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Remotely-controllable self-cleaning roof gutter system and method
| Details |
Inventors: Vilhauer, Jr., Jacob E.; Vilhauer, Allison L.;
Assignee:
Primary Examiner: Warden; Jill
Assistant Examiner: Chaudhry; Saeed
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Chernoff, Vilhauer, McClung & Stenzel
A remotely-controllable self-cleaning roof gutter preferably has a selectively inflatable and deflatable bladder extending longitudinally along the interior of the roof gutter. The bladder has an interior chamber connected to a fluid conduit which extends downwardly from the gutter so that the inflation or deflation of the bladder can be controlled manually by a person standing on the ground. When the gutter is to be cleaned, the normally deflated bladder is inflated by introducing pressurized fluid into the conduit which causes the bladder to lift debris toward the top of the gutter and dump it over the top of the gutter onto the ground by gravity. Thereafter, the bladder is deflated and the gutter is restored to normal usage. Preferably, a fluid-permeable screening member is mounted immediately above the gutter drain and is liftable by the inflated bladder in unison with the debris so that debris surrounding the screening member is likewise removed by gravity. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to a remotely-controllable self-cleaning roof gutter system which is operable from ground level and requires no laborious or time-consuming effort on the part of the user.
According to one aspect of the invention, a gutter is provided with at least one inflatable bladder.
A fluid infusion conduit is connected to an interior chamber within the bladder to selectively inflate the normally deflated bladder by the infusion of pressurized fluid from a remote source when it is desired to clean the gutter.
The inflation of the bladder lifts debris deposited within the gutter to a location at or near the top of the gutter where the debris is readily removable.
Preferably, the fluid is supplied from an ordinary domestic water source, although other water or air sources could be used if desired.
Removal of the lifted debris can, within the scope of the invention, be accomplished in any of several ways while the bladder is inflated.
These could, for example, include the ordinary forces of nature such as gravity, or the use of handheld water-spraying or air-blowing hoses or other conduits which the user could direct toward the lifted debris while standing at or near ground level.
Preferably, the debris is removed merely by gravity so that it falls to the ground beneath the gutter without any effort by the user.
According to a separate aspect of the invention, the removal of the lifted debris is facilitated by an upwardly-movable debris-collecting and debris-lifting element within the gutter which could, alternatively, be a part of the bladder, an element mounted on the bladder, a separately mounted element liftable by the bladder, or an element liftable by a mechanism other than a bladder which would enable the bladder to be eliminated.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
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