US20040010982A1 - Ground rain-gutter - Google Patents

Abstract

An elongate ground gutter device designed to be placed on the ground with the central trough section thereof open above ground. The gutter device is designed to receive rain water falling down from the roof into the trough section, deflect that water inward into the trough, and transport it a distance away from the building.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to a rain gutter, especially to a rain gutter that is placed on the ground and deflects the water inward and can be elongated by fastening additional sections. [0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Rain gutters are customarily attached to the fascia boards of roofs. [0002]
• Negative aspects of this system include leaf retention and concomitant clogging of the gutter. [0003]
• An additional negative aspect of this system is the predisposition of the gutter to contribute to the build up of ice dams that damage buildings by their action of retaining melting snow at the roofs edge. [0004]
• The present invention solves these problems by being placed on the ground. [0005]
• The present invention's embodiment is a water proof trough with a shape that deflects the water so that it doesn't splash outward out of the trough. [0006]
• The trough is placed on the ground centered over the drip line of the water falling off the roof. [0007]
• The physics that allows this invention to function as desired is that the drip line is virtually fixed, as can be seen around gutterless buildings where the drip line is not spread out at all and appears to be cut by a knife. [0008]
• This shows that gravitational force alone, a function of the height of the building, fixes the location of the drip line and Ground Rain-Gutter. [0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• It is the object of the present invention to provide a rain gutter for buildings that is not attached to the building, but is placed on the ground. [0010]
• To achieve above object, the gutter apparatus of the present invention comprises a trough The trough is shaped so as to have angled sides that deflect the water falling into it inward, toward the center of the trough. [0011]
• The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:[0012]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
• FIG. 1 shows a roof view looking down into the gutter; [0013]
• FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along line [0014] 2-2 in FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 shows how the gutter is extended using multiple segments.[0015]
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• FIGS. 1 and 2 show the top and sectional views of the present invention respectively. The gutter apparatus provided by the present invention comprises a trough. [0016]
• With reference to FIG. 3, gutter length is extended by adding sections to it. [0017]
• Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. [0018]

Claims (3)

I claim:

1. A ground placed rain-water collection apparatus for buildings, comprising an elongate member or members in a trough configuration.

2. The ground placed rain-water collection apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the trough is shaped so as to deflect the water splashes to stay within the gutter.

3. The ground place rain-water collection apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the elongate member may be a composition of shorter members that are fastened together.

Images