EP1121499B1

EP1121499B1 - Gutters

Info

Publication number: EP1121499B1
Application number: EP99949164A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Geoffrey Quinnell
Original assignee: Marley Tile AG; Marley Extrusions Ltd
Current assignee: Marley Tile AG; DHM Plastics Ltd
Priority date: 1998-10-07
Filing date: 1999-10-07
Publication date: 2005-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-07
Also published as: AU6215099A; GB9821881D0; ATE314537T1; IS5912A; BR9914344A; HUP0104015A2; HUP0104015A3; DE69929227D1; EP1121499A1; DE69929227T2; WO2000020704A1; PL347158A1; CZ20011249A3

Abstract

A seal (12) for the spigot part (4) of a gutter comprises a sealing element (18) of flexible compressible material and retaining means (20) of a more rigid material. The retaining means (20) is connected to the spigot (4) by means of clips (16). Also disclosed is a gutter union (30) having two spigots (4) each of which is provided with a seal (12) of the type mentioned above, although a plain seal could be attached to the spigots (4) instead. The gutter union can join two uniform lengths of gutter (32). In another embodiment, the gutter union (40) is provided with a protrusion (56) fitting into an oversize slot (58) in the gutter for allowing thermal expansion of the gutter without breaking the seal.

Description

This invention relates to gutters and seals for gutters.

Traditionally plastics gutters are extruded, in a continuous length of uniform cross-section, before being cut into standard length pieces, e.g. 4-5 metre lengths. To join these lengths of gutter together a union piece is separately moulded by an injection moulding process so as to encompass and clamp around the outer surfaces of the two respective ends. In other words, a double-ended socket is used to receive the two gutter ends. Such arrangements are well known in the art. A seal is generally required for each gutter end. These are usually provided in recesses formed around the inner circumference of the respective socket portions to form a seal against the outer surface of the gutter. The outer surface of the gutter is particularly suitable for forming a good seal since it is necessarily made smooth in order to give an acceptable external appearance. By contrast the texture of the inner surface of the gutter is less critical since it will not be seen and it is therefore allowed to be relatively rough so as to minimise the cost of the extrusion tool required.

In GB-A-2323866, which was not published before the priority date of this application, there is disclosed a gutter system comprising a number of injection moulded plastics gutter sections each of which has a main section of substantially constant cross section extending from one end of the gutter section to a relatively short portion of reduced cross section at the other end which forms a spigot whose external cross-section substantially matches the internal cross-section of the main section, the spigot being provided with a seal around its external surface and being adapted to fit into the said one end of a like gutter section, so as to form a sealed joint between the two gutter sections.

In GB-A-2323866 it is proposed that the seal could be bonded to the outer surface of the spigot, for example by an adhesive, by means of ultrasonic welding or by means of co-moulding. However, it is now believed that these may not be the most appropriate methods of attaching the seal to the spigot. One problem is that techniques such as co-moulding compromise the choice of material for the seal. A seal which is compatible with e.g. UV stable PVC used for the gutter section, may have poor characteristics such as excessive compression set which could reduce the effectiveness of sealing. If the seal material is incompatible with the gutter section material then an effective bond between them will not be produced.

According to one aspect of an invention disclosed herein, there is provided a moulded gutter section having a main section extending from one end to a relatively short portion of reduced cross section at the other end which forms a spigot whose external cross-section substantially matches the internal cross-section of the main section, the spigot being provided with a seal around its external surface and being adapted to fit into the said one end of a like gutter section, so as to form a sealed joint between the two gutter sections, wherein the seal comprises a sealing element of flexible compressible material and retaining means of a more rigid material, the retaining means being connected to the spigot.

In such an arrangement, a sealing element of thermoplastic rubber can if desired be co-moulded with retaining means of a compatible material such as polypropylene, which can then be connected to the spigot by mechanical means such as a snap fit, interference fit, clip or the like. Whilst polypropylene would not be a suitable material for the gutter section itself, due to degradation under the effects of UV radiation, its use as retaining means for the sealing element would not be a problem. In use, the retaining means would be positioned between the spigot and the internal wall of another gutter section, and thus shielded from the effects of UV radiation.

