EAVESTROUGH HANGER BRACKET

Abstract

The disclosure is directed at a hanger bracket for use within an eavestrough system. The hanger bracket provides support to the eavestrough by transferring any weight experienced by the eavestrough to the structure to which the eavestrough is mounted.

Claims

1. A hanger bracket for securing an eavestrough to a structure, comprising: a main body portion, the main body portion including; a clip end aligned with the structure a first end of the main body portion and configured to be coupled to receive one end of the eavestrough; and a curved end arranged at a second end of the main body portion opposite to the first end and configured to support a second end of the eavestrough; and a fastener tunnel configured to receive a fastener for securing the eavestrough and the hanger bracket to the structure through the clip end.

2. The hanger bracket of claim 1 wherein the main body portion comprises a pair of body portions.

3. The hanger bracket of claim 2 wherein the pair of body portions are attached along a longitudinal axis of the hanger bracket.

4. The hanger bracket of claim 2, wherein the pair of body portions are mirror images of each other.

5. The hanger bracket of claim 1 further comprising an upper contour for supporting a debris guard.

6. The hanger bracket of claim 5, wherein the upper contour comprises at least two contact surfaces for supporting the debris guard.

7. The hanger bracket of claim 6, wherein the fastener tunnel is formed between the at least two contact surfaces.

8. The hanger bracket of claim 2, wherein the pair of body portions are connected to each other via an adhesive, a fastener, a rivet or weldments.

9. The hanger bracket of claim 1, wherein the hanger bracket is formed by injection molding.

10. A hanger system comprising: an eavestrough; and a hanger bracket, the hanger bracket including: a main body portion, the main body portion including; a clip end aligned with the structure a first end of the main body portion and configured to be coupled to receive one end of the eavestrough; and a curved end arranged at a second end of the main body portion opposite to the first end and configured to support a second end of the eavestrough; and a fastener tunnel configured to receive a fastener for securing the eavestrough and the hanger bracket to the structure through the clip end.

11. The hanger system according to claim 10, further comprising: a debris guard; wherein the hanger bracket includes an upper contour for receiving a bottom contour of the debris guard.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1a is a perspective view of an eavestrough hanger bracket;

[0014] FIG. 1b is a perspective view of an eavestrough hanger bracket without a fastener;

[0015] FIG. 1c is a top view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 1a;

[0016] FIG. 1d is a front view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 1a;

[0017] FIG. 1e is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1d;

[0018] FIG. 1f is a perspective view of another embodiment of an eavestrough hanger bracket without a fastener;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an eavestrough hanger bracket in an operational environment;

[0020] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of an eavestrough system;

[0021] FIG. 4a is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an eavestrough hanger bracket;

[0022] FIG. 4b is a top view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 4a;

[0023] FIG. 4c is a front view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 4a;

[0024] FIG. 4d is a side view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 4a;

[0025] FIG. 4e is a cross-sectional view of the fastener tunnel taken along line C-C of FIG. 4d;

[0026] FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a further embodiment of an eavestrough hanger bracket; and

[0027] FIG. 5b is a top view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 5a.

[0028] It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The current disclosure is directed at an eavestrough hanger, or hanger bracket. In some embodiments, the disclosure is used to anchor or fasten an eavestrough to a building and to support the weight of the eavestrough. The disclosure may also provide support to the eavestrough when the eavestrough experiences a higher load due to environmental (rain, snow or ice) conditions. In some embodiments, the disclosure may also support, when installed, other rainwater accessories, such as, but not limited to a debris guard such as when the debris guard is experiencing a significant weight or load.

[0030] Eavestrough hanger brackets should be simple and easy to install to avoid damaging the eavestrough or the structure of the building to which it is attached. Improperly installed eavestrough hangers or hanger brackets may lead to weak points in the eavestrough resulting in damage to the eavestrough and/or the building. In some embodiments, eavestrough hanger brackets in accordance with the disclosure supporting debris guards and eavestroughs have high strength, durability and multiple contact points with the debris guard to allow for sufficient support.

[0031] In some embodiments, the eavestrough hanger includes a main support body portion. The main support body portion may be a single piece or may include a pair of somewhat symmetrical body portions that are connected together to form the main support body portion. One end of the main support body portion includes a clip end, or clip flange end for securing the hanger bracket and one end of an eavestrough to a building. At an opposite end of the main support body portion, the main support body portion includes a curved support end or curved flange end may for securing the other end of the eavestrough to the eavestrough hanger bracket.

