NZ334918A - Fascia system including a support bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

A fascia system 1 includes at least one elongate fascia member 10 to which a gutter 22 is attached to the outside thereof so as to create a rain shadow region 30 on fascia member 10. At least one support bracket 2 is for supporting fascia member(s) 10 with respect to a roof structure of a building. Bracket 2 includes a support protrusion 8 capable of supporting fascia member 10. Support protrusion 8 is received by a groove 12 which runs along the length of fascia member 10. Groove 12 is capable of securing fascia member 10 to bracket 2 such that bracket 2 is shielded from the outside environment in the rain shadow region created by gutter once attached to fascia member 10.

Description

3349 PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $240.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION After Provisional No: 334918 Dated: 30 March 1999 James & Wells Ref: 30437/14 JW IMPROVED FASCIA BRACKET SUPPORT SYSTEM 20 I/WE WILLIAM LAURENCE MCKENZIE a New Zealand citizen of 1 Opal Drive, Papamoa, Tauranga, New Zealand hereby declare the invention for which I/We pray that a patent may be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: ''^altctuarprop^rty office! 0FN.Z. I x 19 JUL 2000 J _ RECEl\/Fn I 33 491 $ IMPROVED FASCIA BRACKET SUPPORT SYSTEM Technical Field This invention relates to a fascia system.

Background Art Numerous New Zealand patents have been granted for fascia and gutter systems, examples being New Zealand Patent Nos. 169221, 209917 and 176098/99. However, some of the systems described by the aforementioned patents suffer from a number of drawbacks.

The Applicant's previous New Zealand Patent No. 239254 covers a system 10 designed to overcome most of the drawbacks suffered by these systems.

However, the Applicant has found with the passage of time that this system also suffers from corrosion to the fascia member, in the region proximate the base of the gutter. This region of the fascia member is prone to corrosion, as it is situated in the rain shadow region created by the gutter. Hence, this region is prone to accumulating a build up of salt, pollen and other corrosive pollutants, as rain cannot wash any such build up away.

It would therefore be an advantage if their could be provided a system which has most of the advantages of the system disclosed in the New 20 Zealand Patent No. 239254, but is not prone to corrosion occurring in the rain shadow region created by the gutter.

It would also be an advantage if there could be provided a system which is capable of being used for more effectively attaching a wooden fascia board to the rafters of a roof structure. At the present time, the most prevalent "mECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 19 JUL 2000 RECEIVED 18 means for attaching a fascia board to the rafters of the roof structure simply involves nailing the fascia board into the end grain of individual rafters.

However, this method suffers from a number of drawbacks which maybe 5 summarised as follows: . The fascia board is not securely fixed to the rafters, as the end grain of the rafters has no holding power. As a result, this can lead to a buckled fascia and gutter system as if a fascia board becomes warped, the board will not be held in place by the nails in the rafters.

• Ensuring the ends of all the individual rafters are in alignment with one another is a time consuming process as it can involve cutting the ends off one or more rafters.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

Disclosure of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fascia 20 system which includes: at least one elongate fascia member to which a gutter is attached to the outside thereof so as to create a rain shadow region on the fascia member; at least one support bracket for supporting fascia member(s) with INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY office of n.z. 19 JUL 2000 RECEIVED respect to a roof structure of a building; 33 49 18 the system characterised in that the bracket includes a support protrusion capable of supporting the fascia member, wherein the support protrusion is received by a groove which runs along the length of the fascia member, 5 said groove being capable of securing the fascia member to the bracket, such that the bracket is effectively shielded from the outside environment, in the rain shadow region created by a gutter once attached to the fascia member.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a 10 fascia system substantially as described above wherein said bracket also includes a fixing-element-portion capable of being secured to the fascia member.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a fascia system substantially as described above wherein the said groove in 15 the fascia member is also capable of retaining a soffit panel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of constructing a fascia system characterised by the steps of: a) attaching, a plurality of brackets substantially as described above, to a roof structure of a building; and b) securing, at least one fascia member substantially as described above, to the bracket via the groove of the member, such that the bracket is effectively shielded from the outside environment, in the rain shadow region, which is created by the gutter once attached to the fascia member.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY' OFfTCE" of n.z. 19 JUL 2000 RECEIVED $0 y y i method substantially as described above characterised by the additional step of: c) securing the bracket to the fascia member via a fixing-element-portion.

Throughout this specification the term "rain shadow region" shall refer to the area of the fascia member which is effectively shielded from the rain by the gutter which projects outwardly from the fascia member. Generally, the rain shadow region of the fascia member will be that portion thereof which is situated beneath but proximate the base of the gutter.

In general, the elongate fascia member may be a fascia board. However, this shovild not be seen as limiting, as the fascia member need not be made from wood, but may be made from any other suitable material(s) which are not prone to corrosion or degradation due to the effects of salt, pollen or other corrosive pollutants, and/or atmospheric conditions.

The support bracket may have a number of different configurations.