By providing the seal for attachment to the spigot, no special cooperating means or the like need be provided on the gutter which receives the spigot. Thus this gutter may have a substantially uniform cross-section along most of or indeed the whole of its length. The advantage of this is that the gutter can be cut virtually anywhere along its length and still make a good sealing joint with a spigot since the latter provides the seal so that the gutter itself does not need to.

If the seal is not bonded to the spigot at the manufacturing stage, the cost of producing the components is reduced. The retaining means does not need to be attached to the sealing element so as to be watertight, but needs only to hold it in place. By allowing for a mechanical connection to the spigot, the seal can be attached by hand. For example seals could be supplied separately for connection to a spigot as and when required. This also opens up the possibility of seals being able to be replaced if they become worn or damaged, the old seal simply being removed from the spigot and a new one connected in its place..

Viewed from another aspect therefore, the invention provides a seal for a gutter section as described above, comprising a sealing element of flexible compressible material and retaining means of a more rigid material attached thereto, the retaining means being adapted to be connected to the spigot of the gutter section.

Viewed from a still further aspect of the invention there is provided a gutter system comprising a plurality of gutter sections as described above, with the spigot of one gutter section being fitted into the larger cross-section end of another gutter section to form a sealed joint therebetween.

The gutter systems of GB-A-2323866 and those as described above rely upon the gutter sections themselves being joined together without separate unions of the type necessary with conventional extruded gutter sections. Such unions are normally provided with sockets which have seals on their interior walls to seal around the external surfaces of gutter sections received in the sockets. This presents problems if the external surface of the gutter sections is not uniform. For example, there would be problems in sealing against a gutter section which had profiled patterning along its length. Furthermore, such unions are bulky in appearance as they are necessarily larger in section than the gutter itself. Accordingly, it is now proposed to apply the concept of the spigot type of joint to gutter unions.

US 5406756 discloses a gutter connector member with two spigot portions. EP-A-0062483 discloses a gutter system which allows for movement.

The invention provides a gutter system according to claim 1.

The advantage of using a gutter union having a pair of spigots is that the previously described advantages arising from the use of spigots may be achieved whilst still using an extruded gutter. Extruded gutters are preferable to injection moulded ones in some respects, chiefly the relatively low cost of production and ability to utilise a continuous production process.

The spigots may be different to allow different gutters to be joined. Preferably however the spigot parts are the same to allow identical gutters to be joined.

The seals on the spigots may be bonded thereto by adhesive, co-moulding, ultrasonic welding or the like. Preferably however, the seal for each spigot comprises a sealing element of flexible compressible material and retaining means of a more rigid material, the retaining means being connected to the spigot. This method of attachment is preferred for the reasons described above.

One or each of the pair of spigots of the gutter union described above is provided with means cooperating, or for cooperating with, means on the gutters to which it is to be joined, to allow a limited amount of longitudinal movement of the spigot relative to the respective gutter.

By allowing for a limited amount of movement of the joint between the spigot and the gutter, thermal expansion of the gutter can be accommodated without the two being able easily to slide apart. In preferred embodiments a movement of between 1 mm and 10 mm is allowed, more preferably between 2 mm and 7 mm, most preferably 4 mm. The cooperating means may take any suitable form, but preferably comprise a protrusion arranged to protrude into an aperture, the movement being limited by the edges of said aperture. In the most preferred embodiment, the protrusion is formed on the spigot and the aperture on the gutter. The spigot may be a part of a gutter length, e.g. integrally moulded therewith or may be part of a separate union member, e.g. a double spigot.

The seals for a gutter union as described above can be of the same type used for the gutter sections with integral spigots in the system described earlier.