[0032] In some embodiments, the hanger bracket includes a rib wall that is somewhat perpendicular to the main support body portion and may protrude from a center of the main support body portion and along a length of the main support body portion. The rib wall may include a fastener tunnel configured to receive a fastener, such as, but not limited to, a screw which secures the eavestrough and the eavestrough hanger bracket to the building through the clip end. The top surface of the rib wall may be curved or inclined as to conform to the contours of a bottom of a debris guard or cover as to better provide support for the debris guard. In some embodiments, the debris guard may also be secured to the eavestrough hanger at the curved flange or curved end of the main body support portion. In some embodiments, the main body support portion of the eavestrough hanger bracket may be formed by two opposing body portions or halves that are joined along a center axis along a length of the eavestrough hanger whereby each body portion includes a main portion having a curved end and a clip end such that the hanger bracket may be formed upon the joining of the two opposing body portions. The eavestrough hanger bracket can also be produced using injection molding or other plastic forming processes, which can reduce costs and improve production efficiency and consistency.

[0033] Embodiments are described below, by way of example only, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0034] Turning to FIGS. 1a to 1e, certain views of a first embodiment of an eavestrough hanger, or eavestrough hanger bracket are shown. FIG. 1a is a perspective view of the eavestrough hanger bracket with a fastener; FIG. 1b is a perspective view of the eavestrough hanger bracket without a fastener; FIG. 1c is a top view of the eavestrough hanger bracket; FIG. 1d is a front view of the eavestrough hanger bracket and FIG. 1e is a cross-sectional view of the eavestrough hanger bracket taken along line A-A of FIG. 1d.

[0035] The eavestrough hanger bracket 10 includes a main support portion 12 and a fastener portion 14. In the current embodiment, the main support portion 12 includes a pair of body portions 16a and 16b (more clearly shown in FIG. 1c) that may be fastened or connected together to form the main support portion 12. In other embodiments, the main support portion 12 of the hanger bracket 10 may be a single piece construction instead of being formed by the pair of body portions. In some cases, a determination of whether the main support portion 12 of the hanger bracket 10 should be a single piece construction or formed by the pair of body portions may be based on the manufacturing process of the hanger bracket 10.

[0036] In the current embodiment, the pair of body portions 16a and 16b are somewhat identical or symmetrical with respect to each other. In other words, the pair of body portions 16 and 16b may be seen as mirror images of each other. As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 1b, in the current embodiment, the difference between the body portions 16a and 16b is with respect to a fastener tunnel portion 17a and 17b for each respective body portion whereby when the two body portions 16a and 16b are connected, the fastener tunnel portions 17 form a hole or a fastener tunnel 18 for the fastener, or fastener portion, 14 to pass through. In the current embodiment, the fastener portion 14 is a screw which can be used to screw or mount the eavestrough and hanger bracket into a structure, such as a wall, of a building. In one embodiment, the fastener 14 and fastener tunnel 18 are oriented at an angle to facilitate installation of the hanger bracket 10 using power or manual tools while the hanger bracket 10 is connected to the eavestrough. The size or diameter of the fastener tunnel 18 is designed to fit or receive the fastener securely to avoid disconnection of the fastener 14 from the body 10, such as when the hanger brackets are being shipped or transported from one location to another.

[0037] In the embodiment of FIG. 1b, the body portions 16a and 16b may be fastened or connected together with, but not limited to, glue, rivets or weldments and the like. In other embodiments, the body portions 16a and 16b may be fabricated from a single sheet of material whereby a bending operation along line 29 which is the connection between the two body portions for this embodiment. The symmetrical body portions 16a and 16b allow for the formation of the fastener tunnel 18. The bending operation to form the body portions 16a and 16b also forms a double rib (as will be discussed in more detail below) to provide increased support to an eavestrough debris guard. When the main support portion 12 is a single piece, it will be understood the line 29 will be solid.

