Liquid purification or separation – Structural installation – Flume stream type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-30
2002-12-24
Upton, Christopher (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Structural installation
Flume stream type
C210S170050, C210S460000, C210S499000, C052S012000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
Field of Invention
The invention presented relates to the general field of rain gutters as attached to a structure for collection and proper disposal of rain water. More specifically, it relates to removal of unwanted solid debris such as leaves, twigs, and bark that accumulate at downspout openings causing stoppage and spillage of water.
Improper care in disposal or dispersion of drainage water can result in erosion of soil and serious damage to land and property. This is particularly true of rain water, as it appears to be falling harmlessly off the edges of roofs. The continued seepage of rain water through the porous soil around and under a structure results in such erosion. This erosion will eventually undermine the foundation causing cracks and ensuing damage.
To control this problem, rain gutters are installed on most structures to carry away the run-off from the roof. These gutters are pitched at a slight downward angle allowing the water to be channelled to the low point where it is discharged through an opening in the bottom. The water exits through this opening into a pipe called a downspout, and it continues to flow through this pipe to a sewer or other means of dispersion on the ground away from the building foundation.
As long as the system remains open and flowing, the water is harmlessly disposed. Interruptions to this free-flow do occur, however, caused by the collection of leaves, twigs, bark, and other undesired debris along with the water. The debris can move with the water to the openings, and these openings are smaller than the gutter, causing restrictions. At these points solids in the effluence accumulate building up with each new rainfall until clogging occurs. The stoppage can take place at the opening in the gutter or in the downspout pipe. Ensuing rain can cause a pooling of water, and the gutters fill to capacity until spillage occurs over the sides contributing to the possible erosion of the foundation of the structure. This accumulation of water puts a heavy load on the gutter supports. This load can cause bending and sagging resulting in the loss of proper drainage angle of flow, often permanently. To keep the gutters open, the property owner must clean them frequently or use some method of preventing the accumulation of such debris. Since cleaning can be dangerous and distasteful, or costly, many products have been advanced to assist in attempting to keep gutters open and flowing.
These products can be divided into four different categories:
1. The first is devoted to preventing debris from entering the gutters.
2. The second is devoted to preventing debris already in the gutters from entering the downspout.
3. The third is designed to separate and eject debris after it has passed through the downspout connector.
4. A fourth method advanced allows debris and water to fall through an opening in the bottom of the gutter onto a collector positioned below the opening designed to screen out the solids.
Category No. 1
It appears that one of the earliest methods of preventing debris from entering the gutters was a screen over the top, completely around the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,393 September 1962 McLean was awarded for a gutter cover made of sheet metal with round perforated holes keeping the debris out while allowing the water to enter. From this many new screens have been fashioned incorporating expanded metal and hardware cloth, as well as other straining materials. Of late, screens have been made from both flexible and rigid plastic with varied openings. A problem with mesh screens is its propensity to snag leaf stems and other erose points. This snagging holds the leaves in accumulated layers blocking the water from entering, causing spillage over the edge. The leaves are also held until they dry, becoming brittle. The dried leaves break off, and a part falls into the gutter. This accumulation and build-up must be removed to prevent blockage. Cleaning under the screens makes a distasteful task more unpleasant. Some screens are now made with hinges to facilitate cleaning.
An additional method of shielding the gutters from receiving debris is a cover made from metal or plastic without perforation. The solid cover extends over the top of the gutters at a downward angle allowing the water and debris to slide over the side. The debris is free to fall, but a rounded outer edge on the shield causes the water to cling by surface tension until it can fall through a narrow opening into the gutter. The narrow opening keeps most of the unwanted solids out, but many of these products are equipped with hinges for cleaning the accumulation that does occur. During heavy rain when sudden surges of rain overcome the capacity of surface tension, spillage can be experienced.
Category No. 2
The second general method of preventing interruption of water flow is to attempt to screen the downspout opening from debris that has already entered the gutters. U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,248 August 1940 Lighthill was awarded for a device with closely spaced “fingers” to be placed in the gutter over the downspout opening. A derivation of this idea is now in widespread use made from wire or mesh in the form of a pear that is placed in the downspout connector at the gutter level. This is designed to hold back the solids in the gutter while letting the water pass through. Other screening devices include boxes with removable screens for cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,635 April 1992 Carpenter was awarded for a device that channels the effluence through a cloth sock that retains the solids while letting the liquid pass through the interstices of the cloth.
Since these types of devices are fashioned to retain and accumulate the debris in the gutter, they can do more to aggravate the problem than to relieve it. The property owner is still confronted with the task of frequent gutter cleaning or its harmful alternative.
Category No. 3
A third method of solving the flowage problem is to permit the water and solids to pass down through the downspout connector, or in some cases into the downspout, where a separator is positioned. The debris is separated by a strainer and allowed to slide out the side while the water passes down through the openings in the strainer into the downspout. U.S. Pat. No. 2,090,997 August 1937 French was awarded for a device called a “refuse eliminator” to be placed in the downspout to strain out and eject solids while letting the water fall through. At later dates, U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,274 September 1984 Williams and U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,377 January 1989 Bolt were awarded for similar devices to be installed at the top of the downspout and below the downspout connector to screen solids from the effluence, ejecting them out an opening in the side while letting the water pass through into the downspout. The downspout connector is located at the bottom of the gutter, and is limited in opening size to the dimensions of the gutter. Consequently, only solids that are able to pass through the small opening can reach the strainer, and all other debris remains and gathers in the gutters. This remaining material must be removed by hand at uncertain intervals to prevent accumulation and clogging.
Category No. 4
Two devices have been awarded patents that are similar in design. The principle employed is to allow the effluence to fall through an opening in the bottom of the gutter onto a collector box equipped with a straining system that strains out the solids while allowing the liquid to pass through into the downspout. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,153 October 1986 Carey allows the effluence to fall onto a solid, slightly curved, surface encouraging the outflow to slide off the side. Surface tension is used to direct the water into slits on two opposite vertical sides while the solids are free to fall clear. The efficiency of the device for collection of water is questioned. The free-fall exposure to the wind opens the possibility that much of the flow could be blown clear of the collector. It is also probable that splashing on the surface of the collector could
Spray, Pat. Atty. Robert A.
Upton Christopher
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