Gutter cover assembly

Abstract

A gutter cover assembly includes a plurality of support brackets that can be installed in spaced fashion within a gutter and a plurality of elongated deflector panels which can be detachably connected to the support brackets to extend in overlapping side-by-side fashion over the gutter, the deflector panels leaving a space between them and a front wall of the gutter so as to enable water flowing thereover to drain into the interior of the gutter while deflecting most solid debris over the front wall of the gutter. Each support bracket includes a lower member which extends between the rear wall and the front wall of the gutter, a hanger bracket at a rear end of the lower member for attachment to the rear wall of the gutter, a flange at a front end thereof and a top member supported over the lower member. The elongated deflector panels are detachably connected to the top members of the support brackets. Each support bracket is attached to a supporting structure behind the gutter by a screw which extends therethrough and through the rear wall of the gutter into the supporting structure.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A gutter cover assembly for installation in a gutter which includes a rear wall and a front wall, said gutter cover assembly comprising: 
 a plurality of support brackets for installation in the gutter, each of said support brackets including a lower member, a hanger member at a rear end of the lower member for mounting on the rear wall of the gutter, a flange at a front end of the lower member, and a top member supported above the lower member and defining a front end, and    a deflector panel for mounting on at least two of said plurality of support brackets, said deflector panel comprising a center portion, a rear portion, and a front portion, said center portion being generally flat and said front portion extending downwardly and rearwardly for conveying water deposited on said rear or center portions over said front portion and into a gutter therebelow while conveying solid debris deposited onto said rear or center portions over said front portion and over the front wall of the gutter, and means for detachably connecting said deflector panel to the support brackets therebelow.    
     
     
         2 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 1 , including connection means for attaching each of said support brackets to a support structure behind the gutter.  
     
     
         3 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 2 , wherein said connection means comprise screws.  
     
     
         4 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 3 , wherein each support bracket includes an intermediate member which extends between said hanger member and said top member.  
     
     
         5 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 4 , including first and second web members which extend between said lower member and said intermediate member and third and fourth web members which extend between said intermediate member and said top member.  
     
     
         6 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein each of said first and second web members and said hanger member including a hole therein, and wherein said holes are aligned for passage of a said screw therethrough.  
     
     
         7 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said means for detachably connecting said deflector panel to said support brackets therebelow comprise respective rivets or screws which extend through respective holes in said deflector panel and holes in the top members of said support brackets.  
     
     
         8 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector panel comprises a center portion which is generally flat, a rear portion and a front portion.  
     
     
         9 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein said rear portion includes a return segment with projection and said front portion curves downwardly and rearwardly to a bottom edge and includes a return segment with a notched end, the projection of said return segment of said rear portion abutting a web between an intermediate member and a top member of a support bracket when the notched end of the return segment of the front portion is positioned over a front edge of the top member of the support bracket.  
     
     
         10 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein said center portion includes at least one ridge thereon to retard flow of water thereover.  
     
     
         11 . The gutter cover assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the flange of each support bracket has an inverted L-shaped cross section.  
     
     
         12 . A gutter cover assembly according to  claim 1 , including a plurality of elongated deflector panels which are mounted in overlapping side-by-side fashion on said support brackets.  
     
     
         13 . A support bracket for use in a gutter cover assembly, said support bracket including an elongated lower member, a hanger member at a rear end of the elongated lower member, a flange at a front end of the elongated lower member, a top member which has a generally flat center portion and a front portion, and an intermediate member which extends from said hanger member to said top member.  
     
     
         14 . The support bracket according to  claim 13 , including a plurality of webs which extend from said lower member to said intermediate member and from said intermediate member to said top member.  
     
     
         15 . The support bracket according to  claim 14 , wherein said hanger member and said webs which extend from said lower member to said intermediate member include respective holes therein that are aligned to enable a screw to pass therethrough.  
     
     
         16 . An elongated deflector panel for use in a gutter cover assembly, said deflector panel defining a generally flat center portion, a rear portion having a return segment that has a projection, and a front portion which curves downwardly and rearwardly to an edge has a return segment that has a notched end.  
     
     
         17 . The deflector panel according to  claim 16 , wherein said center portion includes a ridge to retarding flow of water thereover.  
     
     
         18 . A combination of a gutter defining a rear wall, a front wall and a reverse lip at an upper end of the front wall, and a gutter cover assembly which can be mounted in the gutter to enable water to flow therein but prevent most solid debris from entering the gutter, said gutter cover assembly comprising: 
 a plurality of support brackets for installation in the gutter, each of said support brackets including a lower member, a hanger member at a rear end of the lower member for mounting on the rear wall of the gutter, a flange at a front end of the lower member, and a top member supported above the lower member and defining a front end, and    a deflector panel for mounting on at least two of said plurality of support brackets, said deflector panel comprising a center portion, a rear portion, and a front portion, said center portion being generally flat and said front portion extending downwardly and rearwardly for conveying water deposited on said rear or center portions over said front portion and into a gutter therebelow while conveying solid debris deposited onto said rear or center portions over said front portion and over the front wall of the gutter, and means for detachably connecting said deflector panel to the support brackets therebelow.    
     
     
         19 . The combination according to  claim 18 , wherein the flange of each support bracket has an inverted L-shaped cross section.  
     
     
         20 . The combination according to  claim 18 , wherein said gutter is dimensioned to fit either a 5 or 6 inch K-style gutter.