Gutter shield

Abstract

A gutter shield for protecting a gutter from the gutter shield having a mounting member secured to the gutter, a guard member with an elongated configuration and having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough to permit water drainage into the gutter, the mounting member also having a flexible sealing element extending outwardly therefrom, the flexible ceiling element being designed to seal against either the side of the gutter or a structural element. The device is suitable for many different sizes of gutters.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A device for protecting a gutter wherein the gutter has a rear wall, a front wall, a bottom wall, said walls defining a trough therebetween, said device comprising: 
 a mounting member, means for securing said mounting member to said gutter;    a guard member having an elongated configuration with first and second longitudinally extending post sides;    a first side of said guard member being engageable with a first side of said mounting member to prevent substantial vertical movement of said guard member;    said mounting member having a flexible sealing portion extending outwardly in a direction away from said first side of said mounting member for sealing engagement with an adjacent structure; and    said guard member having a substantially planar portion between said first and second sides, said substantially planar portion having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough.    
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said means for securing said mounting member to said gutter comprises a securing member designed to be attached to a gutter retaining member extending between said rear side wall and said front wall.  
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said apertures are arranged in diagonal rows extending between said rear side wall and said front wall.  
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said apertures are circular in configuration, said apertures having a diameter of between 2.5 and 10 mm.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein said apertures have a diameter of between 3.0 and 4.0 mm.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 4  wherein said diagonal rows extend at an angle of 45° with respect to said first and second side walls, said apertures forming longitudinally extending rows, said apertures being spaced apart by a distance of between 10 and 15 mm in said longitudinally extending rows.  
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6  wherein said apertures are spaced apart by between 5 and 10 mm in each diagonal row.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said mounting member has a recess facing said first side of said guard member whereby said first side of said guard member is insertable into said recess and is moveable therein.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8  wherein said mounting member has means for retaining said first side of said guard member in said recess.  
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9  wherein said means for retaining said first side comprises a V-shaped member formed within said recess and a cooperating V-shaped member formed on said one side of said guard member.  
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 2  wherein said guard member has a vertically extending side wall adjacent said second side thereof.