DOWNSPOUT WITH SELF-MOUNTING AND LOCKING ESCUTCHEON PLATE

Abstract

A downspout nozzle and self-mounting and locking escutcheon plate for directing stormwater away from a building including a spout which mounts to a drainpipe and an escutcheon plate which can be secured to the downspout nozzle without requiring contact with the wall, or use of hardware, adhesives or bonding agents. Further, the escutcheon plate can be secured at any point along the length of the downspout nozzle, and can be adjusted or removed post installation without requiring adjusting or removal of the downspout nozzle. The method of installing this system involves providing the system, cutting the drainpipe to a desired length, fixing the spout onto the drainpipe, and pushing the plate onto the spout until it is substantially flush against the wall.

Claims

1. A self-mounting downspout system for directing fluid away from a building having a drainpipe and a wall, the system comprising: a spout that slides onto and is coupled to the plastic drainpipe and/or the wall, the spout having a lip and a spout outer circumference; and a plate having a front side, a back side and a hole having an inner circumference, wherein the plate is adjustably fixable to the spout outer circumference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plate is fixed to the spout outer circumference through a friction fit with the inner circumference of the hole.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plate has no screw holes.

4. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 1, wherein the plate is an escutcheon plate.

5. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 4, wherein the spout has a back edge and wherein the spout is coupled to the plastic drainpipe such that the back edge is substantially flush to the wall.

6. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 1, wherein the plate has an edge circumference separated from the hole by a hollow, wherein the plate is contoured such that the inner circumference projects from the back side of the plate past the edge circumference.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the escutcheon plate can be repositioned along the length of the spout post-installation without requiring movement, adjustment, or removal of the spout.

8. A self-mounting downspout system for directing fluid away from a building having a plastic drainpipe and a wall, the system comprising: a spout that slides onto and is coupled to the plastic drainpipe and/or the wall, the spout having a lip and a spout outer circumference, the spout having at least one locking track disposed on the spout outer circumference; and a plate having a front side, a back side and a hole having an inner circumference wherein the hole has at least one lock disposed on the inner circumference that engages with a locking track.

9. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the locking track is a plurality of inwardly angled teeth.

10. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 9, wherein the at least one lock comprises a pivoting lever and a pawl.

11. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 10, wherein a pawl comes into contact with the at least one tooth to allow travel of the lock along the lock track in only one direction.

12. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the at least one locking mechanism locks the plate portion to the spout along the at least one locking track of the spout portion.

13. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the plate is an escutcheon plate.

14. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the spout further comprises a lip for directing the fluid away from the building.

15. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the spout has a back edge and wherein the spout is coupled to the drainpipe such that the back edge is substantially flush to the wall.

16. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, further comprising a release to unlock the lock on the locking track.

17. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the plate has an edge circumference separated from the hole by a hollow, wherein the edge circumference projects from the back side of the plate past the inner circumference.

18. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the at least one locking track is a first locking track on a first side of the inner circumference and a second locking track directly across the hole on an opposite side of the inner circumference.

19. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the plate has an edge circumference separated from the hole by a hollow, wherein the plate is contoured such that the inner circumference projects from the back side of the plate past the edge circumference allowing the plate to achieve a flush fit with the wall in cases where the back of the spout does not reach the wall.

20. The self-mounting downspout system of claim 8, wherein the spout has a length and the locking track spans a portion of the length such that the plate can be selectively locked into one of a plurality of positions along the length.

21. A method of installing a self-mounting downspout system on a building having a plastic drainpipe and a wall, the method comprising the acts of: providing the self-mounting downspout system of claim 1; cutting the drainpipe to a desired length; placing and coupling the spout onto the drainpipe; and pushing the plate onto the spout until the plate portion is substantially flush against the wall.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the spout has a back edge, the method further comprising aligning the back edge to be substantially flush to the wall and locking the plate to the spout.

23. A downspout dressing for a downspout system having a nozzle, the downspout dressing comprising: an escutcheon plate that is configured to be secured directly to the nozzle.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the escutcheon plate has a position relative to the nozzle and wherein the position relative to the nozzle is adjustable.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures. In the figures, like reference numbers refer to like elements or acts throughout the figures.

[0033] FIG. 1 depicts an isometric view of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0034] FIG. 2a depicts a front view of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0035] FIG. 2b depicts a cross-sectional view FIG. 2a of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0036] FIG. 3 depicts a back view of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0037] FIG. 4a depicts a side view of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0038] FIG. 4b depicts a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4a of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0039] FIG. 4c depicts a closeup view of FIG. 4b of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments;

[0040] FIG. 5 depicts a side view of the self-mounting downspout system in accordance to one, or more embodiments.

[0041] Elements and acts in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence or embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices, and technologies to which the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.