The retaining means of the seal as described above may take any suitable form. For example it may comprise two parts provided at respective lateral ends of a sealing element, so that in use the seal is stretched around the outer surface of the spigot. Preferably however the retaining means is frame-like and may thus surround or substantially surround the sealing element.

The retaining means may be connected to the spigot by any suitable means. For example the retaining means may clip over the upper edge of the spigot or may be provided with clips, apertures or the like adapted to receive corresponding protrusions from the spigot, or vice versa. In a preferred embodiment the retaining means comprises tabs at either end of the seal for insertion into recesses or holes formed in an upper part of the spigot.

Alternatively it is considered possible to form means in the material of the sealing element itself such as a hook, knob or the like for engagement with a recess. This would obviate the need to provide a two part seal, thereby further reducing manufacturing costs.

A seal in accordance with this embodiment of the invention may be simply made of a single suitable material which has adequate seating and compression properties, such as a rubber of the like, or may be stiffened at its ends to facilitate the mechanical connection, e.g. by treating the edges to stiffen them.

Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an injection moulded gutter having a spigot on one end with a seal mechanically attached thereto described for reference only;

Figs. 2a to 2c are front, plan and side views respectively of a seal;

Fig. 2d is a scrap section through the seal;

Fig. 2e is a detail view of a seal clip.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a double spigot for joining two extruded gutters described for reference only;

Fig. 4 is an assembled view of an embodiment of the double spigot of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a close-up sectional view showing how the seal and spigot are attached in the embodiment of Fig. 4.

Turning to Fig. 1, there is shown an injection-moulded gutter 2, on one end of which is provided a spigot 4 which is adapted to be received in the opposite end of a like gutter 2a so as to form a continuous outer face when a gutter system is assembled. Hooks 6 are provided at the upper edges of the spigot to engage around lips 8 formed at the upper edges of the main socket part of the adjacent gutter 2a. A support brace 10 is provided across the open top of the spigot portion 4 to lend extra rigidity and stability to the gutter. The features of this gutter mentioned above are explained in greater detail in our co-pending application No. GB-A-2323866.

Provided around the spigot 4 is a seal 12, which may be seen more clearly in Figs. 2a to 2e. A slot 14 is provided on each hook 6 to receive clips 16 on the seal.

Turning to Figs. 2a-2e, it may be seen that the seal 12 is shaped to conform to the profile of the spigot portion 4 in Fig. 1. The seal 12 comprises a sealing member 18 made of thermoplastic rubber which is supported by a frame 20 made of polypropylene. As may be seen from the scrap section view 2d the sealing member 18 has three longitudinal fins 22 which will sealingly abut against the smooth inside surface of the gutter length 2a in use. A single longitudinal ridge 24 is provided to make sealing contact with the spigot 4.

The frame 20 surrounds the sealing member 18 on all lateral sides and is bonded thereto by ultrasonic welding or co-moulding. Clips 16 are integrally moulded at the two ends of the frame 20 as may be seen particularly in Fig. 2e. The heads 26 of the hooks 16 are adapted to click into the slots 14 formed in the spigot hooks 6 so as to engage over a shoulder formed therein (not shown) and thereby retain the seal 12 onto the spigot 12. The seal 12 may simply be snapped into place by pressing upwardly once it has been properly aligned on the spigot. The seal may be removed by using a sharp tool such as a screwdriver to release the hooks 16 or it may be necessary to break them off. However this does not matter as the seal will only need to be removed if it requires replacement anyway.

Returning to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the seal 12 is received in a recess 28 in the spigot portion 4. The depth of this recess is such that frame 20 is flush with the outer surface of the spigot portion 4 with the sealing member 8 protruding proud thereof. As well as allowing just the sealing member 18 to stand proud of the spigot 4, the recess 28 guides the seal 12 into proper alignment with the slots 14 during fitting. This makes the process of snapping the seal onto the spigot 4 extremely straight-forward.

