Patents by Inventor R. Lane Vail

R. Lane Vail has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5595027
    Abstract: A gutter protector for mounting in the open top of a gutter attached to the edge of a roof. The gutter protector includes an elongate sheet of flexible material for being flexed into a curved shape under tension and placed into the open top of the gutter while in the flexed condition. The shape and dimensions of the gutter retains the gutter protector in the flexed position in the gutter. The gutter protector has a curved outer surface extending upwardly above the opening of the gutter to define a debris-diverting surface. Two embodiments are disclosed. One embodiment uses a flange and the tension of the protector when bent into the gutter to hold it in place. In another embodiment, retainers clip onto the lips of the gutter to hold the protector in place. Holes in the sheet of flexible material permit water to pass through the protector into the gutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Inventor: R. Lane Vail