Rain gutter accessory

Abstract

An accessory for a rain gutter which directs over-flowing rain water away from the front face of a gutter is described. The accessory extends along the front wall of the gutter and also serves to cover any unsightly stains or discolorations along the upper edge of the gutter. The rain gutter accessory can be easily and quickly attached to new or existing rain gutters, by merely snapping the accessory into place. Also described are combinations of the rain gutter accessory and a rain gutter, and one-piece units of the accessory and gutter.

1 . A rain gutter accessory adapted for attachment to a rain gutter having a plurality of walls that define an upwardly directed open face, the plurality of walls including a generally vertical inner wall for contacting a building to which the rain gutter is attached, an outer wall spaced from the inner wall, and a bottom wall extending between the inner wall and the outer wall, the outer wall defining a distal edge region that includes a generally vertical nailer portion extending upward from the outer wall, an inwardly directed return flange, and a top wall extending between and connecting the nailer portion and the return flange, the rain gutter accessory comprising:
 a hinge portion defining a channel sized and configured to receive the return flange of the rain gutter upon attachment of the rain gutter accessory to the rain gutter;   a top portion extending from the hinge portion, the top portion defining an interior face directed toward the top wall of the rain gutter upon attachment of the accessory to the gutter; and   a drip guide extending transversely from the top portion, wherein upon attachment of the accessory to the gutter, the top portion extends alongside and covers the nailer portion of the gutter;   wherein, upon attachment of the accessory to the gutter, the accessory at least partially overlays the distal edge region of the rain gutter, is entirely supported on the outer wall of the gutter, and does not extend across the open face of the gutter.   
   
   
       2 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the top portion extends upwardly. 
   
   
       3 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein upon attachment of the accessory to the gutter, the drip guide of the accessory extends at least partially alongside and covers at least a portion of the outer wall of the rain gutter below the nailer portion. 
   
   
       4 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein upon attachment of the accessory to the gutter, the drip guide is oriented vertically. 
   
   
       5 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the drip guide defines an upper region and a lower distal region, the lower distal region oriented at an angle of from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees with respect to the upper region of the drip guide. 
   
   
       6 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the drip guide defines an inner face directed toward the hinge portion, and an oppositely directed outer face, wherein the outer face of the drip guide defines one or more decorative designs. 
   
   
       7 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the drip guide defines a decorative distal bottom edge. 
   
   
       8 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the hinge portion exhibits a cross-sectional configuration selected from the group consisting of (i) a rectangular cross section and (ii) an arcuate cross section. 
   
   
       9 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the hinge portion defines at least one recessed region. 
   
   
       10 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1  wherein the rain gutter accessory further comprises:
 a retaining member extending from the hinge portion and oriented parallel to the top portion of the rain gutter accessory and spaced therefrom.   
   
   
       11 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 10 , wherein the retaining member defines a securing portion along a distal edge of the retaining member. 
   
   
       12 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the rain gutter accessory is formed from metal. 
   
   
       13 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the rain gutter accessory is formed from at least one polymeric material. 
   
   
       14 . A rain gutter accessory comprising:
 a thin, planar decorative drip guide;   a top planar portion transversely oriented with respect to the drip guide, and extending therefrom;   a hinge portion defining a channel directed toward the drip guide; and   a planar retaining member spaced from and oriented parallel to the top portion, the hinge portion extending between the top portion and the retaining member, wherein the retaining member defines a distal edge member that extends toward the top portion;   wherein the rain gutter accessory can be attached to a rain gutter by urging an upper edge region of an outer wall of the rain gutter into the channel defined by the hinge portion of the rain gutter accessory.   
   
   
       15 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 14  wherein the drip guide defines an inner face directed toward the hinge portion, and an oppositely directed outer face, wherein the outer face of the drip guide defines one or more decorative designs. 
   
   
       16 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 14  wherein the drip guide defines a decorative distal bottom edge. 
   
   
       17 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 14  wherein the hinge portion exhibits a cross-sectional configuration selected from the group consisting of (i) a rectangular cross section and (ii) an arcuate cross section. 
   
   
       18 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 14 , wherein the rain gutter accessory is formed from metal. 
   
   
       19 . The rain gutter accessory of  claim 14 , wherein the rain gutter accessory is formed from at least one polymeric material. 
   
   
       20 . A rain gutter and accessory system comprising:
 a rain gutter including an inner wall, an outer wall spaced from the inner wall, and a bottom wall extending between the inner wall and the outer wall, to thereby define an upwardly directed open face for receiving rain, the outer wall including a nailer portion extending from an upper region of the outer wall, a top wall transversely extending from the nailer portion, and a return flange defined along an inwardly directed edge Of the top wall; and   an accessory adapted for attachment to the rain gutter, the accessory including a drip guide, a hinge portion defining a U-shaped channel spaced from and directed toward the drip guide, and a planar top portion extending between the drip guide and the hinge portion, the accessory attaching to the outer wall of the rain gutter by placement of the return flange within the U-shaped channel, the top portion overlaying the top wall, and the drip guide positioned alongside the nailer portion.   
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the accessory further comprises:
 a retaining member extending from the hinge portion and oriented parallel to the top portion of the rain gutter accessory and spaced therefrom.   
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the retaining member defines a securing portion along a distal edge of the retaining member. 
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the accessory is formed from at least one of (i) a metal and (ii) a polymeric material. 
   
   
       24 . A one-piece rain gutter and rain gutter accessory comprising:
 a rain gutter portion including an inner wall, an outer fascia wall, and a bottom wall extending between the inner wall and the outer fascia wall, the outer fascia wall defining an upper region having a top wall and a return flange, the top wall extending between the upper region of the outer fascia wall and the return flange; and   a rain gutter accessory portion including a drip guide, a hinge portion, and a top portion extending between the drip guide and the hinge portion;   wherein the rain gutter portion and the rain gutter accessory portion are integrally joined to one another, such that the drip guide of the rain gutter accessory portion is disposed alongside at least a portion of the outer fascia wall of the rain gutter portion, and the top portion of the rain gutter accessory portion overlies the top wall of the upper region of the rain gutter portion.