Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to guttering systems for buildings and other structures, and in particular an improved connection system for attaching guttering to their supporting brackets.

Background of the Invention

Gutters are widely used on buildings for the collection and re-direction of rainwater that runs off the roofs of such buildings. The main components of guttering systems are the lengths of guttering, the brackets that mount the guttering to a building and the corner/junction pieces.

As guttering is subjected to all types of weather over extended periods of time it is vital that the guttering is securely mounted to the building by the brackets. To this end a wide variety of different approaches for securely connecting gutters and their brackets have been adopted over the years.

Once the brackets are mounted to a building the sections of gutter are received by and secured to the brackets. In many cases the gutters are kept in place by using clips and catches that engage the top edges of the gutter sections and trap them in place.

More often than not the task of fitting and replacing guttering is carried out high up on a ladder, which can make the task of clipping, or otherwise securing, the sections of gutter to their corresponding brackets more difficult.

Further it is also the case that when such tasks are carried out during inclement weather the simple act of engaging and disengaging the retaining clips can be made even more difficult when the person carrying out the task has cold and wet hands. Summary of the Invention

In view of the above identified problems the present invention seeks to provide a system for connecting a gutter bracket to a section of gutter that is quick and easy but yet still securely connects sections of gutter to their corresponding brackets.

To this end the present invention provides a system according to claim 1 . In particular the present invention provides a system for connecting a gutter bracket to a section of gutter in which the gutter is received in the bracket, said system comprising at least one connection means provided by the interaction of a first element in the form a projecting rib and a second element in the form a rib receiving channel, and whereby one element of the connection means is provided by the gutter and the other element is provided by the gutter bracket; wherein the element provided on the gutter is located slightly down from the open top of the gutter in a side wall of the gutter; and wherein the bracket is configured to be maintained in a flexed position whilst the gutter is received in the bracket.

It will be appreciated that the system of the present invention can be applied to gutters of various shapes and sizes, ranging from gutters with semi-circular circular cross-sections to gutters with more angular cross-sections.

Preferably the system may further comprise a second connection means and wherein the element of said second connection means provided by the gutter is located on the underside of the gutter. In addition to further securing the gutter within the bracket, the second connections means provided on the underside of the gutter can engage with a corresponding element on the bracket to serve as a locating means, which ensures the easy alignment of the other connection means of the system.

Preferably said connection means may extend along the length of the gutter and gutter bracket. Alternatively said connection means may be provided at discrete points along the length of the gutter and/or gutter bracket.

It is also envisioned that whilst some of the connection means may extend along the length of the gutter and bracket other connections means may only be provided at discrete locations along the length of the gutter and bracket. Preferably the element of the connection means provided on the side wall of the gutter may be the rib receiving channel and the complementary element provided on the gutter bracket may be the projecting rib.

Preferably the element of the connection means provided on the underside of the gutter may be a rib receiving channel and the complementary element provided on the gutter bracket may be a projecting rib.

Preferably an element of a further connection means may be located on the opposing side wall of the gutter to said at least one connection means. In this way the gutter can be even more securely retained by the gutter bracket.

Preferably the system may further comprise a lid or leaf guard with a connection element that is complementary to the one or more elements provided on the side wall or side walls of the gutter and which can interact with the gutter at the same time as the element provided on the gutter bracket.

Preferably the gutter bracket may comprise one or more open ended slots to enable the bracket to be mounted to a building or other structure with fixings. Again this feature serves to make the process of fitting and replacing the system of the present invention easier.

Preferably the projecting ribs of said connection means may be chamfered to facilitate easy insertion of the ribs into the rib receiving channels.

Preferably the gutter bracket may further comprise a tab that projects from the area of the bracket adjacent to the element of the at least one connection means to facilitate the manual flexing of the bracket so that the rib projection can be inserted in to the rib receiving channel. In this way the connection/disconnection of the guttering and bracket is made easier to manage - even in inclement weather.

