Hanger and strap assembly for rain gutters

Abstract

Disclosed herein are examples of hanger and strap systems arranged to secure and support rain gutters and accommodate the installation of a gutter guard system with the rain gutter. Ab exemplary system includes a hanger and a strap. The hanger includes a body, a hook portion located on one end of the body, a flat end portion located at an opposite end of the body, and a plurality of slots passing though the body. The strap includes a body, neck section, a head section, and a plurality of apertures passing through the body. The neck and head sections are arranged to engage with one of the plurality of slots of the hanger to support the rain gutter and accommodate the installation of a gutter guard system with the rain gutter. In an alternative embodiment, the hanger includes a clipped portion on one end in place of the flat end portion.

1 . A hanger and strap assembly for attaching a rain gutter to a structure, the assembly comprising:
 a plurality of hangers arranged to attach to a rain gutter, each hanger comprising:
 a hanger body with a top side and a bottom side; 
 a hook portion positioned at a first end of the hanger body; 
 a back end portion located at a second and opposite end of the hanger body; 
 a first flute extending the longitudinal length of the hanger body from the first end of the of the hanger body to the second end of the hanger body; 
 a second flute extending the longitudinal length of the hanger body from the first end of the of the hanger body to the second end of the hanger body wherein the first flute and second flute are generally parallel to each other; and 
 a plurality of hanger apertures passing though the hanger body positioned between the first end of the body and second end of the body; and 
   a plurality of straps arranged to engage with one of the plurality of hangers, each strap comprising:
 a strap body; 
 a shoulder section positioned at a first end of the strap body and arranged to engage with the top side of the hanger proximate to one of the plurality of hanger apertures; 
 a neck section extending from the shoulder section and arranged to engage with one of the plurality of hanger apertures; 
 a head section extending from the neck section and arranged to pass through one of the plurality of hanger apertures and engage with the bottom side of the hanger proximate to the one of the plurality of hanger apertures; and 
 a plurality of strap apertures passing through the strap body; 
   wherein when each of the plurality of hangers is attached to a rain gutter and each of the plurality of straps is engaged with one of the plurality of hangers to attach a rain gutter to a structure, the rain gutter is self-leveling and there are no significant gaps between the rain gutter and the structure.   
     
     
         2 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hanger apertures includes:
 a first hanger aperture positioned proximate to the first end of the hanger body;   a second hanger aperture positioned between the first hanger aperture and the second end of the hanger body; and   a third hanger aperture positioned between the first hanger aperture and the second hanger aperture.   
     
     
         3 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 2 , wherein when the hanger and strap assembly is used to attach a rain gutter to a structure:
 a first hanger is attached to the rain gutter proximate to a first end of the rain gutter and a first strap is engaged with the first hanger such that the shoulder, neck, and head of the first strap are engaged with the first hanger aperture of the first hanger;   a second hanger is attached to the rain gutter proximate to a second end of the rain gutter and a second strap is engaged with the second hanger such that the shoulder, neck, and head of the second strap are engaged with the second hanger aperture of the second hanger; and   a third hanger is attached to the rain gutter between the first hanger and the second hanger and a third strap is engaged with the third hanger such that the shoulder, neck, and head of the third strap are engaged with the third hanger aperture of the third hanger.   
     
     
         4 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hook portion of each hanger comprises:
 a first section positioned adjacent to the body of the hanger and generally perpendicular to the body of the hanger; and   a second section positioned adjacent to the first section of the hanger and generally perpendicular to the first section of the hanger.   
     
     
         5 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the second section of the hook portion is spaced apart from the body of each hanger so that it is generally parallel to and above the body of the hanger. 
     
     
         6 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the second section of the hook portion of each hanger is arranged to engage with a front end of a rain gutter. 
     
     
         7 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 6 , wherein corners of the second section of the hook section are rounded. 
     
     
         8 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the back end portion of each hanger is a flat section that is positioned adjacent to the body of the hanger and generally perpendicular to the body of the hanger, where this flat section includes an aperture. 
     
     
         9 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the flat section of each hanger is arranged to engage with a back end of a rain gutter. 
     
     
         10 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of hanger apertures includes an elongated slot section and a circular section at one end of the elongated slot section. 
     
     
         11 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the neck and head sections of each strap are arranged to engage with one of the plurality of hanger apertures to secure the strap to the hanger. 
     
     
         12 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 11 , wherein when each strap is engaged with one of the plurality of hanger apertures, the head section of the strap is positioned on one side of the hanger, the strap body is positioned on the opposite side of the hanger, and the neck section is positioned in the hanger aperture. 
     
     
         13 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the process for engaging each strap with one of the plurality of hanger apertures includes:
 orienting the strap so that the head section can passed through the hanger aperture;   passing the head section through the hanger aperture; and   rotating the strap approximately ninety degrees to engage the strap with the hanger.   
     
     
         14 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the back end portion of each hanger is a generally u-shaped section that is positioned adjacent to the body of the hanger and generally perpendicular to the body of the hanger. 
     
     
         15 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the u-shaped section includes a front section, a top section, and a back section, when a slot is formed between the front section, top section, and back section. 
     
     
         16 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the front section includes a first aperture and the second section includes a second aperture this is aligned with the first aperture. 
     
     
         17 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the u-shaped section of each hanger is arranged to engage with a back end of a rain gutter. 
     
     
         18 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 17 , wherein when the u-shaped section of each hanger is engaged with a back end of a rain gutter, the back end of the rain gutter is positioned within the slot of the u-shaped section. 
     
     
         19 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of strap apertures are arranged as elongated slots. 
     
     
         20 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 19 , wherein each of the plurality of strap apertures are positioned at an angle with regard to the length of the strap. 
     
     
         21 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 20 , wherein each of the plurality of strap apertures is positioned at an opposite angle with respect to any adjacent strap apertures. 
     
     
         22 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein corners of each strap positioned at a second and opposite end of the strap are rounded. 
     
     
         23 . The hanger and strap assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first flute extends along the hook portion of the hanger and the second flute extends along the hook portion of the hanger.