Gutter Foam Filter

US 7,208,081 B2 3 type gutter located at the base of the roof of a dwelling or other building. The foam material is preferably supplied in four-foot sections and the required number of sections of foam are stuffed within the gutter so as to extend its full length. Referring to the Figures, the inventive gutter system is generally referred to by element number 10. Gutter system 10 includes gutter 12 which is connected at comers and leads to downspouts in a conventional marmer. Gutter 12 has a back wall 14, a bottom wall 16, and a front wall 18. Gutter front wall 18 has an upper lip 20 having an inward and downward pointing inner lip portion 22. The space between the upper lip 20 and the back wall 14 is open to receive rainwater runolf from roof 36. The inventive foam filter insert 24 has the general cross section of a right triangle having an inner side 26, an outer angular side 28, serving as the hypotenuse of the right triangle, an upper side 32 and a lower side 30 formed by the truncation of the angle between the inner side 26 and the outer angular side 28 and extending parallel to the upper side 32. The foam filter insert 24 is inserted into gutter 12 such that inner side 26 is located along back wall 14, the upper side 32 extends across and spans the space between the upper lip 20 and the back wall 14, the lower side 30 extends along the bottom wall 16 from back wall 14 to a point spaced forward of back wall 14, and the outer, angular side 32 extends from the forward point of lower side 30 to the outer comer of upper side 32 at the upper lip 20 of gutter 12. The void V, defined by the angular side 32 and the lower front portion of gutter 12 allows filtered water to flow uninhibited to a downspout (not shown) while leaves and other trash are trapped on the upper side 26 of filter elements 24. In a typical installation, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, gutter 12 is attached to the upper portion of building structure 34 under the eave or overhang of roof 36 having shingles 38. The gutter 12 is held in place by a plurality of spaced gutter spikes 40 extending between front upper lip 20 and through back wall 14 and secured in wooden building structure 34. As described above, the inventive filter elements are inserted in gutter 12, oriented as described above, and slid under- neath the gutter spikes 40 to their permanent position. FIG. 3 illustrates a gutter 12 having foam filter element 34 installed therein without the presence of gutter spikes 40 where back wall 14 of gutter 12 is fastened to building structure 34 by alternative means. In operation, rainwater from roof 36 drains through the filter element 24 and enters void V, while leaves and other debris collect on the upper side 32 of the filter element 24. The filtered water is directed to a downspout (not shown). The leaves and debris are blown away from the gutter by wind resulting in a gutter system 10 which requires little cleaning or maintenance by the homeowner. The conventional “K”-type gutters are typically provided in 5" and 6" sizes. The size is measured between the back wall and the inner lip of the front wall. For a 5" size, a foam filter element according to the present invention has an upper side of about 51/2" width and an inner side of about 3%" height with a lower side of about 3/4" in width. These dimensions may be scaled up or down for larger or smaller size gutters. Also, the relative dimensions and the cross- section shape of the foam filter element may depart from that described, to fit a particular gutter as long as a substantial void is provided for flow of filtered water in the lower front portion of the gutter. The open cell foam material is preferably of a polyether plastic material, however other materials are contemplated by the present invention. The preferred size range of cells is 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 from about 10 to about 20 cells per square inch. The cells are of such size that material such as pollen or dust will wash through the inventive filter element with the rainwater so as not to clog the filter. The inventive filter elements are flexible and may easily be removed from the gutter, cleaned, and replaced into the gutter if any clogging occurs. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encom- passes any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. I claim: 1. A combination filter insert and rain gutter comprising: an elongated filter insert having a cross section in the form of a truncated right triangle and made of open cell foam porous material, said filter insert having a generally horizontal upper side with front and rear edges, a generally vertical rear side perpendicular to said upper side and having an upper edge coincident with said rear edge of said upper side and a lower edge, a generally flat, angled side extending between the front edge of said upper side to a lower forward edge proximate to and forward of the lower edge of said rear side and rearward of the upper side front edge, a lower side parallel with said upper side and extending forward from said lower edge of said rear side to said lower forward edge, said lower side of said filter insert being formed by the truncation of said filter insert between said rear side and said angled side; and a rain gutter having a back wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall, said front wall having an upper lip, an upper opening defined between said back wall and said front wall upper lip, said filter insert being inserted into said rain gutter such that said insert upper side spans said gutter upper opening between said back wall and said upper lip of said front wall, said rear side of said insert bearing against and coextensive with said gutter back wall, and said insert lower side bearing against said gutter bottom wall, said insert angled side extending between said lower side at said lower forward edge to said gutter front wall upper lip, wherein said angled side of said insert faces said front wall and said bottom wall of said gutter, and wherein a void having a substantially tri- angular-shaped cross section is defined between said angled side of said insert, said front wall and said bottom wall of said gutter, whereby liquid may enter said gutter upper opening and travel through said filter insert into said void, for flow to a gutter liquid outlet while leaves and other debris are trapped on the upper side of said filter insert. 2. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 1, wherein said open cell porous foam material has from about 10 to about 20 cells per square inch. 3. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 2, wherein said open cell porous foam material is flexible polyether foam. 4. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 1, wherein said filter insert is about four feet in length. 5. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 1, wherein said gutter has an inner lip portion extending inward and downward from said upper lip so as to bear against said upper side of said filter insert. 6. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 1, wherein said gutter is mounted on a building structure below US 7,208,081 B2 5 the eaVe of a roof such that rainwater draining from said roof enters said gutter through said filter insert upper side. 7. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of spaced gutter spikes extending through said gutter upper lip, across said span formed between said upper lip and said back wall, and through said back wall into said building structure for securing said gutter to said building structure, said filter insert fitting below said gutter spikes. 6 8. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 1, wherein said filter insert is about four feet in length and a plurality of filter inserts are inserted end to end into a length of said gutter so as to extend the full length of said gutter. 9. The combined filter insert and gutter of claim 8 wherein said filter inserts are easily removed from the gutter for cleaning and are easily reinstalled into the gutter. * * * * *