Preferably the shape of the gutter bracket may be complementary to the gutter section such that the gutter lies flush with the bracket when the respective elements of each of said connection means are engaged with one another. Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a section of gutter according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a side view of a gutter bracket according to the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the gutter of Figure 1 and the bracket of Figure 2 connected together in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the system shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows an end view of the gutter bracket shown in Figure 2;

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a lid/leaf guide according to the present invention;

Figure 7 shows a top view of the system of the present invention with the lid/leaf guide fitted;

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of a portion of the gutter according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the gutter of Figure 8 with a portion of a lid/leaf guide fitted.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

The guttering system of the present invention will now be described with reference to an exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be appreciated that the shape and size of the gutter and the bracket which securely receives the gutter can vary from that shown in the figures without departing from the overall inventive concept of the present invention. In view of this it is noted that the skilled person would be capable of adjusting the shape and dimensions of the example shown without departing from the connection system described herein.

Figure 1 shows a section of gutter 1 in cross-section so as to clearly display the connection means that facilitate the fixing of the gutter 1 to a corresponding bracket 5 (not shown in Figure 1 ). In the example shown three distinctive connection means are provided. The elements of the main connection means present on the gutter take the form of channels 3a and 3b which are provided in the outer surface side walls 2 of the gutter 1 .

It is appreciated that, although the connection means 3a and 3b are shown on both side walls, the provision of an element of the connection means on only one of the side walls may be sufficient to secure the gutter and bracket together. However, having said that, the arrangement shown in Figure 1 is considered more secure and thus preferable.

In addition to the elements of the connection means 3a and 3b provided in the side walls 2 of the gutter 1 an element of a secondary connection means 4 is provided in the underside of the gutter 1 . As with connection means 3a and 3b the element of the secondary connection means 4 shown takes the form of a channel in the outer surface of the gutter 1 , albeit in the underside of the gutter.

It is envisaged that the channel 4 is considered to be interchangeable with a rib, ridge or similar projection without departing from the scope of the present invention. In either case the element of the secondary connection means 4 provides the additional function of locating the gutter 1 within a bracket 5 so that the other connection means of the system are aligned (see Figures 3 and 4).

It is envisaged that the gutter 1 of the present invention may be made using conventional means, with extrusion moulded plastic gutters being one such suitable construction.

In situations where the gutters are formed by extrusion moulding it is considered expedient for the element of the connection means provided on the gutter (whether in the form of channels or projections) runs along the length of the gutter. However it is also envisaged that the channels could be provided at discrete points along the length by way of a post-moulding treatment of the gutters.

Figure 2 shows the gutter bracket 5 that accompanies and connects with the gutter 1 shown in Figure 1 . Once again it is envisaged that the brackets of the present invention may be made using conventional means, with injection moulded plastic brackets being one such suitable construction.

It should be noted, however, that due to the nature of the interaction between the gutter and the gutter bracket it is considered particularly advantageous for materials with at least a level of flexibility (such as PVC or ABS) to be used to manufacture the gutter, bracket and even the lid/leaf guide shown in Figures 6 and 7.

The bracket 5 shown in Figure 2 has a mountable portion 6 that facilitates the attachment of the bracket to a building or other such structure. The mountable portion 6, which can be better appreciated from Figure 5, will be described in more detail below. Extending from the mounting portion 6 of the bracket 5 is the gutter receiving arm 7.

This arm 7, which is preferably reinforced for strength, has an inner surface which is shaped with a profile that is complementary to the outer profile of the gutter. In this way the gutter 1 can sit flush with the bracket 5 when the complementary elements of the connection means of the gutter and the bracket are in engagement with one another.

The inner surface of the bracket, as provided by the mountable portion 6 and the arm 7, is provided with connection means elements 8a, 8b and 9 that correspond to and are complementary with the connection means elements 3a, 3b and 4 of the gutter that are described above.

The connection means elements 8a, 8b and 9 of the bracket 5 take the form of ribs that are shaped so as to be securely received within the connection means elements of the gutter 1 . As will be appreciated from the figures, the ribs are chamfered at their leading edges so as to facilitated easier location of the ribs 8a, 8b and 9 into the receiving channels 3a, 3b and 4. When inserting the gutter in to the bracket it is envisaged that the operator may simply push the gutter 1 down into the corresponding receiving area of each bracket 5. When doing this it is appreciated that the downward force of the gutter will force the bracket to flex slightly so that the connecting means 8a 8b can move outwards.

As can be seen from Figures 3 and 4, once the gutter is in the correct position relative to the bracket the connection means 8a, 8b of the bracket will spring back into place within the receiving channels 3a, 3b of the gutter.