In preferred embodiments the support bracket may include a rafter-support-limb which extends generally perpendicularly to the overall plane of the remainder of the bracket.

In preferred embodiments, the rafter-support-limb may include a plurality 20 of apertures which enable it to be secured to a rafter of a building via nails, screws or other such attachment devices.

It is envisaged that the support protrusion may have a variety of different configurations.

In all embodiments, the configuration of the support protrusion should be Intellectual propehiy uffTce of n.z.

JUN 2CC0 RFHFIVFn 33 -r y "j such that it is capable of having different dimensions effectively depending upon the orientation of the protrusion with respect to the groove in the fascia member.

In preferred embodiments the support protrusion may be in the form of a 5 stepped protrusion which is substantially L-shaped in nature.

In other embodiments the support protrusion may be in the form of a hook.

In all preferred embodiments, the support protrusion of the bracket may form the bottom end of the bracket.

It is envisaged that the groove which runs along the length of the fascia 10 member may have a variety of different configurations.

In general, the groove which runs along the fascia member should be constructed such that its entrance has smaller dimensions than the maximum width of the groove.

In some embodiments, the groove may in cross-section resemble a partially 15 complete circle, wherein the width of the entrance is substantially smaller than the width (radius) of the groove.

In preferred embodiments, the groove may be tapered towards the entrance.

The support protrusion may generally be secured to the fascia member, by 20 rotating the fascia member so that the entrance of the groove is substantially adjacent the portion of the protrusion having the narrowest dimension. The fascia member may then be moved so that the protrusion is effectively inserted into the groove at which point the fascia member is rotated to a position whereby the bracket is substantially flush with the 6 intellectual PROPEHTY OFFICE of n Z JUN 20C3 RECEIVED 33491 interior surface of the fascia member. The bracket in this position is then effectively secured to the fascia member via the support protrusion of the bracket engaging the groove. This being achieved as the dimensions of the support protrusion in this orientation are greater than those of the groove's 5 entranceway, when the fascia member has this vertical orientation with respect to the bracket.

The fixing-element-portion of the bracket may have a number of different configurations.

In preferred embodiments the fixing-element-portion may be a tab which 10 includes at least one aperture, said tab capable of being bent so that the bracket is substantially flush with the top of the fascia member to allow at least one nail, screw or other such attachment device to secure the bracket to the member.

In preferred embodiments, the dimensions of the groove, including the 15 dimensions of the groove's entrance may be such so as to be capable of retaining the bracket within said groove as well as receiving and supporting the edge of the soffit panel therein.

Thus preferred embodiments of the present invention may have a number of advantages over the prior art fascia and gutter systems including: 1. Simplicity and easy erection. 2. It has the same attractive streamlined appearance as other gutter/fascia products. 3. Any gutter fixed over the fascia is readily accessible. 4. Any type of gutter can be fitted to the system. intellectual pr0pi r ffTijL 1 of n2. ! 5 JUt! 2CC3 RECEIVED 3o t y 1g . Gutter/fascia colour combinations can be used. 6. The fascia member is not prone to corrosion in the rain shadow region created once a gutter is affixed to the fascia member. 7. As the fascia member is not attached to the end grain of the rafters 5 it is not prone to buckling. brief description of drawings Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a diagrammatic side view of a partially assembled fascia system in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, and Figure 2 illustrates the fascia system shown in Figure 1 in its completed state, and Figure 3 illustrates in perspective view preferred embodiments of the support bracket and the fascia member respectively of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates further possible embodiments of the support bracket (side view) and fascia member (end view) of the present invention. best modes for carrying out the invention For ease of reference, all elements which are common to the drawings shall be referred to with like reference numerals. 8 INTElECTUAi riOHilHIY OFFICE OF N.Z.

J'Jt! 2DG0 RECE'VED ^918 9 10 With respect to Figure 1 there is illustrated a fascia system generally indicated by arrow 1 which is partially completed. The fascia system 1 has a support bracket 2 which is secured via nails 3 to a rafter 4. On top of the rafter 4 is a bearer 5 and a roof 6. The bracket 2 has a raft-support-limb 7, a support protrusion 8 and a fixing-element-portion in the form of a tab 9.

Assembly of the fascia system simply involves the steps of aligning the brackets 2 on rafters 4. A fascia member in the form of a fascia board 10 is then aligned with the terminal end of the support protrusion 8 and moved generally in the direction of arrow 11 so that the support protrusion 8 can be inserted into a groove 12 in the fascia board 10. The fascia board 10 is then rotated to a vertical position substantially in the direction indicated by arrow 13. Once the fascia board 10 is in a vertical position the tab 9 may be bent so it is substantially acjjacent with the top surface of fascia board 10, a nail (not shown), may then be driven through an aperture in tab 9 into the fascia board 10.

The Applicant has found it advantageous to have the groove 12 formed so that the top surface is tapered and the bottom surface is level (as is shown). This is because this minimises any water build up in the groove 12 which could corrode the bracket 2, as could occur if the bottom surface of the groove were tapered.