[0043] Referring initially to FIGS. 1-5 a downspout system for directing fluid away from a building is shown generally at 10. The self-mounting downspout system 10 can comprise a plate 12 and a spout 20 wherein the spout can have an outer circumference 24. The plate 12 can have a front side 14, a back side 15 and a hole 17 that can have an inner circumference 29, wherein the plate can be adjustably fixable to the spout's outer circumference without the need for contact with the drainpipe or wall and without the need for any hardware, bonding agents or adhesives. In certain embodiments, the hole 17 can be equipped with at least one lock 16 and in other embodiments the hole 17 has two locks mechanisms on opposing sides from each other or in other embodiments the at least one lock can be omitted from the hole. In other embodiments there can be one, two, three, four or the like locks 16. In embodiments, the plate 12 can be any suitable shape or size but in the preferred embodiment the plate 12 can be sized to fit around the downspout and sit flush against a wall of the building. The plate 12 can be made from such as, for example, brass, stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, or any suitable material that can withstand the outside elements. The at least one lock 16 can comprise a pivoting lever 23 and a pawl 21. The plate 12 can be an escutcheon plate.

[0044] The spout 20 of the system can be hollow having a spout hole 25, a spout outer circumference 24 and a lip 26 for directing fluid away from the building. The spout outer circumference 24 can have at least one locking track 22 disposed on at least one side and in the preferred embodiment the spout outer circumference has two locking tracks on opposing sides of each other. In other embodiments there can be one, two, three, four or the like locking tracks 22 or the locking tracks can be omitted, and the spout outer circumference can be directly attached to the plate's inner circumference 29. In embodiments, the spout portion 20 can be designed to slide onto and can be coupled with the drainpipe and/or wall of the building by a spout hole 25.

[0045] The spout portion 20 can couple to the drainpipe by such as, for example, adhesive, press fit, or the like. The at least one locking track 22 of the spout portion 20 can align with the at least one lock 16 of the plate 12. The spout 20 can be made from such as, for example, brass, stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, or any suitable material that can withstand the outside elements and water. The spout 20 may be molded from one piece or multiple pieces and coupled together. The spout hole 25 can be sized to fit around the drainpipe 50 as shown in FIG. 4b. The spout hole 25 can be such as, for example a loose fit, interference fit, press fit or the like on the drainpipe 50. The at least one locking track 22 can be plurality of teeth angled inward and can be integral to the outside of the spout 20.

[0046] The plate 12 can be inserted onto the spout 20 and secured onto the spout. The pawl 21 can contact at least one tooth 31 wherein when the pawl 21 is engaged onto the tooth 31 it only allows the pawl 21 to move in one direction, as such allowing for the plate 12 to only move in one direction on the spout 20 locking the plate 12 onto the spout 20 against the building. The user can push the plate 12 onto the spout 20 aligning the at least one locking mechanism 16 with the at least one locking track 22 wherein the plurality of teeth 31 allows the lock to pass by each tooth as the plate is pushed along the spout towards the wall but stops the plate portion from moving away from the building. In certain embodiment the at least one lock 16 can have a tab that allows the user to push against releasing the lock from the tooth 31 allowing the user to remove the plate 12 from the spout 20.

[0047] In embodiments, the invention also includes a method of installing the self-mounting downspout system on a building having a drainpipe and a wall. The method involves providing the self-mounting downspout system 10, cutting the drainpipe 50 to be flush with a spout hole 25 of the spout 20, placing and coupling the spout onto the drainpipe, and pushing the plate 12 onto the spout until the plate is against the wall 52. When installing the plumbing, builders often do not leave the piping directly flush with the wall surface. The lock track 22 may span a significant portion of the length of the spout 20 to allow the plate 12 to lock to the spout 20 at a position flush with the wall even if the piping is recessed into the wall. If the drain pipe sits proud of the wall, the hollow 35 in the plate 12 can accommodate the drain pipe and still have an edge 37 that sits flush to the wall. The self-mounting downspout system 10 and the method of installing it provide an efficient and effective way of directing fluid away from a building. The system is easy to install and provides a secure and reliable means of fluid drainage. The lock 16 ensures that the system remains in place, even under heavy fluid flow. The system is adaptable to various building structures and drainpipe configurations, making it a versatile solution for fluid drainage needs.

[0048] In closing, it is to be understood that although aspects of the present specification are highlighted by referring to specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these disclosed embodiments are only illustrative of the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is in no way limited to a particular methodology, protocol, and/or reagent, etc., described herein. As such, various modifications or changes to or alternative configurations of the disclosed subject matter can be made in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the spirit of the present specification. Lastly, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those precisely as shown and described.

[0049] Certain embodiments are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the methods and devices described herein. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.