[0038] Each body portion 16a and 16b includes a curved supporting, or curved flange, end 20 (seen as supporting ends 20a and 20b, respectively) and a clip, or clip flange, end 22 (seen as clip ends 22a and 22b, respectively). In some embodiments, an upper contour 24 of each body portion 16 is shaped to follow a bottom contour of a debris guard (not shown) in order to provide support to the debris guard when installed. The upper contour 24 may include the double rib when the main support portion 12 includes the two body portions 16 and may include a single support area or rib when the main support portion 12 is a single piece construction. It is understood that the upper contour 24 of each body portion 16 or of the main support portion 12 may be designed to mate or follow a bottom contour of an installed debris guard and does not have to follow the contour designs shown in the current Figures. A top of each of the pair of body portions 16a and 16b may be seen as a supporting rib with respect to the debris guard whereby the combination of the two body portions forms the double rib.

[0039] In the current embodiment, the upper contour 24 for each body portion 16 includes a cut-out portion 26 where an end of the fastener 14 is located and can be screwed into the fastener tunnel 18. The upper contour 24 also includes a pair of contact surfaces 28 and 30 between the hanger bracket 10 and the debris guard when the debris guard is installed. In the current embodiment, each cut-out portion 26 is angled such that it is somewhat parallel to the fastener tunnel 18 to provide room for a user to maneuver tools as the hanger bracket and eavestrough are being installed or being removed. This will be described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 2.

[0040] When the body portions 16 are connected together, a first section 32, which may be seen as upper walls or a portion of the body portion 16 above the fastener tunnel 18 and a second section 34, which may be seen as lower walls or a portion of the body portion below the fastener tunnel 18 support the contact faces 28 and 30 of the body portions 16. The cut-out portions 26 may also allow for spacing between the debris guard and the fastener 14.

[0041] Turning to FIG. 1e, which is a cross-sectional view of the hanger bracket taken along line A-A of FIG. 1d, in the current embodiment, the curved end portion 20 of the body portion 16, which may also be seen as, or referred to as, a curved flange portion, includes a flat contact face 36 along with upper 38 and lower 40 curved flanges or curved areas. When installed, the flat contact face 36 is on contact with a lip portion of the eavestrough and provides force transmission of any loading on the eavestrough through the main support portion 12 via the upper and lower curved flanges 38 and 40. In one embodiment, the curvature of the curved end portion 20 keeps the curved supporting end portion 20 in contact with the eavestrough by conforming to a profile of the eavestrough. In other embodiments, the shape, height and dimensions of the curved flange or curved end portion 20 can be different from what is shown and shaped to fit the profile of differently sized and/or shaped eavestroughs. In the current embodiment, the curved end portion 20 may include twisted edges 42 that provide added support to the flange or curved end portion 20 by eliminating or reducing the need to add any type of notching to attain the curved profile during the manufacturing process. The lower wall, or second section, 34 of the main support portion 12 allows for force transmission from the body portions 16 or contact surfaces 28 and 30 and the curved end portion 20 to the fastener 14 and the building to which the hanger bracket 10 is attached.

[0042] In some embodiments, the inner edges of the lower walls 34 may respectively form connecting faces or edges which may be curved or inclined. A lower or bottom portion 44 of the lower walls, or second section, 34 provides extra support and a mechanism to prevent or reduce excessive bending moments on the hanger bracket from loading experienced at the curved supporting end 20. When installed, the bottom portion 44 is in contact with the eavestrough between the clip end 22 and the curved support end 20. In the event of extreme loading on the curved support end 20, which could cause a bending movement in the downward direction, this contact acts to prevent or reduce material failure in the hanger bracket 10.

[0043] The clip end 22 includes an eavestrough housing area 46 that receives an end of the eavestrough to sandwich the eavestrough to provide a more secure fit between the eavestrough and the hanger bracket 10. In other embodiments, the size and shape of the eavestrough housing area 46 can vary to fit different sized eavestroughs. The housing area 46 includes holes 47 allowing for the fastener to pass through when the eavestrough is installed.

[0044] FIGS. 1c and 1d are top and front views of the hanger bracket, respectively. In FIG. 1c, the symmetry of the two body portions 16 of the main support portion 12 is more clearly shown. In one embodiment, each of the body portions 16 may be made from a metal, such as, but not limited to, aluminium however, other materials are contemplated or may be manufactured via a plastic forming process. In one embodiment of manufacturing using metal, a flattened profile of the hanger bracket 10 is cut or stamped from a sheet of metal material. The bottom portions 44 are folded to form the edges. In FIG. 1d, the curved end 20 includes faces 38, 40 and 48 which may be inclined or curved faces. Lower curved flange 40 connects the curved end 20 to the lower walls 34. In manufacture, each flange face 38, 40 and/or 48 is formed with a folding operation. The twisted edges 42 add extra strength to flange portion 20 by eliminating or reducing the need for a notch to allow for the formation of the flange portion 20. In some embodiments, twisted edges 42 are formed via a crimping or twisting operation.