In order to ensure that the bracket securely retains the gutter the bracket is maintained in a slightly flexed position whilst the gutter is in situ. In this way the desire of the bracket to return to its original shape ensures that the gutter is tightly maintained by the bracket.

The act of removing the gutter 1 from the bracket 5 is made easier by tab 10, which is provided at the top edge of the bracket. It will be appreciated that the tab 10 provides a graspable lever to flex the connection means of the bracket away from those of the gutter so that the gutter can be extracted from the bracket. This tab is considered to be of particular benefit when working with the system of the present invention in inclement weather.

The interaction of the gutter 1 and bracket 5 of the present invention will be best appreciated from Figures 3 and 4. It is appreciated that the manner in which the bracket securely receives the gutter enables the use of water proof adhesives (e.g. solvent weld glues) rather than rubber seals to seal the joints between sections of gutter and even corner junctions.

The use of adhesives rather than rubber seals, which tend to perish over time, is considered a particular benefit of the manner in which the bracket retains the gutter.

Turning now to Figure 5, which shows an end view of the bracket 5 that better demonstrates the mountable portion 6 of the bracket. The mountable portion 6 of the bracket is provided with a pair of fitting receiving slots 1 1 that enable the bracket to be hung or slotted on to screws, or other such fittings, so that the bracket can be fixed to a building. It will be appreciated that providing the mountable portion with the open ended slots 1 1 to receive the screws (or other such fittings) provides a more flexible means for securing the bracket to a building because the position of the bracket can be fine- tuned even after the screws (not shown) have been fixed into the building.

Figures 6 and 7 show a lid/leaf guide 12 that works together with the system of the present invention to provide further benefits by preventing, or at least minimising, the build-up of detritus in the gutter over time. This in turn reduces the frequency with which high ladders need to be used to clear out the gutters.

The lid 12 essentially comprises a main body 13 which takes the form of a grid of one kind or another. The main requirement of the grid is that it acts as a barrier to foreign objects getting in to the gutter but at the same time allows water to enter the gutter. It will be seen from Figure 7 that the grid may take the form of a plurality of bars 13b separated by gaps 13a. However alternative grid arrangements can be adopted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The lid is also provided with connection means 14 that take the form of arms with projecting ribs that are arranged to be received in the connection means elements 3a and 3b of the gutter 1 . It is important the connection means 14 of the lid 12 can be accommodated by the elements of the connection means on the gutter at the same time as the connection means 8a and 8b of the bracket 5.

This may be achieved by only providing connection means 14 at discrete points along the length of the lid 12. In this way the connection means 14 are only received in those regions of the gutter channels 3a and 3b where the bracket connection means 8a and 8b are not engaged (i.e. in the spaces between neighbouring brackets).

It is envisaged that, although not shown in the figures, the lid 12 may also be provided with tab similar to that present on the bracket 5 (i.e. tab 10) so as to facilitate the easier removal of the lid from the gutter 1 as may become necessary from time to time.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in Figures 8 and 9, a gutter variant 1 a is provided. The gutter variant 1 a differs from the gutter 1 shown in Figures 1 , 3 and 4 by virtue of the fact that each of the top edges of the gutter 1 a are provided with lip 15.

As will be appreciated from Figure 9 the lips 15 provide an alternative connection point for a lid/leaf guard 12a to that described above (i.e. where the lid/leaf guard 12 clips in to the same connection channels 3a, 3b) that are used to connect the gutter 1 to the bracket 5.

For sake of clarity only a small length of lid/leaf guard 12a is shown in Figure 9. However it is envisioned that varying lengths of lid/leaf guard 12a can be cut to suit any application.

It is envisioned that the alternative embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9 simplifies the manufacture process for the lid/leaf guard 15a, because using the alternative connection points means there is no need to provide cut outs to accommodate the regions where the gutter channels 3a, 3b and the bracket connection means 8a, 8b engage with one another.

However it is also envisioned that the lid/leaf guard 12 shown in Figure 7, with its plurality of connection means 14, can also be used with the gutter variant 1 a without departing from the present invention.

It is also envisaged that the gutter variant 1 a of the alternative embodiment allows for the lid/leaf guard to be more easily fitted to the gutter because it can be slid into place along the length of gutter 1 a rather than clicked into place at discrete points along the length of the gutter 1 .

It will be appreciated that the various features of the described embodiments of the present invention can be used inner-changeably as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.