 is made of a layer, say, 3/8 inch thick of a material known as fiber glass. It is contemplated that the filter pad 8 may assume any thickness of between say, 3/8 inch and 1 inch for the purposes of this invention. The fiber glass pad 8 is clamped in place beneath the screen 3 along its lateral edges by means of a pair of flat elongated metal molding clamps, 3a, 3b, having upper and lower jaws, say, 1/2 inch wide, which, for the purposes of the present invention, may be formed of strips of aluminum, plastic, vinyl, vinly-coated steel or galvanized steel. Assembly of the screen 3 and the fiber glass pad 8, known as the `filter attachment`, is held together by the lateral molding clamps 3a and 3b. Filter attachment 3-8 is disposed to be slideably installed in place beneath the flange 2a so that the latter is held in place on, and completely covers the top opening of the gutter 2, with the inner edge resting on the roof 10a, as previously stated. 
     The filter attachment 3-8 is further held in place by an assembly of resilient straps and clips 4 and 5, disposed in spaced-apart relation at intervals of, say, anywhere from 8 to 12 inches, along its length. 
     The straps 4 and 5, and any additional straps used, depending on the length of the gutter, are formed of resilient plastic, stainless steel, or vinyl-coated spring steel, say, 1 inch wide, and 6 inches long. 
     Near the inner end are round screw holes which accommodate resilient snap buttons 4a, 5a, which may be formed of nylon or resilient plastic, and are snapped into place through an opening in the screen 3 to hold the upper ends of the straps 4, 5 against the underside of the screen assembly 3-8, as shown in FIG. 10. Centered in the straps 4, 5, about 1/2 inch beyond each of the screws 4a, 5a, are two additional parallel slots, spaced-apart, say, 1/2 inch, which respectively accommodate clips 4b, 5b, formed of say, stainless steel, vinyl-coated steel, or plastic, which is the same material as that of straps 4, 5. The clips 4b, 5b are say, 1/4 inch wide, and are U-shaped with short flanges, extending, say, about 3/8 inch from the inner and outer ends. The clips 4b, 5b respectively fit into the two parallel slots in strips 4, 5, with the bottom of the U in contact with the under surface of straps 4, 5, so that the inner flange is secured between the underside of screen 3, and the upper face of respective strap; and outer flange extends with its free end forming a hook passing through one of the screen openings and resting on the upper surface of screen 3. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the straps 4 and 5, and the clips 4a, 5a can be formed integrally, of a single continuous piece. 
     When the filter attachment 3-8 has been installed in place, covering the upper opening of the gutter 2, the straps 4 and 5 bear against the rear inside wall 2c of the gutter 2, thereby holding the screen assembly 3-8 firmly pressed in place beneath the inwardly-directed flanges 2a, 2b which run the length of the gutter 2. It will be understood that the pressure against the inside backwall 2c of the gutter 2 can be varied by changing the positions of the buttons 4a, 5a and clips 4b, 5b across the width of the screen 3. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific structures or dimensions described herein by way of illustration, but only as defined in the claims hereinafter.