[0045] In some embodiments, the holes 47 in the housing area may be formed via a punching operation. In FIG. 1c, the clip end 22 may be formed with a bending operation along a contact face 50.

[0046] Turning to FIG. 1f, a perspective view of another embodiment of a hanger bracket is shown. In the hanger bracket 10 of FIG. 1f, the main support portion 12 includes a pair of holes 70 and 72 for receiving fasteners, such as, but not limited to, rivets, enabling the two body portions 16 to be connected together to form the main support portion 12. Due to the folded construction, and the connection of the two somewhat symmetrical body portions at the bending point 29, the loading forces that transmitted to the fastener 14 may cause splitting to occur between the body portions 16 of the main support portion 12. Adding a rivet or other type of fastener through the holes 70 and 72 secure the two body portions together. It should be understood that the mechanism of fastening could take any form, including but not limited to welding. In this configuration, the two body portions would solely be connected by a fastener or fastening method via holes 70 and 72.

[0047] Turning to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of an eavestrough hanger, or hanger bracket mounted to abuilding structure, such as a wall is provided. In use, the hanger bracket 10 is used to mount an eavestrough 100 to a wall 102 of a building. The eavestrough 100 is typically located on a side of a building proximate the roof. In the current embodiment, a debris guard 104 is mounted above the hanger bracket 10 and eavestrough 100. When installed, the hanger bracket 10 provides extra support to the debris guard 104 for handling excess loads that may be experienced by the debris guard.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the curved support end 20 of each body portion 16 supports an edge or lip portion 106 of the eavestrough 100 and an end 108 of the debris guard 104. In the current embodiment, the end 108 of the debris guard 104 is designed to receive the curved portion 20 and the lip portion 106 to help secure the debris guard 104 in place. As described above, the contact between the curved end 20 and the lip portion 106 of the eavestrough 100 enables force transmission of any loading on eavestrough 100 through the main support portion 12 of the hanger bracket 10 via the faces 38, 40 and 48 of the hanger bracket 10.

[0049] As discussed above, the upper contour 24 of the main support portion 12 is shaped to receive or support a bottom portion, or contour 110 of the debris guard 104 along the pair of contact surfaces 28 and 30. In other words, in some embodiments, a geometric profile of the upper contour 24 or a portion of the upper contour 24 is shaped or designed to fit a bottom contour of the debris guard 104. In the current embodiment, by providing at least two points of contact and/or support between the main support portion 12 and the debris guard 104, there is an increased level of support provided to the overall system when debris is collected in the debris guard 104, such as during rainy or stormy weather conditions or under ice and snow loading. It is understood that the upper contour 24 of the hanger bracket 10 may be designed to provide more than two points of contact or more than two contact surfaces. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the contact surfaces 28 and 30 are angled or shaped to match the convex shape of the bottom contour 110 of the debris guard 104 to distribute forces to the main support portion 12 of the hanger bracket 10 and into the adjacent building or wall 102 of the building. In other embodiments, the angle, shape and variation in height or upper contour of the body portions 16 can differ from what is shown in order to conform to the bottom contour of different eavestrough debris guards.

[0050] In order to attach the eavestrough to the building, the fastener 14 passes through the fastener tunnel 18 of the main support portion 12 and holes 47 in the clip end 22 (which houses an end 112 of the eavestrough 100 proximate the wall 102) into the wall 102 in order to mount the eavestrough 100 and to secure the hanger bracket 10 to the wall 102.

[0051] In use, the contact between the hanger bracket 10 and the lip 106 of the eavestrough 100 and the portion 112 of the eavestrough 100 proximate the wall 102 and captured by the clip end 22 support the weight of debris, water, ice, snow or any other weight that may act on the eavestrough 100 and eavestrough debris guard 104.

[0052] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of two hanger brackets 10 along with an eavestrough 100 and an eavestrough debris guard 104. It should be understood that the configuration of the eavestrough 100 can vary in size, shapes and length. As will be understood, FIG. 3 shows just a section or portion of an eavestrough system. Depending on the size of the building, multiple eavestrough and corresponding hanger brackets and debris guards may be needed to implement the eavestrough system.

