Adjustable Gutter Fastening Bracket

Abstract

A front portion 12 of the gutter bracket may be formed with a rearwardly opening, upwardly and rearwardly curved or hooked end 16, which is sized and shaped to engage a downwardly and inwardly turned front lip 18 of a gutter 20. The front portion 12 may also be formed with a pair of relatively spaced apart side walls 22, 24 and with a generally planar web or base 26 extending between said side walls 22, 24. The web or base 26 may be formed with a plurality of latch-receiving openings 28. The rear portion 14 of the present bracket 10 may also be formed with a pair of relatively spaced apart side walls 30, 32 and with a generally planar web or base 34 extending between the side walls 30, 32. The base 34 may be formed with a plurality of downwardly projecting pins or latches 36 . Advantageously, the web or base 34 of the rear portion 14 may be sized to nest within the base 26 of the front portion 12, and the downwardly extending pins or latches 36 may be disposed to engage the latch-receiving openings 28 in the front portion 12 of the present bracket 10. The rear portion 14 may also be formed with an upwardly extending, downwardly opening, inverted V-shaped end 38 defined by a pair of legs 40, 42. The rear leg 42 may be advantageously sized and shaped to be inserted between a rear wall 44 of the gutter 20 and a supporting fascia wall 46. In addition, the inverted V-shaped end 38 may extend upwardly a distance at least twice the height of the side walls 30, 32. In this manner, a pair of horizontally aligned openings 48, 50 may be provided in the adjoining legs 40, 42 of the inverted V-shaped end 38 at a height sufficient to receive a fastener 52 for securing the present bracket 10 to the fascia wall 46.

1 . A bracket for fastening a rain gutter to a mounting surface underlying a lower front edge of roof, said rain gutter having a downwardly and inwardly turned front lip, said bracket comprising:
 a front portion formed with a gutter lip-engaging end, a pair of laterally spaced apart rails disposed rearwardly of the lip engaging end, and a generally planar web extending between the rails;   a rear portion formed with a mounting surface-engaging end, a pair of laterally spaced apart sides adapted to slidably engage the rails of the front portion, and a generally planar base extending between the sides of said rear portion; and   cooperative connectors formed in the web of the front portion and the base of the rear portion.   
   
   
       2 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the web extends rearwardly from the gutter lip-engaging end. 
   
   
       3 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the gutter lip-engaging end is upwardly and rearwardly curved. 
   
   
       4 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the positions of the front and rear portions are adjustable relative to one another. 
   
   
       5 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the base of the rear portion is formed with a plurality of downwardly projecting pins. 
   
   
       6 . The bracket according to  claim 5 , wherein the web of the front portion is formed with a plurality of latch-receiving openings. 
   
   
       7 . The bracket according to  claim 6 , wherein the base of the rear portion is sized to nest within the web of the front portion  12 . 
   
   
       8 . The bracket according to  claim 7 , wherein the downwardly extending pins of the rear portion are disposed to engage the latch-receiving openings of the front portion. 
   
   
       9 . The bracket according to  claim 8 , wherein the pins are slightly flexible. 
   
   
       10 . The bracket according to  claim 8 , wherein the number of latch-receiving openings exceeds the number of downwardly projecting latches. 
   
   
       11 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the rear portion is formed with an upwardly extending, downwardly opening, inverted V-shaped end defined by a pair of legs. 
   
   
       12 . The bracket according to  claim 11 , wherein the a rearmost leg is sized and shaped to be inserted between a rear wall of the gutter and the mounting surface. 
   
   
       13 . The bracket according to  claim 12 , wherein the inverted V-shaped end extends upwardly a distance at least twice the height of the side walls. 
   
   
       14 . The bracket according to  claim 1 , wherein the web of the front portion and the base of the rear portion are formed with a plurality of downwardly extending dimples forming concavities on the upper surfaces thereof. 
   
   
       15 . The bracket according to  claim 14 , wherein the downwardly extending dimples on one of the front and rear portions are disposed to engage at least one of the concavities on the upper surface of the other of said front and rear portions. 
   
   
       16 . The bracket according to  claim 15 , wherein the front and rear portions are secured together by a fastener through a close-fitting opening in one of said front and rear portions and an elongated opening in the other of said front and rear portions.