With respect to Figure 2 there is shown fascia system 1 once complete. As can be seen, the groove 12 in which the support protrusion 8 is located also houses the edge of a soffit panel 20. The soffit panel 20 being attached to a soffit bearer 21.

A gutter 22 is attached to the fascia board 10 via means of a bracket 23 which is substantially similar to the bracket disclosed in New Zealand initllectual pro'V.'.. r j of n.2. y JUN 2GG3 RECEIVED 0\S -T O I Q Patent No. 280569. The bracket 23 being secured to the fascia member via means of nails (not shown).

The bracket 2 in the embodiment shown is also secured to the fascia board 10 via means of a nail 17 which passes through an aperture in the bracket 5 2. The tab 9 is also shown secured to the fascia board 10 via means of a nail 18.

The rain shadow region created by the gutter 22 on the fascia member 10 is generally indicated by the brace character 30.

With respect to Figure 3a) there is shown a perspective view of the bracket 10 2 which in particular illustrates apertures 50 and apertures 51 and 52 through which nails may pass to secure the bracket 2 to the fascia board 10.

With respect to Figure 3 b) there is shown a perspective view of the fascia board 10.

With respect to Figure 4 a) and b) there is shown further possible embodiments for the bracket 2 and fascia board 10 having a different support protrusion 100 and groove 101 respectively.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (4)

1. i WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A fascia system which includes: at least one elongate fascia member to which a gutter is attached to the outside thereof so as to create a rain shadow region on the fascia member; at least one support bracket for supporting fascia member(s) with respect to a roof structure of a building; the system characterised in that the bracket includes a support protrusion capable of supporting the fascia member, wherein the support protrusion is received by a groove which runs along the length of the fascia member, said groove being capable of securing the fascia member to the bracket, such that the bracket is effectively shielded from the outside environment, in the rain shadow region created by a gutter once attached to the fascia member.
2. 2. A fascia system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bracket also includes a fixing-element-portion capable of being secured to the fascia member.
3. 3. A fascia system as claimed in either claim 1 or 2 wherein the said groove in the fascia member is also capable of retaining a soffit panel.
4. 4. A fascia system as claimed in any one preceding claims wherein the support bracket includes a rafter-support-limb which extends substantially perpendicularly to the overall plane of the remainder wmw ujiVuy'OFFictl 11 0F N,z 15 J'JN 2000 RFrpn/cn of the brackets. 33 49 1Q A fascia system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the support protrusion is in the form of a stepped protrusion which is substantially L-shaped in nature. A fascia system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the support protrusion forms the bottom end of the bracket. A fascia system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the groove of the fascia member is constructed such that the entrance of the groove has smaller dimensions than the maximum width of the groove. A fascia system as claimed in the preceding claim wherein the groove is tapered towards the entrance. A bracket for use with a fascia system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bracket is adapted to include a support protrusion which projects towards the main face of the a fascia member, the protrusion capable of engaging a tapered groove running along the length of the inside surface of a fascia member. A fascia member for use with a fascia system as claimed in claim 1 the fascia member adapted to include a tapered groove running along the length of the fascia member on the inside surface thereof. A method of constructing a fascia system characterised by the steps of: a) attaching, a plurality of brackets as claimed in claim 9, to a roof structure of a building; and INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY office of n.z. 19 JUL 2000 REfiFh/en $3 4 9 1 £ b) securing, at least one fascia member as claimed in claim 10, to the bracket via the groove of the member, such that the bracket is effectively shielded from the outside environment, in the rain shadow region, which is created by the gutter once 5 attached to the fascia member. 12. A method as claimed in claim 11 characterised by the additional step of: c) securing the bracket to the fascia member via a fixing-element-portion. 10 13. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the support portion is secured to the fascia member by the steps of: (i) rotating the fascia member so that the entrance of the groove is substantially adjacent the portion of the support protrusion having the narrowest dimension; and 15 (ii) moving the fascia member relative to the bracket so that the support protrusion is effectively inserted into the groove; and (iii) rotating the fascia member so that the interior surface thereof is substantially flush with the bracket. 14. A fascia system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the fixing-element- 20 portion is a tab which includes at least one aperture, said tab capable of being bent so that the bracket is substantially flush with the top of the fascia member, to allow at least one nail, screw or other attachment device to secure the bracket to the member. 15. A fascia member substantially as described herein with reference to 13 ... OFFICE OF N.Z. 15 J UN 2000 RECEIVED 33^918 any example and/or drawing thereof. A method of constructing a fascia system substantially as described herein with reference to any example and/or drawing thereof. A bracket substantially as described herein with reference to any example and/or drawing thereof. A fascia member substantially as described herein with reference to any example and/or drawing thereof. WILL 3KENZIE by hit jawg & wei+ls jiCTIJf ' ' -"-Efrv OFFICE of n.z. 15 m 2GC3 14 RFCEIVED