[0053] FIGS. 4a to 4c are different views of another embodiment of a hanger bracket. FIG. 4a is a perspective view, FIG. 4b is a top view and FIG. 4c is a front view of the hanger bracket.

[0054] The hanger bracket 10 of FIG. 4a is modified for manufacturing with a polymer material. Polymer materials provide excellent strength characteristics, while being lightweight and durable.

[0055] In one embodiment, the hanger bracket 10 includes a pair of body portions 16 that are connected together to form a main support portion 12. As with the previous embodiment, the main support portion 12 may also be a single piece construction. The hanger bracket further includes a curved supporting end 20 and a clip end 22 as with the embodiment of FIG. 1a. In the current embodiment, the hanger bracket 10 may be manufactured using a molding process (i.e., injection molding) or other known polymer forming techniques. In this embodiment of the hanger bracket 10, the fastener tunnel 18 is formed by a set of screw holes 400, 402 and 404 which are supported by ribs 406 and ribs 408. Ribs 406 and 408 provide extra strength and force transmission of the cantilever forces experienced by fastener 14. In one embodiment, the fastener 14 is secured within the fastener tunnel 18 via a set of fins (as shown in FIG. 4e). In this arrangement, the lower wall 34 may be formed between the rib 408 and the curved support end portion 20 and below the fastener tunnel 18.

[0056] In the current embodiment, contact surface 28 is formed by and/or supported by ribs walls 410, 412, 414 and 416 that are formed along a length of the fastener tunnel 18. The rib walls 410, 412, 414 and 416 may form a continuous ribbed structure incorporating the screw tunnel 18.

[0057] Turning to FIG. 4b, it can be seen that the screw tunnel 18 formed by screw holes 400, 402 and 404, are offset and alternating. Similarly, the support ribs 406 and 408 are also offset and alternating from their respective counterparts. The offsets are intended to provide a high level or maximum level of support and force distribution from the fastener 14 when there is a load experienced by the debris guard and/or eavestrough.

[0058] Turning to FIG. 4c, it can be seen that the hanger bracket includes a center flange 416, formed by sides 416a and 416b, that provides support from loading forces on the curved end 20 of the hanger bracket 10. Fillets 418a and 418b provide relief from any stress concentrations transmitted from the curved end 20 to the main support portion 12 of the hanger bracket 10.

[0059] FIG. 4d is a side view of the hanger bracket of FIG. 4a and FIG. 4e is a cross-sectional view of the fastener tunnel 18. FIG. 4e provides a view of the fins 500a to 500e within the fastener tunnel 18. The fins 500 provide a force on the fastener 14 (not shown) to prevent or reduce the likelihood of the fastener coming loose during transport and installation and also allow a contacting surface when the fastener 14 is torqued.

[0060] FIG. 5a is a perspective view of another embodiment of an eavestrough hanger bracket. Along with the components discussed above with respect to the other embodiments, the embodiment of FIG. 5a further includes a set of ribs 601 (including ribs 601a to 601f) that facilitate or provide a press fit installation of fastener 14 during manufacturing thus eliminating or reducing the need for torqueing of the fastener 14 during manufacturing. Ribs 601a to 601f extend to the back of the hanger bracket 10 terminating before the clip end 22.

[0061] FIG. 5b is a top view of the eavestrough hanger bracket of FIG. 5a. The hanger bracket 10 further includes a bending support feature or portion 603 that provides additional bending support from the forces experienced by the cut out portion 26 from the fastener 14. The location of support feature 603 may be on either side of the cut out portion 26.

[0062] It would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the system and components shown in the figures may include components not shown in the drawings. For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale and are only schematic. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.

[0063] It is contemplated that any part of any aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented or combined with any part of any other aspect or embodiment discussed in this specification.

[0064] It should be recognized that features and aspects of the various examples provided above can be combined into further examples that also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] When used in this specification and claims, the terms comprises and comprising and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

[0066] The disclosure may also broadly include the parts, elements, steps, examples and/or features referred to or indicated in the specification individually or collectively in any and all combinations of two or more said parts, elements, steps, examples and/or features. In particular, one or more features in any of the embodiments described herein may be combined with one or more features from any other embodiment(s) described herein.