Turning now to Fig. 3, there is shown a double spigot gutter union denoted generally at 30, for joining two lengths of extruded gutter 32. Each spigot of the union is identical to the spigot portion 4 in Fig. 1 and is thus not described further. Whilst the double spigot union 30 is provided with recesses 28 and slots (not visible in Fig. 3) in the hooks 6 in order for seals 12 of the type described above to be attached thereto, it is not necessary to use such seals. Instead a ribbon seal or the like may be glued, co-moulded or ultrasonically welded to each spigot for example.

It will be appreciated that by means of the double spigot union 30, the two gutter lengths 32 may simply be pushed together in the manner of a pipe connector. This makes for extremely quick and easy on-site assembly. Furthermore, since the overall dimensions of the union are smaller than they would be for a corresponding external union, a saving in materials is made.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention in the form of a double spigot union 40 for joining two lengths of extruded gutter 42. In this embodiment the form of the upper edges of the extruded gutters differ from those previously described in that they have hook-like formations 44 rather than these being formed on the spigot. Consequently, the means of attachment of the seal to the spigot is different. This may be seen with reference to Fig. 5. As before the seal comprises a sealing member 18 and a frame 46. The frame differs in this embodiment in that rather than being formed with a clip (see claim 16 on Fig. 2a) it is formed with a horizontally extending rectangular tab 48. The tab 48 fits into a corresponding cut-out 50 made in the upper edge 52 of the spigot moulding so as to cause the top of the seal frame 46 to be flush with the upper edge 52 of the spigot. This allows the assembly to slide easily into the extruded gutter 42.

A central pillar 54 is provided mid-way along the double spigot union 40 to act as an end-stop when the two gutter lengths 42 are slid on. As will be seen from Fig. 4, when the gutters 42 are slid on, the central pillar 54 is flush with the outer and upper faces of the gutters 42, thus forming a smooth continuous surface.

At each end of the double spigot union are rectangular protrusions 56 (only one being visible in Fig. 5). These are arranged to align with corresponding rectangular slots 58 formed in the hook-like formations 44 at the upper edges of the gutter lengths 42. The sloth 58 are longer than the protrusions 56 so as to allow limited amount of longitudinal movement of either gutter length 42 with respect to the union 40. This is beneficial in allowing for thermal expansion of the plastics gutters without breaching the seal.

Claims

A gutter system comprising two gutter sections (42), joined together by a union (40) having a pair of spigots (4) whose external cross sections substantially match the internal cross-sections of said gutter sections, each spigot being provided with a seal (18) around its external surface and fitting into the ends of said gutter sections to form sealed joints between the union and the two gutter sections characterised in that one or each of the pair of spigots is provided with means (56) cooperating with means (58) provided on the gutter section to which said spigot is joined for allowing a limited amount of longitudinal movement of said spigot relative to the respective gutter section.
A gutter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spigot parts (4) are the same.
A gutter system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said co-operating means comprise a protrusion (56) arranged to protrude into an aperture (58), said longitudinal movement being limited by the edges of said aperture.
A gutter system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said protrusion (56) is formed on one of the spigots (4) of the union.
A gutter system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein a movement of between 1mm and 10mm is allowed.
A gutter system as claimed in claim 5 wherein a movement of between 2mm and 7mm is allowed.
A gutter system as claimed in claim 6 wherein a movement of 4mm is allowed.
A gutter system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said seals (18) are bonded to the respective spigots (4) by adhesive, co-moulding or ultrasonic welding.
A gutter system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the seal for each spigot comprises a sealing element (18) of flexible compressible material and retaining means (20; 46) of a more rigid material the retaining means being connected to the spigot (4).
A gutter system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the retaining means (20;46) is frame-like so as to surround or substantially surround the sealing element (18).
A gutter system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said retaining means (46) comprises tabs (48) at either end of the seal for insertion into recesses or holes (50) formed in an upper part of the spigot (52).